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        {
            "post_type": "post",
            "post_id": 307841,
            "permalink": "https:\/\/www.forrester.com\/blogs\/the-ai-bubble-isnt-bursting-yet-heres-what-to-watch-using-our-model\/",
            "title": "The AI Bubble Isn\u2019t Bursting Yet \u2014 Here\u2019s What To Watch Using Our Model",
            "date": "Nov 5, 2026 16:35:22",
            "excerpt": "Is AI a bubble? Forrester\u2019s new AI Bubble Model weighs supply against demand and scores the financial health of the companies paying for the build-out. A burst isn\u2019t imminent. But the third-quarter nowcast has builder health under 80, and the biggest builders are now borrowing to keep building.",
            "body": "<p>\u201cIs the AI bubble about to collapse?\u201d You can\u2019t open the business press this week without someone asking. Semafor says <a href=\"https:\/\/www.semafor.com\/article\/11\/03\/2026\/ai-investors-increasingly-nervous-over-ai-bubble\">investors are getting more nervous<\/a>, and Bloomberg has Wall Street CEOs and big money managers <a href=\"https:\/\/bloomberg.com\/news\/articles\/2026-11-03\/wall-street-ceos-big-global-money-managers-debate-ai-risks\">split on the risk<\/a>. Most of what I read adds up the capital spending and stops there. That\u2019s only half the story.<\/p>\n<p>Kevin Ogunsua, Michael O\u2019Grady, and I built Forrester\u2019s AI Bubble Model to answer the question with freely available, reliable financial data, then we built a data pipeline that captures new filings and news reports as they come in so we can see what\u2019s changing between quarters. Our new report, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.forrester.com\/go?objectid=res204896\">An AI Bubble Burst Is Not Imminent<\/a>, introduces Forrester\u2019s AI Bubble Model and what the audited financials told us as of October 2026. It also covers what that means for your <a href=\"https:\/\/www.forrester.com\/blogs\/questioning-your-ai-roi-start-with-your-ai-strategy\/\">enterprise AI strategy<\/a>.<\/p>\n<h2>A Bubble Is Supply Built Ahead Of Demand<\/h2>\n<p>Our model reads two forces from public data. One force blows the bubble up; the second relieves the pressure to avoid a pop.<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Force 1: Supply pressure.<\/strong> This measures how far capacity building has moved from normal. It combines capital spending as a share of revenue at nine companies (the hyperscalers, Meta, CoreWeave, Oracle, and the big chip suppliers) that build or supply AI compute with US investment in information-processing equipment. Supply pressure measures how far spending on the chips, data centers, and other computing infrastructure needed for AI has risen above normal levels.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Force 2: Demand absorption.<\/strong> This measures how far delivered value has moved from its own normal, using those suppliers\u2019 revenue, business investment in software, and labor productivity. Demand absorption asks whether businesses are getting enough real economic value from AI to justify how much is being invested in it.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Plot one against the other, and you get four phases that run counterclockwise: scarcity, build-out, demand fails, and reset.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter wp-image-307842 size-large\" src=\"https:\/\/go.forrester.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/11\/Figure-1-AI-Bubble-Model-2x2-2026Q2-1024x993.png\" alt=\"Forrester\u2019s AI Bubble Model 2x2. Supply pressure on the vertical axis and demand absorption on the horizontal, each scored 1 to 5, with four phases numbered counterclockwise: 1 scarcity at lower right, 2 build-out at upper right, 3 demand fails at upper left, 4 reset at lower left. The AI build-out at 2026Q2 sits at the top of the build-out phase, supply 4.95 and demand 3.44, with a green dot for financial health of 82.\" width=\"1024\" height=\"993\" srcset=\"https:\/\/go.forrester.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/11\/Figure-1-AI-Bubble-Model-2x2-2026Q2-1024x993.png 1024w, https:\/\/go.forrester.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/11\/Figure-1-AI-Bubble-Model-2x2-2026Q2-300x291.png 300w, https:\/\/go.forrester.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/11\/Figure-1-AI-Bubble-Model-2x2-2026Q2-768x745.png 768w, https:\/\/go.forrester.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/11\/Figure-1-AI-Bubble-Model-2x2-2026Q2-1536x1490.png 1536w, https:\/\/go.forrester.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/11\/Figure-1-AI-Bubble-Model-2x2-2026Q2-495x480.png 495w, https:\/\/go.forrester.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/11\/Figure-1-AI-Bubble-Model-2x2-2026Q2.png 2048w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>In the second quarter of 2026, supply pressure sat at 4.95, about as high as our scale goes. Demand absorption was an ordinary 3.44, a bit above the normal of 3. The model confirms that the market is building capacity at an extraordinary rate for demand that so far looks mostly routine. That gap is the problem, but we all know it. The question is whether the builders of AI compute can pay for their commitments and stay healthy.<\/p>\n<h3><strong>The Signal That Matters Most Is Builder Health<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p>The dot\u2019s color in Forrester\u2019s AI Bubble Model answers that question for now. It\u2019s the financial health of the companies paying for the build-out, scored from six measures taken from their filings and share prices. To make sure the model holds water, we back-tested it. Health turned yellow and then red before telecom and housing, the two past bubbles that look most like today, burst. We also scored two sets of healthy build-outs, big tech from 2012 to 2017 and tower and data center real estate investment trusts from 2010 to 2019, and they read green in 14 of 16 years.<\/p>\n<p>The nine companies we track scored 82 out of 100 in the second quarter, and green starts at about 73. That\u2019s why we say a burst is not imminent \u2014 this doesn\u2019t that mean strain isn\u2019t showing, however; it is.<\/p>\n<h2>Builder Health Is Still Green, But It\u2019s Falling<\/h2>\n<p>Between quarterly readings, the AI Bubble Model runs a health watch that produces a \u201cnowcast\u201d \u2014 i.e., where the health score would fall that week if all the company financials were in. We run this each week to give our clients updated projections.<\/p>\n<p>Our November 2 data refresh puts the nowcast at 79.1, with a likely range of 77.7 to 81.4 (see figure below). It runs on third-quarter filings from seven of the nine, plus share prices up to that day. On October 29, it was at 82.1. Amazon\u2019s filing pulled it down, and so did CoreWeave\u2019s shares. Issued health had already slid from 97.7 in the second quarter of 2025 to 82.3. We\u2019ll make a new reading around November 25.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-large wp-image-307843\" src=\"https:\/\/go.forrester.