Senior Enablement Consultant

Companies are deploying AI in customer experience faster than they can make it work. A new Talkdesk report reveals the orchestration gap preventing companies from turning AI investments into business outcomes. August 25, 2026 09:30 ET | Source: Talkdesk, Inc PALO ALTO, Calif., Aug. 25, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) - Talkdesk(R), Inc., a leader in Customer Experience Automation (CXA), today released "The State of Agentic Automation in CX" report, revealing that AI adoption has outpaced organizations' ability to turn AI investments into business results. While 98% of organizations have deployed AI in their customer journey, only 15% combine agentic AI with cross-departmental orchestration to resolve customer needs end-to-end. This execution gap creates a dual cost for businesses - paying for isolated AI tools while also absorbing the operational expenses of unresolved customer requests. Talkdesk commissioned NewtonX to conduct a global survey of more than 250 customer experience (CX), information technology (IT), operations, and AI strategy leaders at mid-market and enterprise organizations - to understand how businesses are adapting for a human-AI hybrid workforce. The research focused on leaders accountable for both customer outcomes and the systems and operating models behind them. While AI deployment is nearly universal, the survey found that 85% of organizations lack the orchestration needed to connect AI agents, human teams, data, and workflows across enterprise systems to turn a customer's request into a fully executed resolution, and only 5% can quantify AI's impact on business outcomes. "The findings expose a widening divide between AI activity and the operating capabilities required to deliver business impact," said Tiago Paiva, chief executive officer and founder of Talkdesk. "This disconnect creates a false sense of progress. Widespread AI deployment masks the reality that so few organizations can quantify AI's impact on business outcomes. As organizations shift from deploying AI tools to managing AI as part of their workforce, orchestration has become the defining capability separating experimentation from measurable business impact." Fragmented AI has hidden costs While companies rush to deploy AI, a lack of organizational readiness leaves workflows unfinished, turning promised efficiency into financial risk. * While 64% of organizations use specialized AI agents, only 35% retain customer context from one system to the next. This missing context makes end-to-end resolution impossible, leaving tasks unfinished and driving up operational expenses. * Disconnected systems and legacy infrastructure create technical roadblocks for 45% and 44% of organizations, respectively. These backend barriers leave nearly 80% of companies limited to 10 or fewer AI automations. * When AI can't complete workflows, the workload falls on human agents, who lose an average of 28% of their time switching systems, re-entering data, and searching for customer context. AI agents are crossing the line from software tools to digital labor Organizations recognize the value of a hybrid workforce, but lack the operating models and governance to effectively manage it. * Nearly one in five organizations already view AI agents more as labor than technology, and 99% believe a hybrid workforce of AI and people delivers beneficial value. * Organizations with the highest CXA maturity are more than 10x as likely to run AI and people as a unified operation, demonstrating that although AI is becoming part of the workforce, the operating models to manage it are still taking shape. * Leaders remain hesitant to hand over control, with 52% citing trust in AI decisions as a primary concern. Despite this, an overwhelming 94% of organizations operate without AI-assisted knowledge management, missing the foundation needed to fuel accurate and effective AI agents. Multi-agent orchestration drives measurable advantage The report defines a maturity curve based on true agentic AI capabilities and cross-departmental orchestration. The data proves this maturity translates directly into measurable business outcomes. * Organizations combining agentic AI and cross-departmental orchestration are four times more likely to report major customer satisfaction (CSAT) or Net Promoter Score (NPS) gains. * Companies with higher CXA maturity are nearly twice as likely to automate revenue-driving use cases like churn prediction and personalized recommendations. * Among leading organizations, 38% autonomously resolve more than 40% of customer issues. No organizations in the lowest maturity tier reach that level. "Talkdesk's benchmark data is a wake-up call: deploying AI is easy, but operationalizing it is where most enterprises stall," said Zeus Kerravala, principal analyst, ZK Research. "Moving from AI experimentation to real execution requires an operating model where AI, people, data, and workflows operate as a unified workforce. That's where true business value will be created." "AI agents are becoming part of the customer experience workforce. But organizations need more than another AI tool - they need a way to manage how AI and people work together," said Munil Shah, chief product, technology, and customer officer at Talkdesk. "We built Talkdesk Customer Experience Automation on the belief that AI creates value when it can coordinate work across systems, departments, and people. The research findings show why that orchestration matters: the companies seeing the greatest business impact aren't just adding more AI - they're orchestrating work across a hybrid workforce that delivers on the outcomes customers and businesses expect." Market pressure continues to build, as 83% of organizations expect autonomous issue resolution rates to increase over the next two years. The full report provides a framework for leaders to benchmark their current AI capabilities against this growing demand. Methodology: NewtonX conducted an online quantitative survey of 252 director-level-and-above decision-makers and significant influencers responsible for CX, IT, operations, or AI strategy at mid-market and enterprise organizations. Fielded in April 2026, the survey included respondents across North America, EMEA, LATAM, and APAC, with representation from healthcare, financial services, retail, and several other industries. About Talkdesk Talkdesk(R) automates the world's most complex customer journeys. By resolving customer requests from start to finish, AI agents enable a hybrid workforce where human expertise is reserved for the moments that matter most. Backed by deep industry expertise and trusted by global leaders like Canon, United