Rail travel is not standardized across different countries. Customer expectations, terms and conditions, service levels and ticket types vary massively across different localities. This is difficult for non-domestic travellers; most train companies design apps, websites and journeys for the domestic traveller, making several assumptions about base knowledge along the way.

In this session, we'll explore how Rail Europe has deployed AI to enable the team to unify CX worldwide while keeping down operating costs. AI is fed common customer queries and answers by a dedicated team that constantly monitors and reviews the deployments. Critically, the global travel tech company hasn't lost sight of the key elements of service that need to remain in human hands. Agent hiring is highly selective: agents are truly experts in their fields and take pride in their work. High retention rates reflect this, with several agents having been with the business for more than 25 years.

In this session, Valentina Cesani, Chief Operating Officer at Rail Europe will join us to explain why the organization chose AI as the best way to unify global CX without losing sight of the value of human interaction in customer service.

Attendees will learn:

• Key use cases for AI in customer service in a global operation, and how to get stakeholders on side.
• Where AI fits into a robust customer feedback loop that builds trust with customers and drives experience improvements.
• Navigating AI implementation while maintaining a good agent experience and aiding contact center retention.

Valentina Cesani

Chief Operating Officer
Rail Europe

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Chatbots are one of the fastest adoption stories in tech history, with use cases rare as recently as 2020 where they are now everywhere one looks. Generative and agentic AI chatbots can standardize CX, create cost savings and streamline customer journeys while retaining brand identity and warmth. In fact, more than two-thirds of CX organizations believe that gen AI can help to create warmth and familiarity in service and 69 percent believe it can actually humanize interactions. Despite this, when we asked our community where customers encounter generative AI during a typical journey, the number one and two most popular responses were 'generative bots in support' and 'we do not currently use generative AI'.

In this session we'll unpack where this adoption gap comes from, addressing common concerns and roadblocks to capitalizing on generative and agentic chatbots in customer service. We'll explore real-world case studies, looking at what worked well and sharing key learnings to equip attendees with an action plan for deployment.

Attendees will learn:

• Use cases for generative and agentic AI chatbots in customer service and where to find the quickest wins
• Measuring the success of AI deployments in customer service and how to collaborate with your customers to improve
• What next? Using AI interaction data to close the loop and improve overall customer journeys

Contact centers have changed, but WFM professionals are often still operating in their comfort zones – forecast accuracy, scheduling, and reactive real-time processes. 

Though those core competencies will continue to be important, our leaders and internal customers are desperate to find "bigger" thinkers who make the time, form the relationships, and passionately push themselves and their departments into greater relevance. 

Through stories and real-life experiences, Bryce Ackerman from Roche will challenge and motivate WFM professionals to burst out of the workforce "bubble" while opening Operations Leaders' eyes to the change leaders that your organization needs.

Attendees will learn:

• The key to internal influence and getting WFM heard throughout the organization
• How to spin the wealth of interactions data to drive customer-centric change and CX innovation
• How to identify and champion quick wins to demonstrate WFM's broader organizational value

Bryce Ackerman

Workforce Management Leader
Roche

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While contact centres are being rebuilt around AI, one of the hardest things contact centre leaders grapple with is what not to automate. CX Network's own research found that in 2026, AI-powered technologies for operations ranked as the top CX trends for the second year in a row. But chasing total automation risks stripping out human empathy and judgement that many complex and sensitive interactions demand.

PayByPhone, a global leader in mobile parking payments that serves 125 million drivers across 1350 cities, has built its operating model around resolving that tension. Rather than automation for the sake of automation, the company uses an AI-powered chatbot and intuitive video guides to let drivers self-serve in routine enquiries. This has created the operational capacity to invest in personalized, human support for the more complex interactions.

In this session, Anthony Cashel, Chief Operating Officer at PayByPhone, joins us to walk us through how the global company designs for efficiency AND inclusivity, and to uncover where it's heading next – from speeding up manual refund processing to considering embedding voice AI into IVR so journeys stay accessible.

Attendees will learn:

• The decision-making process for which interactions to automate and which to keep human.
• How to use automation to create opportunities for higher-value, empathetic support.
• Strategies for frictionless service across every channel from app to voice.

Anthony Cashel

Chief Operating Officer
PayByPhone

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