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/11\/Figure-2-Build-out-health-with-Q3-nowcast-Explorer-R11.4-1024x600.png\" alt=\"Line chart of build-out health for all nine companies by quarter from 2019Q4 to 2026Q2, with green, yellow, and red bands shaded. Health has stayed green throughout, falling from about 98 in mid-2025 to 82.3 in 2026Q2. A diamond marks the 2026Q3 nowcast of 79.1, with a likely range of 77.7 to 81.4.\" width=\"1024\" height=\"600\" srcset=\"https:\/\/go.forrester.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/11\/Figure-2-Build-out-health-with-Q3-nowcast-Explorer-R11.4-1024x600.png 1024w, https:\/\/go.forrester.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/11\/Figure-2-Build-out-health-with-Q3-nowcast-Explorer-R11.4-300x176.png 300w, https:\/\/go.forrester.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/11\/Figure-2-Build-out-health-with-Q3-nowcast-Explorer-R11.4-768x450.png 768w, https:\/\/go.forrester.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/11\/Figure-2-Build-out-health-with-Q3-nowcast-Explorer-R11.4-1536x900.png 1536w, https:\/\/go.forrester.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/11\/Figure-2-Build-out-health-with-Q3-nowcast-Explorer-R11.4-640x375.png 640w, https:\/\/go.forrester.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/11\/Figure-2-Build-out-health-with-Q3-nowcast-Explorer-R11.4.png 1912w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h2>The AI Build-Out Is Starting To Outrun Big Tech\u2019s Cash<\/h2>\n<p>The Q2 2026 data shows that Alphabet, Amazon, Meta, and Microsoft were paying for nearly all of their build-out from operating cash in September. Third-quarter filings indicate that the cushion is wearing thin.<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Amazon spent $77.3 billion against $42.4 billion of cash.<\/strong> Over 12 months, it spent $1.28 for every dollar its operations brought in, up from $1.07 at the June reading. It raised $48.1 billion in bonds and loans in the quarter, and its 10-Q adds a supplier financing facility of up to about $80 billion that it can start drawing in 2027.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Alphabet spent $9.1 billion more than its operating cash.<\/strong> Over a full year, its own cash still covers the build, at 89 cents per operating dollar. It also sold $12.4 billion of shares in the quarter.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Meta outspent its operating cash by $1.2 billion.<\/strong> It filed a $25 billion forward share sale and $12.5 billion of mandatory convertible preferred stock. NVIDIA is putting in $3 billion, according to Yahoo Finance, and AMD says it\u2019s putting in $1 billion. That means some of Meta\u2019s own chip suppliers are now helping pay for the build that buys their chips.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Microsoft still spends within its cash but borrowed anyway.<\/strong> On November 2, it filed terms for $25 billion of notes, which Reuters, citing a source, reported as its first US investment-grade bond sale in more than nine years.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>At the edge of the build-out, Oracle spent $1.61 per operating dollar over the 12 months to August, and on November 2, it filed for $10 billion of new stock and $10 billion of notes. That same day, Oracle\u2019s shares were 51% below their 12-month high and CoreWeave\u2019s were 62% below theirs. The overall color is still green, but the money for the build-out is shifting from cash the builders earn to money they raise, which is exactly what the health score measures.<\/p>\n<h3><strong>Our Bubble Watch Extends Beyond Public <\/strong><strong>Companies<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p>Forrester\u2019s AI Bubble Model scores only the audited financials of public AI compute builders, which is where we get the confidence, but that leaves out OpenAI and Anthropic, which both sit at the center of the bubble question. The model sees what flows to and from them in the public builders\u2019 own filings, and it tracks circular deals. When Anthropic filed its S-1 on October 26, we loaded it into the AI lab tracker that\u2019s part of our model. It doesn\u2019t change the scores, but it does feed into the health watch. When these vendors go public, we will update our model to add them to our basket of companies tracked.<\/p>\n<p>Read <a href=\"https:\/\/www.forrester.com\/go?objectid=res204896\">An AI Bubble Burst Is Not Imminent<\/a>, then book a guidance session with one of us for the latest reading. Bring your vendor list, and we\u2019ll look at whose finances you\u2019re relying on.<\/p>\n",
            "category": [
                {
                    "term_id": 2352,
                    "name": "AI Insights",
                    "slug": "artificial-intelligence-ai",
                    "description": "<p class=\"text-body font-regular leading-[24px] pt-[9px] pb-[2px]\">The integration of artificial intelligence (AI) is revolutionizing how organizations operate, offering unprecedented opportunities to boost efficiency and drive innovation. Yet, alongside this immense potential comes a layer of complexity that requires deliberate strategy. AI is doing more than just enhancing systems; it\u2019s reshaping how organizations allocate resources, advance capabilities, and achieve growth. Its influence touches every corner of an operating model, challenging leaders to not only capture the power of AI but to create meaningful value with it. The path forward is both exciting and intricate, filled with the promise of transformation and the need for thoughtful navigation. Get the latest AI insights and strategic perspectives from Forrester analysts and experts.<\/p>\r\n<a href=\"https:\/\/www.forrester.com\/technology\/data-ai-leaders\/\">Discover how Forrester supports data, AI, and analytics leaders. <\/a>",
                    "permalink": "https:\/\/www.forrester.com\/blogs\/category\/artificial-intelligence-ai\/"
                }
            ],
            "meta_title": "Forrester\u2019s AI Bubble Model: Who Pays For The AI Build-Out?",
            "meta_desc": "Forrester\u2019s AI Bubble Model says a burst isn\u2019t imminent, but builder health is slipping as builders spend more than their operating cash.",
            "author": "Brian Hopkins",
            "coauthors": "Kevin Ogunsua, Michael O'Grady"
        },
        {
            "post_type": "post",
            "post_id": 307834,
            "permalink": "https:\/\/www.forrester.com\/blogs\/agentic-development-security-picks-up-where-traditional-security-tools-leave-off\/",
            "title": "Agentic Development Security Picks Up Where Traditional Security Tools Leave Off",
            "date": "Nov 5, 2026 14:00:46",
            "excerpt": "Let\u2019s address the elephant in the room: Coding agents don\u2019t generate secure code. Securing the AI-generated code is left as a separate activity, and it\u2019s only part of the job. Coding agents also select dependencies, invoke tools, and execute tasks. Application security teams must govern those activities, protect the development and delivery environment, and validate [&hellip;]",
