Table of Contents
This series is by Chris Arnold, VP of CX Strategy at ASAPP. Chris works with organizations including JetBlue and DISH to implement AI for customer service and previously led contact center strategy and technology at Verizon and Alltel, leading staff operations, and managing desktop automation and augmentation.
I've spent more than 25 years in customer experience—from working directly with customers to helping enterprises deploy AI at scale. During that time, I've watched wave after wave of technology promise to transform customer experience.
Some of those technologies made teams more efficient. Very few changed the operating model.
That's why I believe we're at a different moment now.
Agentic AI isn't simply another tool for the contact center. It gives organizations the opportunity to rethink how customer experience is designed, delivered, and continuously improved. But technology alone won't get us there. The organizations that succeed will be the ones willing to challenge long-held assumptions about workforce design, governance, performance, and what great customer service looks like in an AI-first world.
If we're going to realize the promise of agentic AI, we need more than new technology. We need a new playbook.
That's the purpose of the Agentic CX Playbook. Across this growing series, I'll look at the decisions organizations need to make as AI becomes the primary operating model for customer service, from workforce structure and governance to human-AI collaboration and continuous improvement.
1. Customer experience as we know it is dead. So, what's next for CX leaders?
The traditional customer service operating model has reached its limits. Why agentic AI requires organizations to rethink workforce design, governance, performance, and the role of customer service itself.
2. Rethinking the CX workforce for AI-led customer service
What happens when AI handles most customer interactions? A new blueprint for redesigning CX organizations around AI supervision, governance, optimization, and continuous improvement.
3. The AI-first service operations roadmap: A 3-year plan
A phased roadmap for moving from AI pilots to AI-first service operations, with practical guidance for building governance, workforce capabilities, and operational maturity.
4. The 10 tenets of AI governance in CX
AI governance is more than compliance; it's the operating system that enables trusted, scalable AI. Here are ten principles for governing enterprise AI beyond compliance, helping organizations build trustworthy, scalable customer service operations.
5. AI governance maturity model
Assess where your organization stands today and identify the capabilities needed to progress from early AI adoption to mature, enterprise-scale governance.
6. The 3 tenets of human-AI collaboration
Why AI shouldn't replace people or rely on them as a fallback. A new operating model where humans supervise, improve, and continuously optimize AI.
7. 15 best practices for human-in-the-loop agentic CX
Fifteen recommendations for embedding human judgment in AI-led customer service, covering governance, workforce design, operational oversight, and continuous improvement.
Watch Chris' video series
Continue exploring AI-first customer experience with AI for CX Ops: Myth Busted, a bite-size video series also from Chris featuring short, practical insights on workforce transformation, governance, AI deployment, and the future of customer experience operations.
