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AI’s Customer Service Impact: Siddhartha Sharad on Disruption of Machine-Led Interactions

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Join Karla Jo Helms on the Disruption InterruptionTM podcast as she sits down with Siddhartha Sharad, a customer experience expert, to delve into the transformative impact of digital transformation and artificial intelligence (AI) on customer service. They discuss shifting from traditional customer service models to AI-enabled strategies, emphasizing the strategic balance between experimentation, employee engagement, and scalable AI implementation.

TAMPA BAY, Fla., July 1, 2024 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ — In transformed organizations, research estimates AI could add up to $1 trillion in annual value, with revamped customer service as a major contributor. This transformation is driven by increased customer acceptance of machine-led interactions, the growing accessibility of related technologies, and an enhanced understanding of customer behaviors through expanding data pools. (1) Karla Jo Helms (KJ), host of the Disruption Interruption podcast, sits down with Siddhartha Sharad, a trailblazer in the field of customer service advisory and a distinguished leader in business transformation, to analyze the profound impact of digital transformation and AI on customer service. They explore how these technologies are unlocking untapped potential and driving unprecedented value. “For me, disruptive innovation is about continuous improvement and driving value for both the business and its customers. The fundamental principle behind this is to keep it simple, identify the problem first, and then focus on execution.”

Generative AI Revolutionizes Customer Service
Customer service has long been a critical aspect of business operations, traditionally focused on scale, efficiency, and delivering stellar customer experiences. However, the landscape is changing rapidly with the advent of AI. “The traditional model of customer service involved scaling capabilities by adding more people. But today, finding skilled labor is increasingly difficult, and there are inflationary pressures,” Sharad explains. “Now it’s about solving problems with technology and data capabilities to position organizations for long-term success.”

“For me, disruptive innovation is about continuous improvement and driving value for both the business and its customers,” Siddhartha Sharad states. “The fundamental principle behind this is to keep it simple, identify the problem first, and then focus on execution.”

Generative AI is set to revolutionize customer service by creating a mix of human, automated, augmented, and new high-value tasks. This technology enables companies to provide proactive, personalized service, enhancing customer engagement and reducing costs while requiring human oversight to ensure accuracy and ethical behavior. As generative AI evolves alongside its adoption, it will continuously disrupt industries, offering unprecedented opportunities for innovation and problem-solving, thus empowering companies to gain a competitive edge. (2)

Sharad notes that approximately 30-40% of customer interactions are complex and require a human touch, but the majority are repetitive and transactional, making them ideal for automation through AI.

Transforming Customer Service with AI
Sharad shares how implementing AI in customer service faces challenges, particularly in shifting the perception from a cost center to a value center. He discusses how organizations must move beyond pilot projects to achieve real progress, leveraging AI to enhance productivity, revenue growth, and customer experiences. Success in AI adoption requires effective communication, employee engagement, high-quality data, skilled talent, and sufficient resources, with significant advancements expected to automate up to 70% of customer service interactions in the near future.

Links:
Disrupting the $100B+ US Customer Service Industry Using AI, with Siddhartha Sharad
https://omny.fm/shows/disruption-interruption/disrupting-the-100b-us-customer-service-industry-u?in_playlist=podcast
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sidsharad/
Company Website: https://www.westmonroe.com/

Disruption Interruption is the podcast where you will hear from today’s biggest Industry Disruptors. Learn what motivated them to bring about innovation and how they overcame opposition to adoption.

Disruption Interruption can be listened to in Apple’s App Store and Spotify.

About Disruption InterruptionTM
Disruption is happening on an unprecedented scale, impacting all manner of industries— MedTech, Finance, IT, eCommerce, shipping, logistics, and more—and COVID has moved their timelines up a full decade or more. But WHO are these disruptors and when did they say, “THAT’S IT! I’VE HAD IT!”? Time to Disrupt and Interrupt with host Karla Jo “KJ” Helms, veteran communications disruptor. KJ interviews badasses who are disrupting their industries and altering economic networks that have become antiquated with an establishment resistant to progress. She delves into uncovering secrets from industry rebels and quiet revolutionaries that uncover common traits—and not-so-common—that are changing our economic markets… and lives. Visit the world’s key pioneers that persist to success, despite arrows in their backs at http://www.disruption-interruption.com.

About Siddhartha Sharad
Siddhartha Sharad is a Customer Experience Expert who helps enterprises realize business value through technology automation and artificial intelligence. Siddhartha has built a strong reputation as a strategic client advisor, a true “problem solver” and a business leader with proven experience in fostering innovation-led growth.