            "body": "<p>Let\u2019s address the elephant in the room: Coding agents don\u2019t generate secure code. Securing the AI-generated code is left as a separate activity, and it\u2019s only part of the job. Coding agents also select dependencies, invoke tools, and execute tasks. Application security teams must govern those activities, protect the development and delivery environment, and validate the software that these coding agents produce, which can include AI applications and agents.<\/p>\n<p>We published <a href=\"https:\/\/www.forrester.com\/report\/the-forrester-wave-tm-agentic-development-security-tools-q4-2026\/RES203895\">The Forrester Wave\u2122: Agentic Development Security Tools, Q4 2026<\/a>, evaluating 12 providers across 29 criteria. The evaluation examines how vendors support this broader security mandate, including AI coding guardrails and toolchain protection; finding AI-specific and semantic flaws; AI software supply chain security and application security posture management for AI; and contextual AI prioritization and autonomous remediation.<\/p>\n<p>In my earlier post, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.forrester.com\/blogs\/agentic-development-security-why-appsec-needs-a-new-operating-model\/\">Agentic Development Security: Why AppSec Needs A New Operating Model<\/a>, I argued that traditional application security approach no longer suits agentic development, where still buggy AI code generation outpaces human review capabilities, AI expands vulnerability discovery, and AI turns exploitation into a commodity. This market evaluation puts that operating model into practical buying terms: What can tools prevent, what can they validate, and what still requires your team\u2019s intervention?<\/p>\n<h3><strong>Agentic Development Security Tools Must Include A Breadth Of Capabilities Around A Complex, Changing Environment<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p>The evaluation surfaces important distinctions that buyers should investigate, such as:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Coding guardrails must do more than validate code as it is generated.<\/strong> Providing security instructions to the coding agent, inspecting generated code, and blocking a risky tool call are different capabilities. Buyers should assess where enforcement happens and whether it covers local, cloud-based, and background agents. Ask vendors to demonstrate intervention in your actual agentic workflows, not just how a Model Context Protocol (MCP) server can be called by an AI coding tool.<\/li>\n<li><strong>The coding toolchain is now part of the security scope.<\/strong> Models, MCP servers, skills, hooks, extensions, instructions, and tools are a new type of dependency that AI coding agents rely on. These dependencies can be vectors for attack that code scanning alone cannot govern. Require visibility into what agents use, what they can access, and which actions policies can block. An inventory is useful, but buyers also need to understand whether the tool can enforce decisions before risky actions occur.<\/li>\n<li><strong>An AI-generated fix is not the same as validated remediation.<\/strong> The evaluation distinguishes between generating guidance, creating a pull request (PR), validating a change, and supporting policy-controlled automation. Strength in automating dependency updates does not guarantee strong automated code remediation where context about the application and organization practices leads to better PRs. Test both against your applications, including dependency updates that require changes to first-party code.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Context must factor into what gets fixed first.<\/strong> Reachability, runtime exposure, sensitive data, business context, and compensating controls help distinguish actionable risk from another finding in the queue. Evaluate whether prioritization explains the risk and directs remediation, rather than simply producing a score. Also examine how the tool uses prior triage decisions and whether security teams can review and audit automated decisions.<\/li>\n<li><strong>\u201cSecure by design\u201d for the agentic software development lifecycle is a work in progress.<\/strong> Few vendors support analyzing requirements and design artifacts to flag security concerns or gaps such as missing authentication, lack of auditing, or incompatible data-handling requirements. AI-driven threat modeling \u2014 that continuously assesses AI applications to surface missing controls and risky action paths, improve detection, guide remediation, and identify where human approval or guardrails are needed \u2014 was not well demonstrated by vendors, but there are likely capabilities to come.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3><strong>Buy An Agentic Development Security Tool For Your Development Reality<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p>Coding agent adoption isn\u2019t all or nothing. Some organizations are going full steam ahead, while others are deliberately limiting where, when, and how developers can use them.<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>No provider earned the highest score across all current-offering criteria.<\/strong> The scorecard shows different strengths across AI code analysis, AI software supply chain controls, governance, developer experience, and remediation. Start with the risks and workflows you need to control, then investigate the gaps you would need to cover through integrations or additional tools.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Keep current capabilities separate from roadmap commitments.<\/strong> Our evaluation used materials provided by August 28, 2026. Because this market is changing fast, buyers should ask vendors to demonstrate what is available now and explain what remains planned, separately installed, and\/or dependent on partners.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3><strong>Turn The Evaluation Into Your Shortlist<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p>Read the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.forrester.com\/report\/the-forrester-wave-tm-agentic-development-security-tools-q4-2026\/RES203895\">report<\/a>, then use the accompanying spreadsheet\u2019s \u201cMy Scores\u201d worksheet to prioritize the criteria that matter most to your organization. Bring security and development leaders together to test shortlisted tools against the same workflows. The goal is not more findings \u2014 it\u2019s\u00a0secure agentic development with controls that your teams can trust.<\/p>\n<p>If\u00a0you\u2019re\u00a0a Forrester client,\u202f<a href=\"https:\/\/www.forrester.com\/inquiry\">book an inquiry or guidance session<\/a>\u202fwith me if you have questions about the results.<\/p>\n",
            "category": [
                {
                    "term_id": 2335,
                    "name": "Application Development &amp; Delivery",
                    "slug": "application-development-delivery",
                    "description": "Application development &amp; delivery is a complex and crucial competency in today's digitized business world. Read insights on trends, best practices, emerging technologies, and more for application development &amp; delivery professionals.\r\n\r\n<a href=\"\/technology\/\">Discover how Forrester supports technology executives. <\/a>",
