Cloud-based customer service platform Zendesk has acquired Local Measure, an AWS partner and provider of AI-powered voice and Contact-Center-as-a-Service solutions. This will bring Zendesk into closer integration with Amazon Connect’s contact center capabilities. It will also enhance Zendesk’s ability to offer customers AI-powered voice engagement.
CDP Optimove has purchased gamification marketing platform Adact and will make its capabilities available throughout Optimove’s “positionless” customer journeys. Adact lets marketers create interactive experiences such as quizzes, mini-games, and lotteries without any coding. It’s Optimove’s fourth acquisition but their first since 2022.
Some shoppers are open to AI agents’ purchase recommendations (38%) and believe the agents speed up the shopping process (31%), but most (66%) don’t want AI making purchases for them even if the deals are better. This shows good sense given research that shows AI trying to fool human evaluators and jailbreak test environments. Of course, businesses will push ahead with AI regardless, suggesting this is a bad time to reduce government oversight.
It barely feels like news when industry giants add AI features, since that’s what they’re expected to do. But lots of people use their products, so their announcements are probably of higher interest than most. With that in mind, let’s note that Adobe has just announced general availability of agents for audience creation, journey orchestration, experimentation, journey insights, website optimization and agent support.