From the customer's perspective it felt like dealing with multiple companies wearing the same logo. Marketing sends a "We miss you!" email the day after a frustrating support call. Sales doesn't know the customer has already watched a demo. In-store purchase history is invisible to the ecommerce team. No continuity. No memory. No relationship.
My past experience has been with large consumer brands; we're always focused on leveraging technology to transform brands and create delightful, personalized customer experiences. At Elevance Health, I'm trying to do the same thing.
I believed technology could reshape the jewelry industry entirely-changing how customers find pieces they love, personalizing their own designs, and reimagining the customer experience. We launched as a digital-first venture to do just that. Now, two decades into our pioneering digital journey, I've realized something surprising: Our most sophisticated online tools have actually made in-person interactions more valuable. I believe the brands leading the next wave of innovation aren't choosing between digital and physical. They're using digital excellence to help create meaningful in-person connections and lifelong brand affinity.
Trust has fast become one of the central questions in every serious conversation about AI. Not capabilities. Not efficiency. Trust. If customers don't trust how companies deploy AI, they'll walk away. If employees don't trust it, they'll disengage. If enterprises don't trust their AI providers, they won't adopt. A recent global KPMG study found that while two-thirds of people now use AI regularly, fewer than half say they're willing to trust it.
While those questions matter, the secret sauce is understanding the context behind a person's interaction with your brand at a given moment. A frequent traveler might visit an airline's website one day to research a family vacation. The next time they see, they might be booking a flight for work. Their attitudinal profile hasn't changed, but what their context - and therefore what they want from you - has.
For years, car dealerships had a terrible reputation. Pushy sales tactics, confusing pricing, and long hours spent negotiating made the entire experience feel more like a battle than a purchase. Like many buyers, I assumed that avoiding dealerships altogether was the smartest way to buy a car, especially as online platforms and direct-to-consumer models gained popularity. Over time, however, my perspective began to shift.
Time and time again, we hear that modern B2B buyers have quickly adapted to online buying habits that emerged during the pandemic. You don't have to search far to find an article that references the increased number of touchpoints in a B2B sale . B uyers are self-directing their experiences throughout the customer journey and are confident they can engage with sales teams when they are ready.
Taxwell helps everyday Americans get every tax advantage they deserve by finding credits and deductions they never even knew existed. Our tax preparation software offers easy guidance and ensures your maximum tax refund. We strive to build a team of like-minded experts in both tax and technology who align with our brand purpose, are advocates for our customers and have a fresh, non-traditional approach to the tax industry.
Customer service in the UK has a problem. According to recent survey data, almost half of UK customers have experienced poor customer service over the past year. That's not a minor data point, but rather a warning sign. Long wait times, unhelpful responses, and automated loops that dead-end are just the beginning, and they erode customer trust quickly. While many businesses have invested heavily in digital tools and AI to help address these problems, that comes with its own drawbacks.
"Working with Start JudgeGill on retail stores concepts and communications guidelines has already delivered great results for MTS, such as the launch of the new MTS flagship store in Moscow. The key focus of our retail development is to provide best-in-class customer experience through personalized service and better tailored products, including exclusive devices bundled with applications developed by MTS," said Mikhail Gerchuk, vice president and chief commercial officer at MTS.
The technology underpinning retail operations is under scrutiny in 2026 as fashion executives look to streamline systems with the aim to unlock efficiency, cut costs and meet consumer expectations for speed and personalisation in the shopping journey. At the retail event Lightspeed Edge on 12 January, Lightspeed - the unified point-of-sale (POS) and payments platform for SMEs such as Apricot Lane Boutique and Neal's Yard Remedies - convened industry leaders to explore the strategic imperative for integrated technology ecosystems over siloed systems.
According to Jeremiah Owyang, a true AI agent performs four distinct functions: Sense: It perceives the world around it, whether that is inside a software application or via physical cameras. Decide: It determines the best course of action based on its inputs. Act: It completes the action (e.g., booking a meeting, purchasing a product, or updating a CRM record). Learn: It improves its performance over time based on outcomes.
Notes from the desk: Welcome to this month's Quarterly Review and a new year! The Quarterly Review is one of the only media pieces that allow readers to track improvements through time. It's a chance for the industry to learn about what goes on behind an FI's four walls and how leadership manages their priorities.And a review mandates a check-in, as I like to say, so enjoy reading about how the exec in the hot seat today overcame challenges, and brought her vision to life.
My resolution next year is to climb a tough peak in the Chamonix Valley in France. The 'why' is because it's been on my list for 15 years, and it's overdue. The 'how' is a detailed set of logistical, physical, mental, and family preparations.
Every founder feels pressure to reinvent, to launch something new, move faster, or chase the next big idea. But in my experience building Piece of Cake Moving, the most reliable path to growth isn't constant reinvention; it's consistent execution. When products and pricing look similar, execution becomes the defining differentiator. Small operational details compound into a noticeably better customer experience. The difference between a forgettable experience and a remarkable one often comes down to the smallest moments.