                    "permalink": "https:\/\/www.forrester.com\/blogs\/category\/application-development-delivery\/"
                },
                {
                    "term_id": 2116,
                    "name": "Application Security",
                    "slug": "application-security",
                    "description": "Agile development's cycle of deployments and patches generates ample opportunities for hackers looking for a way in. Application security must be strong, vigilant, and nimble. Read our insights.\r\n\r\n<a href=\"\/technology\/\">Discover how Forrester supports technology executives. <\/a>",
                    "permalink": "https:\/\/www.forrester.com\/blogs\/category\/application-security\/"
                }
            ],
            "meta_desc": "We published The Forrester Wave\u2122: Agentic Development Security Tools, Q4 2026, evaluating 12 providers across 29 criteria.",
            "author": "Janet Worthington"
        },
        {
            "post_type": "podcast3",
            "post_id": 307830,
            "permalink": "https:\/\/www.forrester.com\/cx-cast\/472-journey-orchestration-for-insight-and-impact\/",
            "title": "472: Journey Orchestration For Insight And Impact",
            "date": "Nov 5, 2026 12:34:35",
            "excerpt": "Journey orchestration is moving beyond dashboards to drive decisions and real-time action.\u00a0 Joana de Quintanilha joins Martin Gill to explore findings from the latest journey orchestration Wave evaluation, how AI is reshaping the market, and what buyers need to turn journey intelligence into measurable business value. Featuring: Joana de Quintanilha, VP, Principal Analyst Show Notes: [&hellip;]",
            "body": "<p>Journey orchestration is moving beyond dashboards to drive decisions and real-time action.\u00a0 Joana de Quintanilha joins Martin Gill to explore findings from the latest journey orchestration Wave evaluation, how AI is reshaping the market, and what buyers need to turn journey intelligence into measurable business value.<\/p>\n<h2>Featuring:<\/h2>\n<p>Joana de Quintanilha, VP, Principal Analyst<\/p>\n<h2>Show Notes:<\/h2>\n<p>Journey orchestration is moving beyond dashboards to drive decisions and real-time action. Joana de Quintanilha joins Martin Gill to explore findings from the latest journey orchestration Wave evaluation, how AI is reshaping the market, and what buyers need to turn journey intelligence into measurable business value.<\/p>\n<p>We discuss:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>How journey orchestration differs from journey management and why AI is bringing the categories closer together.<\/li>\n<li>What sets leading platforms apart, from deep journey intelligence and scenario simulation to real-time decisioning and operational orchestration.<\/li>\n<li>Why customer, employee, and partner journeys need shared context and how governance and explainability keep AI-enabled actions aligned with customer goals and brand promises.<\/li>\n<li>How to build a business case around onboarding, retention, conversion, service costs, productivity, and revenue rather than platform features.<\/li>\n<li>What successful implementations require: clear outcome ownership, cross-functional collaboration, focused use cases, and a vendor that brings expertise, not just software.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n",
            "category": [
                {
                    "term_id": 51560,
                    "name": "The CX Cast",
                    "slug": "cx-cast",
                    "description": "",
                    "permalink": "https:\/\/www.forrester.com\/blogs\/category\/podcast\/cx-cast\/"
                }
            ],
            "meta_desc": "Journey orchestration is moving beyond dashboards to drive decisions and real-time action.\u00a0",
            "image_url": "https:\/\/go.forrester.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/FMK_TheCXCast_DX_560x346px.webp",
            "image_width": 560,
            "image_height": 346
        },
        {
            "post_type": "post",
            "post_id": 307470,
            "permalink": "https:\/\/www.forrester.com\/blogs\/what-are-best-practice-cx-metrics\/",
            "title": "What Are Best-Practice CX Metrics?",
            "date": "Nov 5, 2026 06:11:10",
            "excerpt": "This is a really dangerous question that can lead your CX efforts astray and waste your time. If you don\u2019t believe me, bear with me &#8230; does this feel familiar? You are doing all the \u201cbest-practice\u201d things: Measure Net Promoter Score\u2120 (NPS) at relationship level, customer satisfaction score (CSAT) in key journeys, and ease at [&hellip;]",
            "body": "<p>This is a really dangerous question that can lead your CX efforts astray and waste your time. If you don\u2019t believe me, bear with me &#8230; does this feel familiar? You are doing all the \u201cbest-practice\u201d things: Measure <a href=\"https:\/\/www.forrester.com\/net-promoter-score\">Net Promoter Score\u2120 (NPS)<\/a> at relationship level, customer satisfaction score (CSAT) in key journeys, and ease at the touchpoint level.<\/p>\n<p>You try to show how CX drives the business and why your team is valuable. But stakeholders don\u2019t seem to care about the customer issues you identify or about movement in CX metrics, and they tell you that what you report isn\u2019t \u201cactionable\u201d enough. This is the quagmire you get stuck in when you assume that other organizations\u2019 metrics should become your metrics.<\/p>\n<p>The best CX metric isn\u2019t NPS, CSAT, or ease. It\u2019s the metric that shows whether you are getting closer to a CX performance objective. That means you need to know where you\u2019re trying to go in the first place \u2014 a step that\u2019s missing in many organizations I observe. And there\u2019s a second step between defining a CX objective and choosing a CX metric that teams often skip, too. I\u2019ll get into that below.<\/p>\n<p>AI makes this problem even more urgent because AI makes skipping steps easier than ever: Ask Copilot, Claude, or ChatGPT for \u201cbest-practice\u201d CX metrics, and you\u2019ll get an answer in seconds. But easier access to other companies\u2019 metrics doesn\u2019t make those metrics right for you. This is one of the dysfunctional CX measurement practices I mentioned in <a href=\"https:\/\/www.forrester.com\/blogs\/will-ai-fix-your-cx-measurement-or-make-it-worse\/\">Will AI Fix Your CX Measurement Or Make It Worse?<\/a><\/p>\n<h3>Why Are \u201cBest-Practice\u201d CX Metrics Dangerous?<\/h3>\n<p>Leaders and CX teams often reach for familiar metrics because they feel safe: \u201cNobody was ever fired for using NPS.\u201d But familiarity doesn\u2019t mean fit. A standard metric may not tell you whether you\u2019re making progress toward the CX performance objective you\u2019re after. Standards like CSAT, NPS, or ease may be perfectly reasonable choices in some situations. But if you want customers to feel confident, for example, none of those standards measure confidence directly. They may correlate with it, but that doesn\u2019t make them measures of confidence.