August 07, 2025
This Week in CX: Retail, Travel & Healthcare Get an AI Upgrade
Happy Friday! ‘This week in CX’ brings you the latest roundup of industry news.
This week, we’ve explored how AI-driven innovations and strategic partnerships are reshaping customer experience, healthcare, travel, and retail to deliver smarter, faster, and more impactful results.
We’re also discussing new updates from The New York Times, 8×8, and more.
Key news
- As AI reshapes how many of us work, should leaders be held to different standards? When Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson admitted to using AI tools for second opinions this week, it sparked backlash from critics warning of risks to sensitive data and democratic accountability. While some advocate for tighter rules on how elected officials use AI, others say today’s leaders must process complex, real-time information – and that AI, when used responsibly, can be a valuable support tool.
- Fear has crept into the culture of big tech, where many professionals longed to work because of outsized pay and perks. Sentiment began to change amid investor scrutiny of the firms given their size and bureaucratisation, then accelerated with the layoffs of hundreds of thousands of workers in recent years. The fear is now playing into the advance of AI, which threatens to make even midlevel engineers redundant. “We’re all afraid enough to go along with training our own replacements,” one tech worker tells The New York Times.
- Chemical pollution poses a threat comparable to climate change, yet it lags behind in public awareness, according to a report by Deep Science Ventures (DSV). It says that more than 100m synthetic chemicals have been created, with between 40,000 and 350,000 currently in commercial use and production. Harry Macpherson, senior climate associate at DSV, said in a LinkedIn post that the issue is “not only misunderstood but also hugely underestimated”. A separate recent article revealed that forever chemicals were detected in reusable period products.
CXM news stories
Here’s the full news stories that CXM have reported on in the past week. Learn all about the latest news about customer journeys, generative AI in travel, and patient safety.
8×8 Drives Intelligent Engagement Across Every Channel
8×8 has introduced a wave of AI-driven innovations to deliver intelligent, integrated customer experiences across channels and industries. These enhancements further unify 8×8’s contact centre, communications, and API capabilities under one AI-enabled platform, designed to help organisations work smarter, reduce friction, and deliver meaningful outcomes at scale.
Among the most impactful updates is 8×8 Smart Assist paired with Conversation Intelligence, a combination that analyses 100% of voice and digital interactions to provide agents with real-time, AI-generated coaching. By detecting customer sentiment, intent, and potential compliance risks, the solution empowers supervisors to improve team performance and reduce churn, without increasing headcount.
“We’re entering a new era of customer experience – one where AI doesn’t replace the human connection, it elevates it,” said Hunter Middleton, Chief Product Officer at 8×8, Inc. “Our platform delivers AI that’s usable, flexible, and proven. The 8×8 Platform for CX helps teams work smarter, serve faster, and deliver real results. These momentum metrics show more than growing customer engagement; they’re validation of our customer-first approach to innovation.”
8×8 also expanded secure payment capabilities with enhanced coverage for 8×8 Secure Pay, now supporting automated, PCI-compliant transactions through both virtual agents and IVRs. Customers can receive personalised payment links via SMS or email and complete transactions using Apple Pay, Google Pay, or credit cards, freeing up live agents while preserving security and compliance across the payment experience.
Leap in Self-Service
Additionally, 8×8 Intelligent Customer Assistant Knowledge AI transforms static knowledge sources like PDFs and training guides into dynamic, AI-powered self-service experiences. When paired with xApps, customers can complete complex digital tasks, such as entering structured data or scheduling follow-ups, and transition seamlessly back to voice support without losing context. This creates a fast, fluid experience that adapts to customer preferences while maintaining continuity across channels.
8×8 has also expanded the digital frontline with Meltwater social listening now integrated into 8×8 Agent Workspace. This gives contact centre teams the ability to monitor and act on social conversations from platforms like Instagram, LinkedIn, and X (formerly Twitter) directly within their workspace. Teams can filter sentiment, route posts intelligently, and respond quickly, ensuring social media doesn’t remain a blind spot in the customer experience.
To improve visibility into customer interactions, 8×8 launched JourneyAPI, which consolidates the full history of a customer’s experience, from queues and transfers to agent touchpoints, into a single, programmable view. This allows organisations to assess service quality holistically and track journey continuity in real time, powering smarter reporting and faster resolutions.
