The future of customer experience (CX) isn’t arriving in sweeping, futuristic waves. It’s showing up in the quiet moments where strategy, empathy, and infrastructure either align or fracture. We explore those pressure points in the April issue of CX Insight magazine. This quarterly edition unpacks why modernization is no longer optional, how automation, when overdone, can chip away at loyalty, and what it looks like to design for trust in an era defined by privacy scrutiny. If you’re leading a team, a transformation, or a brand, this issue was made for you.
Legacy Systems Are Costing More Than You Think
In our featured article, Are Legacy Systems CX’s Biggest Roadblock?, we go deep into the infrastructure crisis holding CX back. It’s not just about IT backlogs. It’s about the opportunity cost of inaction. Zero percent of surveyed CX leaders report satisfaction with their tech stack. For executives navigating cross-functional transformation, this article serves as both a diagnosis and a framework: where to begin, what to prioritize, and how to build systems that actually serve the customer.
Efficiency Without Erosion: The Customer Experience Cliff
It starts with good intentions: optimize a workflow, speed up a process, cut the wait. The Customer Experience Cliff: How to Reach the Peak Without Falling Off explores what happens when that pursuit of efficiency goes unchecked. This piece challenges leaders to rethink their automation strategies. What’s the actual cost of removing friction if it removes the human connection along with it?
Walmart’s Model for Building Trust at Scale in the Gig Economy
Our Brand Spotlight featuring Rafi Barragan of Walmart shares what it takes to build trust at scale in the gig economy. From defect detection powered by machine learning (ML) agents to friction-reducing support flows, Walmart’s approach isn’t about eliminating the human. It’s about empowering it. His words are a reminder: every automated solution should still feel designed for the individual, not just the operation. This is essential reading for any corporate brand leader rethinking how scale and empathy can coexist.
Privacy as a Strategy, Not a Compliance Line Item
Today’s privacy conversation has evolved. It’s not just about risk mitigation but about competitive positioning. Privacy-First CX: Building Trust Through Design outlines a seven-step framework that repositions privacy as a design principle. The takeaway? When customers understand what data you collect, how you use it, and why it matters, they stay longer, engage deeper, and trust more. For brands navigating shifting regulations and heightened expectations, this article offers a forward-looking path rooted in responsibility and value.
KIA Spotlight: The Black Tux and the Power of Precision
What does operational elegance look like in practice? Thomas Harden at The Black Tux offers a masterclass in balancing outsourced partnerships with brand control. From KPIs to quality assurance, our KIA Spotlight shows how consistency and culture can—and must—scale together. It’s a sharp example of leadership in action.
We hope this issue challenges your assumptions, sparks new thinking, and reminds you what outstanding leadership in CX looks like.
Read and download the issue now.
Interested in contributing to a future issue of CX Insight magazine? Get in touch with our Director of Content at [email protected].