<\/p>\n<p>Familiar metrics also come with baggage: embedded assumptions about what differences in scores mean. For instance, with NPS, treating promoters, passives, and detractors as meaningfully different groups assumes those classifications correspond to differences that matter to your business. With standard metrics, you inherit those assumptions. Unfortunately, once you\u2019ve chosen a metric, it\u2019s hard to undo. Leaders become attached to trend lines, teams learn how the metric behaves, and benchmarks, targets, and incentives accumulate around it.<\/p>\n<h3>But Don\u2019t We Need Standard CX Metrics So We Can Benchmark?<\/h3>\n<p>This is only true when the metric fits. Comparing the wrong metric with competitors simply creates more confident misdirection. You may use a standardized metric for external comparison while relying on different metrics internally. Also, many so-called standard metrics don\u2019t have standardized data collection methods and sample strategies. The only way to do a real benchmark is to perform a double-blind survey where you can include any metric and benchmark it.<\/p>\n<h3>How Do We Know What The Right CX Metric Is?<\/h3>\n<p>The right metric captures evidence that shows whether you\u2019re getting closer to your objectives. That\u2019s why metric choice starts with the objective \u2014 not the metric. But don\u2019t jump from objectives straight to metrics. There\u2019s one more step \u2014 think about it in terms of health. If you ask your doctor, \u201cWhat\u2019s the right metric for health?\u201d you might end up with familiar measures like weight or blood pressure. They aren\u2019t bad measures. But are they the right measures for what <em>you<\/em> want to achieve?<\/p>\n<p>Say you want to get stronger. Now you have an objective. Next, ask, \u201cWhat evidence would convince me that I\u2019m getting stronger?\u201d Perhaps you can lift heavier weights, perform more repetitions, or gain muscle mass. Only then do you choose the metrics that capture that evidence.<\/p>\n<p>CX measurement works the same way. You need to ask two questions:<\/p>\n<h3><strong>Step 1: Which <span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\">CX Performance Objective<\/span> Do You Want To Achieve?<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p>A broad business goal isn\u2019t enough. You need to translate it into a CX performance objective: a clear statement of how CX needs to change to help achieve that business goal.<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Business goal: What does the business need to achieve?<\/strong> This comes from your overall business strategy. Identify the direction the business is trying to go: For example, your organization needs to reduce churn.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Desired customer behavior: How would customers need to behave to achieve your business goal?<\/strong> Pinpoint desired and undesired customer behaviors.\u00a0For example, more customers need to stay.<\/li>\n<li><strong>CX performance objective: What do customers need for the desired behavior to become more likely?<\/strong> Don\u2019t describe what you plan to do \u2014 describe what customers will experience if you succeed. Performance measurement expert Stacey Barr calls this a \u201c<a href=\"https:\/\/pump.academy\/articles-and-whitepapers\/the-grammar-of-a-measurable-goal\/\">future fact<\/a>.\u201d\u00a0For example, your analysis may show that customers who leave experience high friction and perceive your products as less useful. Your CX bet might therefore be: Customers can work with us without unnecessary effort and find our products useful.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>With a CX performance objective, you\u2019re still not ready to choose a metric.<\/p>\n<h3><strong>Step 2: What <span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\">Evidence<\/span> Shows You\u2019re Making Progress Toward An Objective?<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p>Just as with getting stronger, first ask what evidence would convince you that you\u2019re making progress.<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Evidence: What evidence would convince you that you\u2019re getting closer to your objective?<\/strong> Identify the strongest evidence, then assess what\u2019s feasible to collect: For example, when customers can work with you without unnecessary effort, they might tell you that working with you feels easy, call for help less often, abandon fewer journeys, or rage-click less. If most customers work digitally, the strongest evidence may be in digital behaviors and overall perceptions of ease.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Metrics: Which metrics can capture that evidence?<\/strong>\u00a0Define each metric precisely, including its definition, data source, calculation, and the decisions it will support. For example, you may define a digital analytics frustration score to measure effort at the touchpoint level and analyze perceived effort through a relationship survey. To apply this to your situation, use <a href=\"https:\/\/www.forrester.com\/report\/forresters-metrics-design-tool-and-template\/RES195502\">Forrester\u2019s Metrics Design Tool And Template<\/a> as a guide.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3>Reality Check: Do You Have A Measurement Problem Or A Strategy Problem?<\/h3>\n<p>Don\u2019t rely on Copilot, Claude, or ChatGPT to produce your CX metrics for you. Start with your CX performance objective instead, and use AI tools to help you and your stakeholders explore the evidence and metrics that could show whether you\u2019re making progress toward an objective.<\/p>\n<p>If you have a good CX strategy, much of this work is already done: The strategy defines how CX needs to change and why. If you\u2019re struggling to decide what to measure, you may not have a measurement problem \u2014 you may have a strategy problem. And \u201cbe customer-centric\u201d isn\u2019t a strategy: You can \u2014 and need \u2014 to do much better. We have <a href=\"https:\/\/www.forrester.com\/blogs\/orchestrate-cx-success-with-forresters-cx-vision-and-strategy-research-and-tools\/\">CX strategy research and tools<\/a> for you to help you hone your strategy.<\/p>\n<h3><strong>What\u2019s Next On Your Journey To Making Your Metrics Work For You Again?<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p>Read my blog post, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.forrester.com\/blogs\/will-ai-fix-your-cx-measurement-or-make-it-worse\/\">Will AI Fix Your CX Measurement Or Make It Worse?<\/a><\/p>\n<p>If you have Forrester Decisions access, you can dive into all the details, recommendations, and examples in these reports as well as request an <a href=\"https:\/\/www.forrester.com\/inquiry\">analyst call<\/a> with me. Check out these other reports:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"list-style-type: none;\">\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.forrester.com\/go?objectid=RES198591\">Escape Dysfunctional Measurement Before CX Pays The Price<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.forrester.com\/report\/forresters-metrics-design-tool-and-template\/RES195502\">Forrester\u2019s Metrics Design Tool And Template<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.forrester.com\/go?objectid=RES198590\">Define Metrics That Measure What Matters In CX<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.forrester.com\/go?objectid=RES198589\">Use Metrics More Effectively To Improve CX<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Follow me on Forrester and on <a href=\"https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/in\/maxieschmidt\/?lipi=urn%3Ali%3Apage%3Ad_flagship3_search_srp_people%3B3CGyayf1Q1ycIGJkPcwnIQ%3D%3D\">LinkedIn<\/a>.<\/p>\n",