Siddhartha’s recipe for success is simple: strike the right balance of problem-solving intelligence (IQ), emotional awareness (EQ), and execution focus (XQ). He’s honed that formula through hands-on experience running complex transformation projects and managing business P&Ls.

He successfully executed the turnaround of a Pharma & Life Sciences solutions business within 15 months by updating the customer service technology platform, revitalizing the workforce to deliver a better patient experience, and instilling a culture of innovation and change. Results achieved – $8 million in annual savings, 500% growth in the pipeline and a 10-point increase in client Net Promoter Scores.

He holds a Bachelor in Electrical Engineering from the Indian Institute of Technology, Mumbai and a Master in Business Administration from the Indian Institute of Management, Kolkata.

About Karla Jo Helms
Karla Jo Helms is the Chief Evangelist and Anti-PR® Strategist for JOTO PR Disruptors™. Karla Jo learned firsthand how unforgiving business can be when millions of dollars are on the line — and how the control of public opinion often determines whether one company is happily chosen, or another is brutally rejected. Being an alumnus of crisis management, Karla Jo has worked with litigation attorneys, private investigators, and the media to help restore companies of goodwill into the good graces of public opinion — Karla Jo operates on the ethic of getting it right the first time, not relying on second chances and doing what it takes to excel. Helms speaks globally on public relations, how the PR industry itself has lost its way, and how, in the right hands, corporations can harness the power of Anti-PR to drive markets and impact market perception.

References
1. Das, Avinash Chandra, et al. “The next Frontier of Customer Engagement: Ai-Enabled Customer Service.” McKinsey & Company, McKinsey & Company, 27 Mar. 2023,
2. Daugherty , Paul, et al. “Generative AI Will Enhance – Not Erase – Customer Service Jobs.” Harvard Business Review, 3 Apr. 2023, hbr.org/2023/03/generative-ai-will-enhance-not-erase-customer-service-jobs.

Media Inquiries:
Karla Jo Helms 
JOTO PR™ 
727-777-4619 
jotopr.com 

Media Contact

Karla Jo Helms, JOTO PR™, 727-777-4629, khelms@jotopr.com, jotopr.com

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2026 Canton Fair Design Award Winners Showcase China’s Innovation Strength

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GUANGZHOU, China, Oct. 19, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — As the 140th Canton Fair opens, the winners of the 2026 Canton Fair Design Award (CF Award) have also been announced. Winning products are now on display in Area D of the Canton Fair Complex, offering visitors a closer look at some of the latest advances in Chinese manufacturing and industrial design.

Among this year’s top honorees, a domestically developed high-performance sport motorcycle and an intelligent navigation capsule robot gastric endoscopy system received the Best of the Best Award, the competition’s highest recognition.

The Canton Fair also enhanced the visitor experience with a themed showcase area within the award exhibition. Built around four application-oriented concepts, namely Outdoor Pleasure, Smart Living, Cozy Home and Kitchen Elegance, the immersive displays demonstrate how innovative designs can be integrated into everyday life, helping visitors better understand the practical value behind these award-winning products.

This year, 4,218 products from 2,112 companies competed for the award. Following multiple rounds of evaluation, 222 products from 174 companies were selected.

The award-winning products reflect several key trends shaping the next stage of Chinese manufacturing. Innovation remains a defining theme, with breakthrough technologies ranging from upper limb motor function assistance and enhancement system to exoskeleton robots, underscoring the growing momentum of high-end manufacturing.

Meanwhile, intelligent technologies continue to gain traction across industries. Smart products account for more than 30% of this year’s winners, with AI-powered glasses, intelligent conference terminals and smart healthcare devices extending AI applications across home, office, medical and outdoor environments.

Sustainability is also becoming increasingly embedded throughout the product lifecycle. Green products represent over 40% of the winning entries, while innovations such as integrated energy-saving panels and sugarcane paper demonstrate how environmentally conscious practices are being incorporated into product design, materials selection and manufacturing processes.

Established in 2013, the Canton Fair Design Award is widely regarded as a benchmark for design innovation in China’s foreign trade sector. The award recognizes products that combine design excellence with commercial value, promoting the transformation and upgrading of Chinese manufacturing and supporting high-quality trade development. Entries are evaluated across five dimensions: innovation, quality, functionality, aesthetics and sustainability.