Rentals, Sysco, and Kimberly-Clark, Talkdesk sets the standard for Customer Experience Automation (CXA). About Talkdesk CXA Talkdesk Customer Experience Automation (CXA) automates the entire customer lifecycle - from the initial conversation to the back-end resolution. The platform leverages customer data across enterprise systems to provide AI agents with the context needed to resolve complex requests with human-like precision. Talkdesk CXA is a self-improving system that uncovers new ways to automate as it works, ensuring the AI workforce becomes more accurate and effective with each customer moment. [Talkdesk is a registered trademark of Talkdesk, Inc. All product and company names are trademarks(TM) or registered(R) trademarks of their respective holders. Use of them does not imply any affiliation with or endorsement by them.] About NewtonX NewtonX is the only B2B research intelligence platform that delivers AI-speed insights with data you can trace. We help businesses make faster, more defensible decisions, built on verified data across 140+ industries, AI-native automation, and end-to-end research expertise. Trusted by Google, TikTok, Salesforce, Stripe, Microsoft, and Coinbase. Research cited by Gartner, Fortune, Forbes, Adweek, and The Wall Street Journal. Visit newtonx.com. Media contact

Talkdesk named a Leader in two 2026 IDC MarketScape Vendor Assessments. * 1 hr ago IDC MarketScape: Worldwide Agentic Contact Center as a Service Platforms 2026 Vendor Assessment This IDC MarketScape evaluated technology providers that offer traditional CCaaS capabilities with autonomous AI agents that understand customer intent, retrieve information across disconnected systems, make independent decisions within defined guardrails, and execute end-to-end service workflows without human intervention. Talkdesk delivers these capabilities through Talkdesk CX Cloud and the Talkdesk Customer Experience Automation (CXA) platform. According to the IDC MarketScape, "Talkdesk is a strong fit for midmarket and enterprise organizations in financial services, healthcare, retail, and government that want a flexible, cloud-native contact center platform with deep security and compliance certifications and are interested in shifting toward multiagent AI automation of full customer journeys. It particularly suits buyers looking for vertical-specific AI workflows rather than generic, horizontal automation." The IDC MarketScape also notes "a well-defined, forward-looking three-to-five-year R&D strategy aligned to industry trends, giving Talkdesk a credible innovation narrative for buyers evaluating long-term platform viability." IDC MarketScape: Worldwide Insurance Customer Experience Platforms 2026 Vendor Assessment This IDC MarketScape evaluated leading customer experience platform vendors serving the insurance industry, assessing their capabilities, strategies, and fit for a range of insurance use cases. Talkdesk was assessed based on Talkdesk Financial Services Experience Cloud for Insurance - a purpose-built platform designed to address the specific CX and operational needs of property and casualty, life, and specialty insurance lines. According to the IDC MarketScape, "Talkdesk's agentic AI and automation capabilities are deeply embedded in the platform, supporting not only customer-facing workflows like first notice of loss (FNOL), claims, policy servicing, and billing, but also employee-facing processes such as after-call work and knowledge management." The IDC MarketScape also notes, "The company's ability to orchestrate complex insurance journeys, support a hybrid workforce, and deliver both self-service and agent-assisted experiences positions it as a strategic partner for insurers seeking to modernize CX and drive both growth and operational efficiency." Supporting quote "We've long invested in both AI and deep vertical specialization, because we believe technology is only effective when it aligns with how an organization actually operates," said Tiago Paiva, chief executive officer and founder at Talkdesk. "As the role of AI in customer experience continues to evolve, we're focused on making that technology more capable, more contextual, and more useful to the businesses that rely on it." About Talkdesk Talkdesk(R) automates the world's most complex customer journeys. By resolving customer requests from start to finish, AI agents enable a hybrid workforce where human expertise is reserved for the moments that matter most. Backed by deep industry expertise and trusted by global leaders like Canon, United Rentals, Sysco, and Kimberly-Clark, Talkdesk sets the standard for Customer Experience Automation (CXA). About Talkdesk CXA Talkdesk Customer Experience Automation (CXA) automates the entire customer lifecycle - from the initial conversation to the back-end resolution. The platform leverages customer data across enterprise systems to provide AI agents with the context needed to resolve complex requests with human-like precision. Talkdesk CXA is a self-improving system that uncovers new ways to automate as it works, ensuring the AI workforce becomes more accurate and effective with each customer moment. About Talkdesk Financial Services Experience Cloud Talkdesk Financial Services Experience Cloud automates the entire customer lifecycle for insurance carriers. Powered by Customer Experience Automation (CXA), it leverages data from core insurance systems to provide AI agents with the context needed to resolve complex requests from start to finish. Available as a standalone automation layer or a complete contact center platform, the solution enables a hybrid workforce of AI and human agents to deliver a superior experience in every moment. Talkdesk is a registered trademark of Talkdesk, Inc. All product and company names are trademarks(TM) or registered(R) trademarks of their respective holders. Use of them does not imply any affiliation with or endorsement by them. About IDC MarketScape IDC MarketScape vendor assessment model is designed to provide an overview of the competitive fitness of technology and service suppliers in a given market. The research utilizes a rigorous scoring methodology based on both qualitative and quantitative criteria that results in a single graphical illustration of each supplier's position within a given market. IDC MarketScape provides a clear framework in which the product and service offerings, capabilities and strategies, and current and future market success factors of technology suppliers can be meaningfully compared. The framework also provides technology buyers with a 360-degree assessment of the strengths and weaknesses of current and prospective suppliers. Media contact Talkdesk Public Relations