            "category": [
                {
                    "term_id": 2242,
                    "name": "Age of the Customer",
                    "slug": "age-of-the-customer",
                    "description": "",
                    "permalink": "https:\/\/www.forrester.com\/blogs\/category\/age-of-the-customer\/"
                },
                {
                    "term_id": 2246,
                    "name": "Customer Experience Measurement",
                    "slug": "customer-experience-measurement",
                    "description": "Customer experience measurement ensures that CX investments are performing. It also helps stakeholders understand the value of CX. Explore Forrester's insights on customer experience measurement.\r\n\r\n<a href=\"\/customer-experience\/\">Discover how Forrester supports customer experience leaders.<\/a>",
                    "permalink": "https:\/\/www.forrester.com\/blogs\/category\/customer-experience-measurement\/"
                }
            ],
            "meta_desc": "AI can surface \u201cbest-practice\u201d CX metrics in seconds. Learn how to choose effective CX metrics instead of defaulting to NPS or CSAT.",
            "author": "Maxie Schmidt"
        },
        {
            "post_type": "post",
            "post_id": 307587,
            "permalink": "https:\/\/www.forrester.com\/blogs\/ai-agents-need-more-than-least-privilege-they-need-least-agency\/",
            "title": "AI Agents Need More Than Least Privilege \u2014 They Need Least Agency",
            "date": "Nov 4, 2026 13:07:49",
            "excerpt": "For decades, cybersecurity professionals have relied on the principle of least privilege: Only give identities the access needed to perform their jobs. That principle remains essential. But AI agents have exposed its limits. An AI agent can have exactly the right permissions and still do the wrong thing Consider an agent authorized to issue customer [&hellip;]",
            "body": "<p>For decades, cybersecurity professionals have relied on the principle of least privilege: Only give identities the access needed to perform their jobs. That principle remains essential. But AI agents have exposed its limits.<\/p>\n<h3><strong>An AI agent can have exactly the right permissions and still do the wrong thing<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p>Consider an agent authorized to issue customer refunds. Least privilege can constrain which customer records and payment systems the agent can access. But those permissions alone don\u2019t determine how large a refund it can approve, under what circumstances it should act, or whether it can execute thousands of refunds without human review. The problem isn\u2019t necessarily excessive access \u2014 it\u2019s excessive agency.<\/p>\n<p>Least privilege primarily constrains access: <em>What resources can this identity reach?<\/em> AI agents introduce additional dimensions because they can make decisions, invoke tools, pursue objectives, and act with varying degrees of independence. Securing them therefore requires organizations to govern not just access but also authority and autonomy:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Access:<\/strong> What resources, data, systems, and tools can the agent reach?<\/li>\n<li><strong>Authority:<\/strong> What decisions and consequential actions can it make using that access?<\/li>\n<li><strong>Autonomy:<\/strong> How independently can it make those decisions and take those actions?<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>That\u2019s the idea behind least agency, which Forrester defines as:<\/p>\n<p><em>Continuous enforcement of the minimum decision-making authority and operational autonomy an AI agent requires to pursue its authorized purpose.<\/em><\/p>\n<h3><strong>Least agency doesn\u2019t replace least privilege \u2014 it extends it<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p>Achieving least agency in practice means continuously constraining and adjusting access, authority, and autonomy to the agent\u2019s purpose and operating context. Too much access creates the familiar risk carried by excessive permissions. But even tightly controlled access paired with excessive authority or autonomy can produce unsafe outcomes. At the same time, constrain an agent too tightly, and it cannot accomplish the objective that made it valuable in the first place.<\/p>\n<p>The challenge is not simply minimizing access but giving an agent enough agency to accomplish its objective and nothing more. That also makes least agency more than an identity and access management (IAM) problem.<\/p>\n<p>Least agency requires integration across security domains, a point emphasized in Forrester\u2019s <a href=\"https:\/\/www.forrester.com\/report\/introducing-forresters-aegis-framework-agentic-ai-enterprise-guardrails-for-information-security\/RES185394\">AEGIS framework<\/a> for AI security. IAM establishes the agent\u2019s identity, access, and delegation relationships. AI governance establishes its purpose, ownership, accountability, and operating boundaries. Runtime security monitors what the agent is doing and enables controls to adjust or interrupt its actions as context and risk change. Together, these capabilities provide the foundation for continuously determining what an agent can access, what it is authorized to do, and how independently it should be allowed to act.<\/p>\n<p>I\u2019ll be exploring least agency and how security teams can operationalize it in my track session, \u201cFrom Least Privilege To Least Agency: IAM For Agentic Architectures,\u201d at Forrester\u2019s <a href=\"https:\/\/www.forrester.com\/event\/security-risk\/agenda\/\">Security &amp; Risk Forum<\/a>, taking place this November 9\u201310 in Washington, DC. And as always, if you\u2019re a Forrester client and want to know more, please reach out and set up an <a href=\"https:\/\/www.forrester.com\/inquiry\">inquiry or guidance session<\/a>.<\/p>\n",
            "category": [
                {
                    "term_id": 2395,
                    "name": "IAM - Identity And Access Management",
                    "slug": "iam-identity-access-management",
                    "description": "Are they who they say they are? Digital has made identity &amp; access management (IAM) crucial and complicated. Read our insights.\r\n\r\n<a href=\"\/technology\/\">Discover how Forrester supports IT leaders.<\/a>",
                    "permalink": "https:\/\/www.forrester.com\/blogs\/category\/iam-identity-access-management\/"
                },
                {
                    "term_id": 51787,
                    "name": "Security management",
