Podcast Summary

The Agile Brand with Greg Kihlström®: Expert Mode Marketing Technology, AI, & CX

Episode #800: Five9 VP of CX Jenn Edwards on Building Great Customer Experience When Behavior Shifts
Release Date: January 19, 2026
Host: Greg Kihlström
Guest: Jenn Edwards, VP of Customer Experience at Five9

Episode Overview

This episode explores how shifting consumer behaviors—driven by economic pressures and evolving expectations—are forcing brands to rethink customer experience (CX). Host Greg Kihlström and guest Jenn Edwards (VP of CX at Five9) discuss insights from Five9’s recent CX report, focusing on key tensions between consumer demand for deals and the expectation of premium service. The conversation dives into the strategic role of AI in navigating these trends, balancing cost-efficiency, personalization, and loyalty building.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Reconciling Deals-Driven Behavior and Quality Experience ([03:11]–[04:29])

• Report findings: 45% of consumers are motivated primarily by savings/deals, but 72% factor in quality of customer support when choosing where to buy.
• Strategic takeaway: These expectations are complementary, not competing. Brands should enable both value and experience to drive loyalty.
  • Jenn Edwards (03:14):
    “I would invite leaders to think about this as complementary expectations, not necessarily one or the other.”

2. Fragmentation in Consumer Behavior and Business Planning ([05:14]–[07:07])

• Economic challenges: Tariffs and inflation are causing fragmented consumer responses—some spend less, some spend more for the right product.
  • 24% felt unaffected by tariffs, while others looked for deals or were willing to pay more for specific items.
• Implication: Single-path strategies no longer work. Brands must rely on scenario-based planning and robust data to meet diverse consumer needs.
  • Jenn Edwards (06:19):
    “Single path strategies are not...a place where we can dwell.”

3. AI as a Consumer-Facing Differentiator ([07:55]–[09:52])

• Consumer adoption: Large segments—including older demographics—now use AI, not just millennials and Gen Z.
• Best practices:
  • Start with consumer willingness and meet varying demographics where they are. (e.g., Mason’s approach for their diverse, multi-generational audience)
  • Focus on answer optimization, easy research/comparison, and seamless service design.
  • Ensure technology solves real problems and delivers tangible business and customer outcomes.
  • Jenn Edwards (09:42):
    “Let’s not let the technology get in the way of the experience. Like, what problem does it solve and what are the outcomes we’re going to get from it?”

4. Using AI to Build Lasting Loyalty ([09:52]–[12:51])

• Trust & transparency are critical to adoption and lasting loyalty, especially among millennials and Gen Z.
  • Consumers must have an easy option to reach a human when AI falls short, or risk abandonment.
  • Balance where AI is injected in the journey—sometimes at midpoints to assist or nudge the process, not just at the start.
  • Jenn Edwards (12:51):
    “Just because you can doesn’t mean you should.”

5. Key Metrics and Measuring Success ([14:02]–[17:47])

• KPIs to focus on:
  • Repeat purchases within the same channels.
  • Completion rates in AI/self-service channels.
  • Feedback after interactions (e.g., thumbs up/down).
  • Rate of repeat engagement—are customers returning to the same AI-enabled process?
• Journey-centric measurement is vital; track where customers bounce channels (from AI to human and vice versa).
  • Jenn Edwards (14:30):
    “Where you can see repeat engagement through the same path is a good way to look at that, I would say.”

6. Evolving Measurement Frameworks for a Fast-Changing Landscape ([17:47]–[22:39])

• Market context: Holiday shopping windows are lengthening, shopping behavior is shifting.
  • 62% report shopping early, with only 13% waiting until December.
• Operational advice:
  • Don’t “set and forget” dashboards or strategies; adapt rapidly and regularly.
  • Engage in day-in-the-life observational practices—get into contact centers, retail stores, and on the frontlines to understand real experiences.
  • Prioritize the “moments that matter” in the journey where impact is highest.
  • Jenn Edwards (19:03, 21:39):
    “The best thing I have done in my career by far is go into the contact centers, go to the retail stores as well, talk to the leaders that are on the front lines…”

7. The Future of AI in Retail CX ([22:39]–[25:35])

• Emerging capabilities:
  • Real-time orchestration of experiences, creating more seamless and “slick” customer journeys integrating multiple touchpoints.
  • AI will become just another part of CX infrastructure, much like the cloud has—something that’s assumed, not marveled at.
  • Jenn Edwards (24:05):
    “I would say it’ll become a little bit more of the fabric, but we’ll get real about what it’s actually capable of doing and where it should be applied.”

8. Staying Agile as a Leader ([26:14]–[26:57])

• Personal practice: Jenn stresses the importance of empathetic leadership—walking in customers’ or team members’ shoes, listening, using AI and data to inform decisions, but always remaining human-centric.
  • Jenn Edwards (26:14):
    “Spend time listening and learning from them, really asking good open-ended questions... as a customer experience leader and a marketing leader...it’s walking in their shoes and really listening to them that I find the most beneficial.”

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• “I would invite leaders to think about this as complementary expectations, not necessarily one or the other.”
  — Jenn Edwards [03:14]

• “Single path strategies are not...a place where we can dwell.”
  — Jenn Edwards [06:19]

• “Let’s not let the technology get in the way of the experience. Like, what problem does it solve and what are the outcomes we’re going to get from it?”
  — Jenn Edwards [09:42]

• “Just because you can doesn’t mean you should.”
  — Jenn Edwards [12:51]

• “Where you can see repeat engagement through the same path is a good way to look at that, I would say.”
  — Jenn Edwards [14:30]

• “The best thing I have done in my career by far is go into the contact centers, go to the retail stores as well, talk to the leaders that are on the front lines…”
  — Jenn Edwards [19:03, paraphrased at 21:39]

• “I would say it’ll become a little bit more of the fabric, but we’ll get real about what it’s actually capable of doing and where it should be applied.”
  — Jenn Edwards [24:05]

Timestamps for Key Segments

• [03:11] – Reconciling consumer demand for deals vs. premium experiences
• [05:14] – Effects of fragmentation and scenario-based CX planning
• [07:55] – AI as a differentiator, meeting diverse market segments
• [09:52] – Building loyalty with AI; why trust and transparency matter
• [14:02] – KPIs for tracking AI/CX success; repeat engagement and channel stickiness
• [17:47] – Rapid CX evolution; building adaptive frameworks
• [19:03] – Using “day in the life” observation to drive agility
• [22:39] – The future of AI in CX; seamless integration and real-time orchestration
• [24:05] – What’s next: AI becomes embedded infrastructure
• [26:14] – Jenn’s approach to staying agile: empathetic leadership and learning

Summary Takeaways

• Today’s retailers have to treat savings and service as dual, not dueling priorities; embrace scenario-based, data-driven planning.
• Successful AI integration requires empathy, transparency, and a relentless focus on removing friction for real customer problems—not technology for its own sake.
• Measurement frameworks must evolve with consumer behaviors, blending real-time data and lived experience from the front lines.
• In the near future, AI will become a standard, invisible backbone of CX—brands will focus more on where and how to apply it meaningfully rather than if.
• Agility comes from constant listening, observation, and openness to change, not just dashboards and data.