The brands that will win in 2026 and beyond are those that make every experience feel instinctive – smart, seamless, and unmistakably human.

The old adage about ever-rising customer expectations has never rung truer, and the leaders pulling ahead are those who can anticipate needs before they surface, personalise at pace, and reinforce trust through every interaction. Empathy, intelligence, and proactive care are no longer differentiators – they’re the new baseline.

Here, we distil insights from senior CX leaders at Zurich Insurance, Sky, and Utilita Energy to reveal:

• Why empathy-led, AI-enabled experiences are reshaping competitive advantage
• How real-time personalisation is becoming the new customer expectation
• Why anticipatory service will define the brands customers trust most
• The CX leadership trends that will come to the fore in the short- and long-term

The transformation of CX is underway. Those that move boldly now will set the benchmark for everyone else.

The brands that know their customers before they even open communication will define the next frontier of CX – are you one of them?

Indeed, every click, every call, every website visit is a signal – and those who decode them to anticipate needs, deliver relevance, and earn loyalty before a word is spoken are setting the standard for tomorrow.

Our latest analyst report, What’s Next in Personalisation?, takes you inside the strategies powering this new era. Drawing on insights from over 100 senior CX leaders across Europe, it reveals:

• Where personalisation sits on growth agendas – and where it’s driving the biggest impact
• The barriers holding most brands back from scaling personalised experiences
• The capabilities required to turn customer insight into enterprise-wide advantage

Few brands have mastered this journey to date: only 3% describe their capabilities as fully optimised. The path is challenging – but the rewards promise to be disproportionate. This report offers a lay of the land.

Great customer experiences don’t happen by chance. They’re the product of strategy, culture, technology, and operations working in perfect sync. But where does your organisation stand? Our analyst-led report, The CX Maturity Index: Where Brands Stand Today, helps you find out. Based on research across European organisations, it reveals the five stages of CX maturity, where organisations sit right now, and the capabilities that separate the leaders from the laggards. Download it to benchmark your current state and identify the practical steps you can take to make your organisation more competitive in the market. The future belongs to those who can deliver experiences that matter. Start building that future today.

Innovation in customer experience is essential for competitive differentiation and growth, yet it can be challenging to measure and often relies on sudden bursts of insight. This report explores the three key strategies to build a robust CX innovation playbook:

• Unify data in one single source of truth
• Build an innovation North Star
• Develop a culture of agility
  

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 curtain has been raised. In the initial 18 months following its emergence in late 2022, much of the discourse around this technology centred on unearthing and poring over its potential. That discourse has moved on significantly as 2024 has unfolded and we’re beginning to see brands pushing past proof of concept and showcasing the tangible business value it can deliver.

In today's digital landscape, delivering consistent, tailored experiences is crucial for all brands. Being present at the right touchpoint is essential, as missed expectations can erode brand trust and loyalty. With 96% of consumers saying a negative experience affects their likelihood of returning and 12% willing to switch brands after one poor interaction, CX leaders must prioritize seamless experiences. This report explores how AI-powered search and content recommendation platforms can help brands meet these demands and drive business outcomes.

What's inside this report?

• The state of brand trust and loyalty
• The value of AI-powered relevance
• Using AI to deliver personalized experiences