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Enterprise Connect 2026: Agentic AI, Platform Consolidation, and the Future of Customer Experience
This note provides comprehensive coverage and evaluation of Enterprise Connect 2026, including vendor announcements and market trends.
From CPQ to Control Plane: How Conga Is Reassembling Enterprise Commerce
Conga is making a deliberate bid to become the control plane for enterprise commerce, not just a CPQ vendor with adjacent features. The PROS acquisition closes a structural pricing gap and accelerates Conga's AI roadmap, while the commerce chain narrative reframes how revenue work should flow end to end. If Conga executes well, it will be a default platform for complex enterprises. If it stumbles, it remains a strong but bounded CPQ incumbent.
ServiceNow Makes Its Bid to Own Enterprise AI Execution
In a world where understanding of the power of AI is still confusing, ServiceNow has excellent messaging on what AI can actually achieve in an enterprise. Through TV ads and ads in the Wall Street Journal, the messaging has been clear: AI can assist and improve efficiency. With their recent announcement (February 2026) of two major launches – Autonomous Workforce and Employee Works – ServiceNow underscores the shift of AI from “answer engines” to “actually finishing the job.” With this announcement their message is clear: the era of AI experiments is over; AI operations at scale have begun. And ServiceNow wants to be the control tower that runs all of it.
ServiceNow Q4 Results Reinforce Enterprise AI Driving Business Impact
ServiceNow exceeds guidance as enterprise AI adoption accelerates growth, margin, and cash flow. Now Assist ACV tops $600M and heads toward a $1B run rate while customers commit at scale.
Does ServiceNow Actually Have a CRM?
ServiceNow positions its CRM as a strategic platform extension, though its capabilities remain narrower than a traditional CRM. Yet, even if ServiceNow CRM is functionally sufficient for an organization, CIOs should be mindful that this platform has broader architectural considerations for organizations’ AI strategy.
Three Predictions for CX Technology Markets in 2026
Three predictions for 2026 are offered for CX technology markets: 1. No new unified CX category will appear; 2. Speed of adoption for AI solutions (especially agentic AI workflows) will remain slow; and 3. Marketing SaaS will continue to be overlooked in CX and that’s a missed opportunity.
Microsoft Adopts Ontology-Based IQ Layer for Agentic AI
At Ignite 2025 Microsoft announced several major offerings strengthening its agentic AI platform. The ontology-based IQ layer seems to be the most unexpected innovation from Microsoft.
Agentforce 360 – Marketing Ploy or Genuine Transformation?
This technology note evaluates Salesforce’s Agentforce 360 launch, asking: Has the Salesforce platform changed beneath the marketing? What market dynamics have compelled Salesforce to adopt this agentic framing? And how should CIOs and CX leaders interpret Salesforce’s product trajectory?
Sense, Decide, Act, Govern: ServiceNow’s Four‑Pillar Blueprint for Enterprise AI
ServiceNow is redefining enterprise workflows with Work AI, Raptor DB, and autonomous deployment – streamlining IT, CRM, and onboarding to deliver measurable ROI, unified governance, and faster time-to-value across the entire organization.
Microsoft Ignite Signals Transformation for Dynamics 365 and Front-Office Workers
Ignite’s launch of Microsoft Foundry reshapes Dynamics 365’s front-office role; users are being shifted to a Copilot conversational interface supported by AI agents while Dynamics becomes the contextual system operating in the background. The imperative of training a Copilot-first workforce just became even more critical.
Transforming Research Workflows: AlphaSense’s Expansion to Expert Insights and AI Modeling
AlphaSense now converts documents into cited insights and live Excel models. AlphaSense accelerates research by converting documents into cited insights and live Excel models. Its unified platform fuses broker research, expert calls, and filings through AI agents – reducing earnings and diligence prep from days to hours. The addition of Carousel moves AlphaSense beyond summarization to quantifiable modeling, establishing new speed and quality standards for decision-making in Financial Services and Competitive Intelligence.
Zoho’s Distributed Business Provides Unique Perspective on Digital Sovereignty
Recent geopolitical shifts have renewed interest in digital sovereignty, and the emergence of AI has expanded the concept up the stack to consider the risks of third-party LLMs. At Zoholics Canada 2025, we spoke with Zoho’s Chief Strategy Officer Vijay Sundaram and a customer about their perspectives on navigating digital sovereignty in 2025.
Zoholics Canada 2025 Showcases Zoho One Evolution and Local Market Focus
At Zoholics Canada 2025, Zoho reviewed recent updates to Zoho One while also introducing new products tailored for the Canadian market. The event highlighted Zoho’s dual strategy: advancing its unified business operating system and deepening regional and segment-specific coverage.
Klaviyo Is the CRM for the Retail Store of the Future
Klaviyo is positioning itself as the go-to CRM for B2C retailers, helping brands deliver a seamless customer experience from start to finish. Its technology bridges in-store and digital interactions, creating a unified full-stack platform that connects customer data across marketing and service, providing a real-time view of the customer.
Zoho Offers Advancements in Security, Automation, and Customer Experience Through AI
Zoho’s October 2025 analyst briefing by Raju Vegesna, Zoho’s Chief Evangelist introduced new AI-powered advanced security, automation, and workflow agents. These updates have been built into the platform that Zoho customers already use and have been designed to target real, everyday business problems users experience.
NiCE Accelerates Toward an AI-Orchestrated Future for CX
NiCE’s 2025 Analyst Summit marked a decisive shift toward AI orchestration in customer experience. The company’s momentum highlights not only innovation potential but also the urgent need for CIO-led governance to ensure agentic AI delivers accountable, enterprise-scale value.
Dialpad Expands Into Autonomous CX With Agentic AI Platform Launch
Dialpad has launched an agentic AI platform, extending its unified communications capabilities into autonomous AI operations for customer experience. Dialpad’s phased rollout focuses on execution, integration efficiency, and measured adoption for the midmarket, rather than claiming an early-mover advantage for agentic CX.
Zendesk AI Summit Introduces Resolution Platform and Voice AI Agents
Zendesk’s virtual AI Summit introduced the Resolution Platform, next-generation Voice AI Agents (entering early access in January 2026), and new AI-driven modules developed through the HyperArc acquisition. The updates primarily benefit organizations already invested in Zendesk’s ecosystem.
Salesforce Introduces Next Gen Marketing Cloud for Improved Engagement
In 2025, Salesforce launched its Next Gen Marketing Cloud, debuting a new “agentic marketing” model in which autonomous AI agents independently build, personalize, and optimize campaigns. The update marks Salesforce’s push to fuse sales, service, and marketing into a single data-driven customer journey by replacing the era of “do not reply” messaging with real-time engagement.
Zoomtopia 2025: Zoom Bets on Agentic AI to Redefine Workplace and CX
Zoomtopia 2025 signals that Zoom is “all in” on agentic AI. For CIOs, the opportunity to leverage a singular AI platform for enterprise productivity and front office services is compelling; however, implementation success is contingent on execution discipline, integration design, and governance maturity.
Zoho’s Dual Focus: Serving Small Business and Enterprise Through Product-Led Growth and AI Innovations
Zoho’s #SMZ25 conference in San Antonio in September 2025 served as a platform for deep dives into the company’s core strategy, offering insights beyond product launches. My discussion with Raju Vegesna, the company’s chief evangelist, revealed a long-term, deliberate approach to business software. The conversation touched upon Zoho’s product-led growth, its distinctive dual focus on small business and enterprise, and its competitive stance against much larger players.