Here, we speak with two leaders who have gone down opposing paths. In the “build” corner we have Paul Cooper, the former Head of Technology Delivery, Operations and Cyber at takepayments, and in the “buy” corner we have Dan Allen, the Deputy Director Dan Allen, Deputy Director of Landlord Support, National Residential Landlords Association (NRLA) of Landlord Support at the National Residential Landlords Association (NRLA). Together they dive into the pros and cons of each approach and offer critical insights around AI scalability, maintaining AI independence, implementation best practices, talent management, and their biggest learnings.

The AI revolution is here. It’s happening. And CX leaders are under pressure to tap into it.

While early discussions around the new wave of AI technology hitting the market focused heavily on its potential, the discourse in 2024 has shifted towards tangible results. AI has crossed that nice-to-have threshold into must-have territory as more and more success stories come to light.

Not many companies are fully equipped for this transformation, though. Implementing AI poses numerous challenges on technical, regulatory, data, and workforce fronts. The rapid evolution of the technology requires businesses to adopt robust digital frameworks and conduct comprehensive risk assessments to protect their brand reputation.

So, just how are brands getting their AI journey started? Where are they investing in AI technology? What impact have existing investments already made? How prepared are their respective workforces? What are their biggest concerns around AI integration?

This report offers some answers.

Based on insights gathered from a survey of more than 100 customer management executives from the CCW Europe community, it provides a broad picture of a perpetually changing, highly nuanced space.

Key findings include:

• A massive 73% of respondents report that investing in CX-focused AI technology is high on the agenda of their C-suite, with more than one-fifth (21%) saying it is “very high”.
• 30% plan to deploy a new AI tool within the next six months; 24% plan to do so within 12 months; and 28% plan to do so within two years.
• 9% report they are all in on “transformative AI” - the type of AI that solves problems and anticipates customer needs before they are even articulated.
• Implementation and management costs, a lack of internal skills, and data security risks are among the top AI-related concerns for CX leaders

To get more insights and explore some actionable AI takeaways that can empower you to lead your team confidently into the AI-powered future, download the report in full.