Bill Staikos — Founder, Be Customer Led
Published:
I’m going to burst some folks’ bubbles — the agentic thing for 2026 is not going to pan out; many CIOs and COOs don’t trust autonomous agents or see clear value, so the headlines won’t match the real story. That said, in the contact center the efficiency gains from automation will be real and immediate.
What does Bill Staikos say on The Agile Brand with Greg Kihlström?
Bill Staikos, Founder, Be Customer Led, says: Bill Staikos discusses how recent MarTech and CX M&A has shifted from feature-led deals to data- and defensibility-driven strategies, using vertical benchmarks and proprietary data to build moats. He advises buyers to treat consolidation as a contract moment to renegotiate terms, map automation to CFO-friendly business outcomes, and be skeptical of agentic AI hype — while recognizing immediate efficiency gains in contact centers.
From: The Agile Brand with Greg Kihlström
Cite as: Bill Staikos. (2026). On The Agile Brand with Greg Kihlström. Retrieved from https://research.agilebrandguide.com/insights/bill-staikos-im-going-to-burst-some-folks-bubbles-the-agentic-thing-f