For more convenient attendance, please click here for pre-registration:
https://buyer.cantonfair.org.cn/register/buyer/email?source_type=16

 

View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/2026-canton-fair-design-award-winners-showcase-chinas-innovation-strength-302911954.html

SOURCE Canton Fair

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InstaMall Launches Same-Day Fashion Delivery Experience, Bringing 80+ Brands to Shoppers’ Doors in Miami

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First-of-its-kind shopping app pairs artificial intelligence with same-day delivery, bringing luxury
and contemporary brands directly to customers’ doorsteps 

Featured luxury and contemporary brands include AllSaints, John Varvatos and Aritzia

MIAMI, Oct. 19, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — InstaMall, a first-of-its-kind shopping app offering same-day delivery and access to real-time inventory across luxury and contemporary fashion, launches today in Miami, Florida. Now available via iOS and Android, InstaMall provides access to more than 80 contemporary and luxury fashion brands across Miami’s five premier retail clusters, including Balmain, Louis Vuitton, Bottega Veneta, Ganni, Coach, Diesel, Reformation, Aritzia, Cult Gaia, Prada and more. InstaMall will add more brands within the app in the coming weeks and seasons. 

Sitting at the intersection of fashion, technology and commerce, InstaMall brings inspiration and purchase together through a more dynamic way to discover and shop for fashion. The experience combines access to luxury and contemporary brands with the convenience of same-day delivery, bringing the speed customers have come to expect across categories like food and groceries to fashion while maintaining the brand experience retailers and shoppers expect.

Within the app, customers will have access to InstaMall’s AI-powered stylist and virtual try-on features, making it easier to browse, discover and shop styles online. InstaMall’s AI Stylist serves as an intelligent shopping assistant that responds to customers’ preferences in real time. Customers can use the AI Stylist to receive product recommendations, build outfits, ask questions and discover new styles, while its virtual try-on feature allows them to visualize select items on themselves before making a purchase.

“InstaMall was founded on the belief that the convenience customers have come to expect from same-day delivery should extend to the way they shop for fashion,” said Elliot Aboud, Founder and CEO of InstaMall. “As fashion and technology continue to evolve together, we saw an opportunity to create a more seamless shopping experience that brings customers closer to the brands they love, combining a curated assortment, AI-powered styling and virtual try-on with the ease and convenience of same-day delivery.”

Prior to founding InstaMall, Elliot Aboud helped build the Aroma360 and Hotel Collection brands, overseeing the launch of the first retail store and expanding the retail footprint to more than 30 stores across the United States and two in Dubai. InstaMall is bringing fashion and luxury to the next generation with its seamless shopping experience and wide selection of brands.

Customers can download InstaMall through the Apple App Store or Google Play, or by going to instamall.co.

About InstaMall 

InstaMall is a same-day fashion shopping and discovery app reimagining how consumers shop for luxury and contemporary brands. Sitting at the intersection of fashion, technology and commerce, InstaMall brings inspiration and purchase together in an experience that gives consumers a more dynamic way to discover and shop. Where on-demand delivery has long existed for categories like food and groceries, InstaMall brings that same convenience to luxury fashion for the first time, delivering the same day without compromising the brand experience fashion retailers and their customers expect. The company launched publicly in Miami on October 16, 2026, and plans to expand nationally. For more information, please visit instamall.co.

View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/instamall-launches-same-day-fashion-delivery-experience-bringing-80-brands-to-shoppers-doors-in-miami-302911889.html

SOURCE InstaMall

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PTC to Announce Fourth Fiscal Quarter and Full Year 2026 Results on Wednesday, November 4, 2026

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BOSTON, Oct. 19, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — PTC (NASDAQ: PTC) will release its fiscal 2026 fourth quarter and full year results on Wednesday, November 4th after the stock market closes. As previously announced on October 5th, 2026, PTC entered into a definitive agreement to be acquired by Schneider Electric. In light of the pending transaction, PTC is suspending quarterly earnings conference calls and is no longer providing quarterly or annual guidance.

The earnings press release and accompanying financial data tables will be accessible on the Investor Relations section of the company’s website at PTC Investor Relations.

About

PTC (NASDAQ: PTC) is a global software company that enables manufacturers and product companies to digitally transform how they design, manufacture, and service the physical products the world relies on. Headquartered in Boston, Massachusetts, PTC employs over 7,000 people and supports more than 30,000 customers globally. For more information, please visit www.ptc.com.

Investors

Michael Maguire
mmaguire@ptc.com
investor@ptc.com

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SOURCE PTC Inc.

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