Customer service stories

Wesfarmers has struck a multi-year deal with Google Cloud to deploy agentic AI across Kmart, Officeworks, Priceline and OnePass stores.

Newo raises USD $25m to grow AI voice agents that answer calls for small businesses, after revenue doubled late 2025 amid rising demand.

Authentic Interactions recruits Siri and Pluto TV co-founders to guide its push into hyper-realistic ‘digital humans’ for homes and businesses.

Shoppers shun online baskets over high delivery fees and clunky checkouts as retailers plough cash into loyalty schemes and shiny AI tools.

Oracle NetSuite launches AI tools and a low-code integration platform to automate finance, planning and customer workflows across its suite.

Infobip upgrades its WhatsApp Marketing Messages API with optimisation tools that lift delivery rates and boost ROI by over 60%.

Trans-Tasman small firms are upbeat and boosting tech and marketing, yet consumers report patchy service and missing digital basics.

NetSuite debuts AI finance tools and a low-code integration platform to streamline closes, pricing, reporting and cross-app workflows.

Australian organisations are moving past AI hype, demanding tools that simplify daily work, scale across teams and prove practical value.

Fluent Cargo links Sea Sentinel AI to give Australian shippers early alerts on strikes, storms and congestion threatening port operations.

TCS to overhaul Flight Centre’s global tech stack with cloud, network and platform upgrades aimed at resilience and consistent service.

Singapore and Hong Kong emerge as global front-runners for AI-ready finance, with banks rapidly scaling AI, cloud and security investments.

Oracle has embedded free prebuilt AI agents across its Fusion apps to automate CRM and supply chain tasks from campaign design to logistics.

AA teams with Multiverse on an AI apprenticeship to upskill staff in everyday roles, aiming to boost planning, efficiency and customer service.

UK retailers brace for GBP £1.05bn in post-Christmas returns as fashion fit woes, social commerce and ageing habits strain logistics.

UK payment and betting firms warned to brace for surge in regret-driven card disputes in wake of late-night Super Bowl wagering.

Spreetail will extend its Shareback profit-sharing programme, aiming to help squeezed eCommerce brands protect margins amid rising costs.

Britons now say thanks more often to AI chatbots and satnavs than to colleagues, as new research reveals a growing ‘digital manners’ trend.

New research warns that nearly half of over 3 million AI agents in US and UK firms run ungoverned, exposing data and systems to rising risks.

ANZ deploys AI-powered Salesforce CRM across business bank, promising faster service, streamlined workflows and time savings for frontline staff.