CCW Orlando 2025 Recap: Insights on AI from CX Executives

This year's CCW Orlando went off without a hitch. Attendees joined from far and wide to discuss self-service, AI and the future of experiences. Speakers joined from brands like Disney, Haus Labs, Hasbro and Publix, to name a few, sharing insights on leading the next-generation of change in the customer service space.

At a time when there seems to be more innovation than ever before, it has become increasingly clear that leaders must understand the role that new technology plays in the modern contact center. In doing this, they can effectively prepare teams for both the short-term and long-term implications of AI.

Nancy Fratzke, Vice President of Customer Support at UScellular, spoke at the event and shared a recap on LinkedIn stating, “In today's fast-paced world, it's crucial to equip our associates with the right tools to be knowledgeable and confident when resolving customer issues. While automation can handle routine tasks efficiently, the human touch remains irreplaceable for the more complex and challenging issues that require a higher degree of care and empathy.”

Although self-service and AI was the overarching theme of the event, the human touch remained present in just about every conversation onsite. While AI is undoubtedly exciting, many leaders still see it as an augmentation tool to make the agent experience easier, rather than a replacement for human agents.

Additionally, it was continuously reiterated that AI is not a cure-all for CX challenges. Before diving in head first, speakers touted the importance of data preparation and hygiene. Starting small was a key recommendation from CX leaders; being intentional and picking a specific use case is a great place to start with AI. 

CCW Advisory Board Member Tyler Carpenter shared, “Many organizations aren’t quite ready for full-scale AI adoption, and that’s okay. The best approach? Start small. Focus on agent-facing and internal processes first before rolling out customer-facing AI solutions. This ensures a smoother transition, maximizes impact, and builds confidence in AI-driven workflows.”

On our end, the CCW Digital analyst team took this opportunity to share new research on the state of generative and agentic AI. The team also had fun highlighting the 10 things we hate about CX in 2025. 

In alignment with our latest Market Study on the topic, we shared new data from leaders on their thoughts about the future of agentic AI. Some of the highlights: 67% of businesses feel that AI agents will resonate better with customers than traditional chatbots. This is promising, with as few as 17% of customers stating that they trust chatbots and self-service to solve their problem.

In terms of desirable outcomes from agentic and generative AI, leaders are seeking better self-service, improved proactive engagement, better agent efficiency and an increase in data and analytics. 

While we may not be securing each of these outcomes just yet, 50% of leaders say their AI journey is moving slower than expected, there is plenty to be optimistic about. 

There We Said it: 10 Things We Hate About CX

In our workshop ‘10 Things We Hate About CX’ the CCW Digital team shed light on many of the clichés, empty promises, and ongoing challenges that persist in the customer contact space. Shifting away from the AI discussion, we debated the age-old phrase ‘the customer is always right’ and discussed examples like Netflix raising their prices while still seeing record jumps in new subscribers. While it may not be a popular decision with your customers, if you are consistently adding value to their experience, is it worth ruffling some feathers in the process? Attendees also shared their own horror stories of customer interactions gone wrong, highlighting when to take steps to ‘fire’ your customer to protect your employees.

We also shared our distaste for the current sentiment presented across CX teams: the idea of technology vs. humanity. As we’ve seen more and more technology come to the forefront, there has been a newfound point of contention between humans and their technological counterparts. While there is certainly technology that will support the agent experience, there are also plenty of tools highlighting their ability to replace agents and reduce headcount.

We discussed the idea that the human vs. technology framework does not feel conducive to the future of CX. By focusing on humanizing parts of the experience that matter and automating when the human touch isn’t necessary, we can achieve a balance that makes sense for both customers and employees.

As a whole, the event was productive. Discussing the implications of AI is critical right now, but ensuring that we are realistic about the journey is also necessary. At the end of the day, it is about making customers happy. By focusing on automation that adds value, and including a human touch throughout the process, organizations will ensure that customers feel they have every resource they need to succeed.

When looking ahead, it is important to think about how we can prepare our leaders and teams to optimize experiences while still making room for traditional CX elements. By prioritizing both, organizations can continue to innovate in a safe and comfortable way. 

Missed the event? Join us on February 18th for our free virtual seminar series focusing on the state of agentic and generative AI.