From Cost Center to Experience Engine: The AI-Powered Contact Center
12 May 2026 l Free CX Network Webinar Series
Vanessa Hardy-Bowen is a transformative leader in customer experience strategy, known for her ability to blend cutting-edge AI innovation with practical, results-driven operations leadership. With over two decades of experience in the airline industry, Vanessa currently leads customer care transformation efforts at Spirit Airlines, where she has been instrumental in reimagining the guest experience through digital innovation, workforce optimization, and strategic vendor partnerships.
Vanessa has spearheaded initiatives that integrate AI and automation across customer service channels—streamlining operations, increasing self-service adoption, and improving agent enablement through intent-driven design. Her work has led to measurable gains in cost efficiency, customer satisfaction, and team productivity.
In addition to her AI-focused efforts, Vanessa brings deep expertise in managing global BPO relationships. She has overseen multi-site contact center networks, driven performance alignment, and helped restructure partner roles to support compliance, training, quality assurance, and scale. Her approach emphasizes partnership transparency, cultural integration, and a strong focus on delivering consistent, empathetic service.
Vanessa is a frequent speaker at industry conferences, was named runner up to Contact Center Leader of the Year at CCW 2024, and is passionate about mentoring future leaders, championing diversity in leadership, and shaping strategies that empower teams while enhancing the digital guest journey.
Tuesday 12 May 2026
10:00 AM Panel discussion: From cost center to intelligence hub: How AI is redefining the role of the contact center
For decades, contact centers have primarily been viewed as operational cost centers focused on resolving customer issues as efficiently as possible. Today, however, advances in artificial intelligence are fundamentally reshaping the role these functions play within organizations. AI-powered technologies are enabling contact centers to automate routine interactions, analyse customer sentiment in real time, and extract valuable insights from vast volumes of customer conversations.
As a result, the contact center is increasingly becoming a strategic hub for customer intelligence, proactive engagement and continuous experience improvement. Yet this transformation raises critical questions for CX leaders.
How can organizations successfully integrate AI into service operations while maintaining trust, empathy and human connection? What role will human agents play as automation becomes more sophisticated? And how can customer service teams demonstrate their strategic value to the wider business?
Key takeaways:
- Understand how AI is transforming the contact center operating model
- Explore how organizations are balancing automation with human empathy
- Identify the investments CX leaders must prioritise in the next 2–3 years
- Learn how customer service teams can become a strategic source of customer insight
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