AI-curated news for your industry

The PGA Tour hosts nearly 50 events annually, but most fans attend only once a year. Ensuring that single experience is flawless has become a core challenge for the operations team.

A global survey released by ESW in June shows that social platforms play a prominent role in product discovery, but a lack of trust leads to low purchase conversion rates. 62% of consumers say they are influenced by social platforms, while only 6% prefer to buy there; nearly one-third prefer brand or retailer websites, a figure that rises to 52% among U.S. Baby Boomers. The report recommends that companies optimize cross-channel shopping experiences and build trust to boost conversion.

High attrition in contact centers often stems from a lack of culture. Angie Flury of Morgan Law Firm reduced agent attrition from 60% to 25% through measures such as daily leadership meetings, fulfilling benefit promises, and sharing success across the team, and showed how attrition data can be used to prove the return on cultural investment.

Executives from three major U.S. banks agreed on earnings calls that consumer spending is strong, but consumer confidence continues to decline due to concerns over tariffs, oil prices, and inflation. This contradiction poses challenges for customer experience (CX) strategies. Experts warn that brands should not be complacent, and need to prepare for an inevitable consumer pullback by strengthening value propositions, providing emotional value, and establishing proactive communication strategies.

The JD Power 2026 North America Hotel Guest Satisfaction Study shows that satisfaction improved year over year across all segments, with luxury brands leading for the third consecutive year and The Ritz-Carlton ranking first. Traveler demands for smart TVs, wellness facilities, and other features have shifted from 'nice-to-haves' to 'must-haves,' and AI is also beginning to influence the hotel discovery process.

Bank of America executives noted during the Q2 2026 earnings call that digital channels are strengthening customer interaction and driving consumption. Erica chatbot active users increased 23% year-over-year to 24.6 million, with digital sales share rising from 65% to 70%, highlighting digital engagement as a differentiating advantage.

The customer experience industry has long believed that 'friction is the enemy,' but experts from organizations such as LinkedIn and Qualtrics argue that friction is not entirely without value. Moderate friction can prevent user errors, reinforce brand memory, and enhance loyalty, while over-simplification may lead to customer regret or a lack of engagement. The key lies in determining whether friction serves the customer or the company.

A Gartner survey of more than 3,500 B2B and B2C customers found that customers are three times more likely to use third-party generative AI tools for customer service than brand-owned chatbots. Over the past year, usage of third-party generative AI tools has doubled, while usage of enterprise-provided chatbots has shown no statistically significant growth since 2022. Analysts note that brands need to rethink their AI customer service strategies and recommend transforming the entire digital experience into an AI-driven conversational interface.

A recent survey covering more than 4,000 consumers reveals that brands fail to meet customer expectations in transparency, perceived intent, and human accountability in digital experiences. 95% of consumers expect brands to act in their best interests, but only 62% believe brands perform well in balancing customer and business priorities.

PNC Bank developed a new mobile app based on a personalization philosophy, adding features while avoiding interface clutter. The app is being rolled out in phases, first covering FirstBank converted customers and select markets, with plans for full launch by late summer. The app supports dark mode, data insights, and other features, and for the first time uses AI agents to assist in development.