One of the major differentiators for the Consortium is the way that our work gets done. All of the knowledge we share back out to the world is based on those real world experiences of people who are doing the work, the people who are innovating every day on where we’re going in the future.
Matt Seaman
Our work this year surfaced a clear pattern: technology is moving faster than organizational readiness. Leaders are recognizing how they must steer their organizations towards clarity for how to measure value, redesign work, and support their people through change.
This year-in-review reflects how the industry is shifting and what’s emerging as essential for the next phase of customer engagement.
Replay Matt Seaman’s presentation of the year in review or keep scrolling to read through highlights and takeaways.
Resources Shared
Public Resources
- Knowledge-Powered AI
- AI Implementation Essentials
- AI Case Studies
- PAR 2.0 – What’s New About the Process Alignment Review
- Customer Experience Models
Consortium Members have access to the full AI Blueprint.
Don’t forget to check out upcoming events and to register for Service Innovation Summit 2026!
Shared Stories Become Shared Progress
The Consortium’s work is intentionally informed by real-world experience, including what’s working, what’s not, and what’s changing. Our methodologies and resources are ever-evolving with feedback loops that bring lived experiences back into our guidance.
Events are our primary R&D engine: conversations become captured insights, which become new or updated resources.
2025 Event Snapshot
- 68 events (~5+ per month), spanning large public events and small working meetings.
- 43 presenters from 36 companies; thousands of attendees.
- Typical attendance: ~73 for member-only events; ~184 for public.
- Rich content captured & knowledge created: summaries, replays, new models, and updated methodologies.
Key Takeaways from 2025
From industry observations and ongoing conversations throughout the year, themes materialized into priorities. These takeaways are the foundation for shaping the next wave of customer engagement.
1. AI Reality Check: the State of Business Transformation
AI is not actually transforming business models at this stage; it is transforming engagement and operational tasks. When it comes to pilots versus production, don’t panic about pilots, but do worry about production sustainability. Preparing properly and setting expectations requires the most effort.
Productive conversations around AI are less about the tech and more about interaction design, trust, governance, measurement, and people. The leadership-level shift is from “how do we implement AI?” to “how do we reset expectations, redefine value, and lead the org through the transition?”
Resources to help
- Why AI Projects Fail or Succeed
- AI Implementation Essentials
- Member-Only Resource – AI Blueprint: A Map for Success
2. The Big Shift: Revisiting Value
The role of support and services is becoming more about customer advocacy and strategic partnerships as differentiators.
The value of our organization is changing, because demand is shifting, and we have an urgent need to tell a new story. Proceed thoughtfully and shift the right demand left—don’t assume everything should be automated!
Expectation setting and communication are increasingly important in value conversations as well. Because mature teams have already optimized with digital support and self-service, huge efficiency gains may not be realistic, despite the promises made by AI hype.
“Some Members are starting to report that when they’ve layered AI things on top of their digital channels, they’re actually seeing two to three times more expense in cost per interaction because of the cost of the AI tool versus simple search.”
3. Leadership Opportunity: Where Humans Will Thrive
Technology changes are forcing functions for organizational and human change—whether we plan for it or not. Evolving roles, skills, and leadership have become paramount. People need guidance around adaptability, judgment, and systems thinking, while leaders must create conditions for learning and change.
2026 Priorities for New Consortium Resources
- Expanded training and new online offerings
- Major KCS Practices updates
- New “leadership playbook”
- More emphasis on usability of resources
See you in 2026!
You’re invited to join us on January 22 to get Set Up For Success: Leverage Consortium Resources to Strengthen Customer Engagement. Connect your priorities, projects, and goals to currently available resources, upcoming opportunities, and innovations.
And we hope to see you at Service Innovation Summit 2026! This will be a pivotal event for harnessing the latest shared progress and launching the next wave of customer engagement.
