Customer service stories

UK councils ramp up AI spending to boost efficiency and services, but poor strategy and complexity risk wasting taxpayers’ money.

Salesforce launches Agentforce 360 retail tools to unify AI across marketing, eCommerce and service, promising smoother shopper journeys.

Renfrewshire’s AI adviser Millie cuts calls, saves GBP £110,000 and wins awards, as Scotland is hailed a model for council services.

Crew Clothing rolls out Cegid Retail Store Excellence across 217 UK stores, unifying operations and boosting multi-brand visibility in real time.

Talkdesk unveils Commerce Orchestration and Consumer Goods Experience Cloud to coordinate AI-driven retail journeys end to end.

Quail Digital launches Pro12 wireless headsets to boost safety and incident response as UK retailers battle surging theft and staff abuse.

Patchworks debuts MCP integration layer to plug AI into retailers’ live systems, promising real-time workflows beyond basic recommendations.

Klaviyo posts 48% EMEA revenue surge, names Europe-based Co-CEO Chano Fernández to spearhead international and AI-driven retail push.

BGF invests GBP £16.6m in Workbooks to accelerate US expansion and deepen development of its integrated mid-market SaaS platform.

Google Cloud unveils Gemini CX AI platform to link retail and restaurant shopping, service and ordering into one joined-up experience.

Zespri taps SAP cloud to automate over NZD $70m in annual quality claims, slashing processing times and boosting consistency worldwide.

Retailers urged to brace for early-year spike in chargebacks as mobile shopping and buy now, pay later fuel record US holiday spend.

European office workers now lose nearly two days a week to admin, as leaders talk up automation but staff see little change on the ground.

Salesforce launches an AI Fluency Playbook to help build ‘agentic enterprises’, guiding staff to work effectively with AI agents at scale.

Cloud.in appoints veteran Vishal Dhanfule as West India sales head to drive growth and deepen cloud adoption across key regional markets.

AI voice start-up Alayic hires North West agency Planet Zeus to lead PR and social push for launch of its automated call-handling platform.

New Zealand firms plan bigger tech budgets as optimism grows, shifting AI from pilots to scaled deployments despite talent and cyber strains.

Hapax unveils a free AI certification for bankers as lenders ramp up AI spending and face tougher scrutiny from regulators and boards.

Freshworks names AI-focused marketer Kady Srinivasan as CMO to sharpen its global brand and go-to-market engine in crowded SaaS markets.

8x8 buys Singapore-based Maven Lab to scale APAC CPaaS, folding Moobidesk into its CX platform for richer, multi-channel messaging.