Customer service stories
Edinburgh-based AI consultancy Optima Partners has secured fresh investment from Growth Capital Partners to expand its UK and European operations.
UK shoppers favour AI for delivery tracking and returns but insist it should support, not replace, human customer service roles in retail.
Black Friday exposed how rising demand strains UK retailers' customer service, revealing challenges caused by complex systems and ageing processes.
UK SMEs are increasingly using fast-track finance to meet surging Black Friday demand, with applications rising nearly a third ahead of the festive season.
AI-driven customer service boosts customer experience, but investing in employee experience is key to lasting loyalty and staff retention.
Over two-thirds of retailers expect agentic AI to boost efficiency by 2026, but only 8% have fully integrated it into their operations so far.
Paragon secures EUR €585 million refinancing to fund global expansion and advance AI and cloud technologies, targeting new markets and growth.
DAS Fire appoints David Parry as Managing Director and Paul Darke as Executive Director to boost UK and Ireland growth in data centre fire safety.
Paris-based Gradium raises USD $70 million to launch an AI voice platform offering expressive, low-latency, multilingual voice interactions for enterprises and developers.
Accenture partners with OpenAI to provide ChatGPT Enterprise to its workforce, boosting AI adoption and accelerating business transformation across industries.
Shopify merchants face a new challenge: real-time multilingual messaging to support global shoppers beyond translated storefronts, boosting trust and sales.
Symbos boosts customer experience services by acquiring CPM Australia, expanding its workforce to over 2,000 across several countries with enhanced digital capabilities.
Huawei Cloud launches AI Pioneer Partner Ecosystem Alliance in Singapore to boost practical AI adoption across industries with new infrastructure and partnerships.
New Zealand Police has cut case processing times from two weeks to under four hours using Appian's automation platform, enhancing efficiency and service.
One NZ uses Amazon Bedrock-powered AI to speed network repairs, cutting analysis time by 80% and improving response during outages and storms.
Australian retailers risk losing AUD $66 billion this peak season as 41% of consumers cut spending after poor service experiences, warns Qualtrics research.
Portalink partners with Shopify to automate offline B2B sales orders, cutting costs and errors, available to Shopify Plus customers from January 2026.
RingCentral has launched its AI Receptionist in Australia from AUD $62 monthly, automating call handling with generative AI for businesses of all sizes.
Luke Clifton of Macquarie Technology Group joins the Australian Telecommunications Alliance Board, reflecting a shift to leadership with sector expertise.
New Zealand retailers risk losing NZD $12 billion this peak season as almost half of consumers shun businesses after one bad experience.