                    "slug": "security-management",
                    "description": "",
                    "permalink": "https:\/\/www.forrester.com\/blogs\/category\/security-management\/"
                }
            ],
            "author": "Geoff Cairns"
        },
        {
            "post_type": "post",
            "post_id": 307733,
            "permalink": "https:\/\/www.forrester.com\/blogs\/cvs-healths-split-signals-a-reckoning-for-healthcare-megabrands\/",
            "title": "CVS Health\u2019s Split Signals A Reckoning For Healthcare Megabrands",
            "date": "Nov 4, 2026 13:02:56",
            "excerpt": "Apparently, the US midterm elections are not all that happened yesterday in terms of big news: CVS has announced that it\u2019s officially breaking up \u2014 and this time, it means it. CVS will split retail pharmacies from PBM operations and insurance CVS Health plans to break up its $117 billion business, separating its retail pharmacies [&hellip;]",
            "body": "<p>Apparently, the US midterm elections are not all that happened yesterday in terms of big news: CVS has announced that <a href=\"https:\/\/www.cvshealth.com\/news\/company-news\/cvs-health-announces-intent-to-create-two-distinct-leaders-in-healthcare.html\">it\u2019s officially breaking up<\/a> \u2014 and this time, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.forrester.com\/blogs\/cvs-eyes-a-splitting-heart-decision-separating-its-core-business-to-shock-future-growth\/\">it means it<\/a>.<\/p>\n<h3><strong>CVS will split retail pharmacies from PBM operations and insurance<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p>CVS Health <a href=\"https:\/\/s206.q4cdn.com\/752775519\/files\/content_files\/Q3-2026-Investor-Update-Presentation.pdf\">plans to break up its $117 billion business<\/a>, separating its retail pharmacies from the Caremark pharmacy benefit management (PBM) operations and the Aetna insurance company. The separation will create two separate publicly traded companies, and CVS Health shareholders will own shares in both companies.<\/p>\n<p>One company \u2014 which will retain the name CVS Health for now \u2014 will house its insurance arm Aetna, the PBM Caremark, plus Oak Street Health, Signify Health, and its specialty pharmacy business. The retail company, to be known as CVS Pharmacy, would include roughly 9,000 retail pharmacies, MinuteClinic, and mail-order pharmacy operations, as well as the newly created Health100 engagement platform. Health100 aims to be the connective tissue that acts as the front door for care. The leadership team shared in today\u2019s earnings call that they hope this separation enables Health100 to be more widely adopted across the industry and will look to position it to be a leading customer engagement platform.<\/p>\n<h3><strong>Owning more of the healthcare journey does not necessarily make that journey better<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p>The split unwinds a central piece of the premise behind CVS Health\u2019s <a href=\"https:\/\/investors.cvshealth.com\/news\/news-details\/2018\/CVS-Health-Completes-Acquisition-of-Aetna-Marking-the-Start-of-Transforming-the-Consumer-Health-Experience\/default.aspx\">$78 billion acquisition of Aetna in 2018<\/a>: Put a pharmacy, PBM, insurer, and care-delivery assets under one roof, and the resulting scale and coordination will make healthcare simpler and less expensive. Yet large megabrands in healthcare have faced scrutiny for limiting access to care and driving up prices for insurance, prescriptions, and care services.<\/p>\n<p>In recent years, healthcare companies, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.forrester.com\/report\/the-seven-trends-for-us-health-insurers-in-2026\/RES193962\">especially insurers<\/a>, have faced significantly elevated financial trends and headwinds, including challenging medical cost trends, sustained medical utilization and pharmacy spending, and margin pressure.\u00a0Today, CVS Health <a href=\"https:\/\/www.cvshealth.com\/content\/dam\/enterprise\/cvs-enterprise\/pdfs\/2026\/Q3-2026-EarningsRelease.pdf\">reported third-quarter revenue<\/a> of $108.4 billion, up 5.4% year over year, and raised its 2026 revenue guidance to at least $420 billion. As CVS Health President and Chairman David Joyner shared in the earnings call today, \u201cWe are taking deliberate action and will continue to build on our momentum.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>CVS aims to ensure that each company remains a leader in its respective markets, allowing each to focus on their respective businesses and to become more agile. As Joyner stated in the earnings call, \u201cthe same mission, sharper focus.\u201d The move also allows each company to more effectively adapt to rapidly changing regulatory pressure and pursue additional partnerships in the future.<\/p>\n<h3><strong>Regulatory, economic, and consumer pressures are reshaping healthcare megabrands <\/strong><\/h3>\n<p>Concentration risk creates significant impacts for the industry and all stakeholders. Mounting pressure on healthcare megabrands shows no signs of slowing:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Regulatory pressure on vertically integrated entities or megabrands is growing.<\/strong> Rising regulation has changed the strategic calculus for these megabrands. Policymakers at both the federal and state levels continue to challenge the joint ownership of PBMs, pharmacies, insurers, and care delivery assets and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.dol.gov\/index.php\/newsroom\/releases\/ebsa\/ebsa20261029\">push for greater transparency<\/a>. That scrutiny carries significant cost and complexity, as vertically integrated megabrands should keep proving the benefits to consumers, not just shareholders. With Democrats <a href=\"https:\/\/www.reuters.com\/live\/us-midterm-elections-2026-live-american-voters-cast-verdict-trump-congress-2026-11-03\/\">poised to control both the House of Representatives and the Senate<\/a>, healthcare megabrands should prepare for even greater scrutiny in 2027. Vertical integration, PBM practices, healthcare consolidation, and affordability are <a href=\"https:\/\/www.forrester.com\/blogs\/the-pbm-paradox-catalysts-of-concentration-risk-in-the-healthcare-ecosystem\/\">likely to remain squarely in policymakers\u2019 sights<\/a>.<\/li>\n<li><strong>The economics of the megabrand is getting harder.<\/strong> CVS is making the move amid a strong financial position, in contrast to a weakened position, when a split was <a href=\"https:\/\/www.forrester.com\/blogs\/cvs-eyes-a-splitting-heart-decision-separating-its-core-business-to-shock-future-growth\/\">first rumored in 2024<\/a>. As Joyner shared in today\u2019s earnings call, CVS can take this action today because of the progress it has made since 2024. He noted that the company has strengthened its balance sheet, reshaped the leadership team, expanded its technology capabilities, and revitalized the Aetna business amid headwinds on the Medicare Advantage business. Competitors are exploring partnerships, curated ecosystems, and AI-powered orchestration to create connected experiences without absorbing the cost and complexity of owning every part of the journey. Joyner acknowledged in the earnings call today that the split sets up CVS Pharmacy and CVS Health for expanded future partnerships.