Gladly, a customer experience software provider, used the week to underscore its AI-first strategy and human-in-the-loop model ahead of the Gladly Connect Live 2026 conference in Atlanta from May 4–6. The company positioned the event as a peer forum for CX leaders to explore practical applications of AI, particularly Voice AI, in customer support.
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Multiple posts highlighted persistent friction in contact centers, noting that 67% of customers still repeat information when calling support and that routine interactions may represent 30–50% of call volume. Gladly framed Voice AI as a lever to automate these routine tasks while reserving human agents for high-value, context-rich interactions.
A session led by Alexandra (Sasha) Borog will focus on where Voice AI is effective, where it falls short, and how buyers should evaluate solutions before committing resources. This educational push is intended to position Gladly as a thought leader in AI-enabled customer experience and support future product adoption among enterprise clients.
The company also emphasized collaborative AI models using Ulta Beauty as a reference case, where human agents can invoke AI mid-conversation or authorize AI actions in real time. CEO Joseph Ansanelli described a vision in which AI systems proactively seek human approval before completing interactions, aiming to balance automation efficiency with oversight.
Gladly continued to promote customer experience as a revenue driver rather than a cost center, citing brands like Pact, MaryRuth’s, Ollie, and Metropolis Technologies as examples. It encouraged a shift in metrics away from handle time and deflection toward revenue-linked KPIs such as reactivated members, app downloads, and booked appointments.
Google Cloud was named a Gold Sponsor of Connect Live, with plans for a joint lounge focused on “agentic commerce,” signaling deeper ecosystem alignment. Speakers from Condé Nast, Crate and Barrel, Smith Optics, and StockX underscore Gladly’s growing enterprise reach and focus on large consumer-facing brands.
Through its Radically Personal content series, Gladly noted the operational demands of AI, including the ongoing “care and feeding” of models to maintain resolution rates and customer satisfaction. Overall, the week’s messaging reflects a coordinated effort to entrench Gladly’s position in AI-enhanced, revenue-focused CX while building community and pipeline through its flagship conference.