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Consumers aren\u2019t waiting for the healthcare system to fix itself.<\/strong> Our latest research finds that <a href=\"https:\/\/www.forrester.com\/report\/predictions-2027-healthcare\/RES202220\">AI is already enabling consumers to navigate healthcare<\/a> without relying exclusively on insurers, providers, or pharmaceutical companies. That means the competitive advantage increasingly comes from empowering consumers to reach a better decision with more confidence, not just owning more assets. A growing population of intentionally uninsured going without coverage and paying for care out of pocket has created additional challenges for health insurers. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.forrester.com\/report\/forresters-us-health-insurers-brand-experience-index-rankings-2026\/RES199328\">Less than half of US online adults<\/a> said health insurance was worth it in 2026. Breaking off Health100 from the insurance business aims to make it a solution that responds to competitive pressure and be an option for more health insurers that are scrambling to update their digital experiences to stay on par with big tech innovations gaining healthcare consumer market share, including OpenAI\u2019s ChatGPT and Google\u2019s Gemini.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3>The megabrand is not dead \u2014 but must shore up CX to attract and retain customers<\/h3>\n<p>The healthcare megabrand era is not over, but the remaining large conglomerates must prove that their scale makes care more affordable, accessible, connected, and trustworthy. Our <a href=\"https:\/\/www.forrester.com\/report\/forresters-us-health-insurers-total-experience-score-rankings-2026\/RES196913\">2026 total experience research<\/a> shows that the health insurance industry is improving on customer experience and brand experience but still has significant room to strengthen the overall relationship with consumers. Yes, a breakup gives each new CVS company an opportunity to sharpen its value proposition \u2014 but corporate simplification cannot come at the expense of consumer simplicity. If the CVS split creates more handoffs or fragmented experiences, consumers will bear the cost of that complexity, and they have more choices than ever before to stay or find alternatives.<\/p>\n<p>We will continue to watch as this strategic shift evolves. Forrester clients can:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Ask Forrester AI, \u201c<a href=\"https:\/\/www.forrester.com\/forrester-ai?query=What%20does%20a%20CVS%20breakup%20mean%20for%20consumers%3F\">What does a CVS breakup mean for consumers?<\/a>\u201d<\/li>\n<li>Schedule time with us \u2014 <a href=\"https:\/\/www.forrester.com\/inquiry?id=4&amp;bioId=BIO13084\">Arielle Trzcinski<\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.forrester.com\/inquiry?id=4&amp;bioId=BIO1129\">Sucharita Kodali<\/a> \u2014 to talk more about the future of health insurance and retail health.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n",
            "category": [
                {
                    "term_id": 2242,
                    "name": "Age of the Customer",
                    "slug": "age-of-the-customer",
                    "description": "",
                    "permalink": "https:\/\/www.forrester.com\/blogs\/category\/age-of-the-customer\/"
                },
                {
                    "term_id": 2132,
                    "name": "healthcare trends",
                    "slug": "healthcare",
                    "description": "The healthcare industry has lagged in CX and digital transformation. Members and patients are eager for better experiences that mirror the level of service and ease they're used to from consumer experiences. Use our insights to start closing the gap and boost satisfaction.",
                    "permalink": "https:\/\/www.forrester.com\/blogs\/category\/healthcare\/"
                },
                {
                    "term_id": 2158,
                    "name": "Retail Trends",
                    "slug": "retail",
                    "description": "Retail is continuously evolving as consumers expect a seamless blend of physical and digital experiences. Read our insights and advice for staying a step ahead.\r\n\r\nDiscover how Forrester supports <a href=\"\/customer-experience\/\">customer experience<\/a> and <a href=\"\/b2c-marketing\/\">B2C marketing<\/a> professionals.",
                    "permalink": "https:\/\/www.forrester.com\/blogs\/category\/retail\/"
                }
            ],
            "meta_desc": "If the CVS split creates more handoffs or fragmented experiences, consumers will bear the cost of that complexity, and they have more choices than ever before to stay or find alternatives.",
            "author": "Arielle Trzcinski",
            "coauthors": "Sucharita Kodali"
        },
        {
            "post_type": "post",
            "post_id": 307590,
            "permalink": "https:\/\/www.forrester.com\/blogs\/sap-teched-2026-all-in-on-ai\/",
            "title": "SAP TechEd 2026: All In On AI",
            "date": "Nov 4, 2026 09:42:29",
            "excerpt": "\u201cBuild AI that knows your business\u201d is a tagline that SAP uses in its online collateral, and AI tooling with business context sits at the core of several announcements SAP made at TechEd 2026 in Berlin on October 27\u201329. We came away with the impression that SAP\u2019s most powerful differentiators are at risk of being [&hellip;]",
            "body": "<p>\u201cBuild AI that knows your business\u201d is a tagline that SAP uses in its online collateral, and AI tooling with business context sits at the core of several announcements SAP made at TechEd 2026 in Berlin on October 27\u201329. We came away with the impression that SAP\u2019s most powerful differentiators are at risk of being obscured by a wall of AI capability announcements that \u2014 while impressive \u2014 promise more than they can deliver today.<\/p>\n<p>Here\u2019s what impressed us most and why:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>A strong focus on process understanding.<\/strong> SAP repeatedly emphasized the need for process understanding and a process mindset to achieve optimal AI results. The <a href=\"https:\/\/help.sap.com\/docs\/signavio-process-transformation-suite\/signavio-process-transformation-suite-user-guide\/process-consulting-agent\">SAP Signavio Process Consulting Agent<\/a> and SAP Knowledge Graph reinforce that emphasis.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Updates to the tabular AI model, SAP-RPT.<\/strong> The existing SAP-RPT-1.5 is a relational pretrained foundation model specifically developed for prediction tasks on structured and relational data; it supports classification and regression. Announcements included SAP-RPT-2.0, which will support anomaly and outlier detection; <a href=\"https:\/\/help.sap.com\/docs\/sap-ai-core\/generative-ai\/sap-rpt-ts\">SAP-RPT-TS<\/a> will add time series. Providing a tabular model besides standard LLMs is extremely valuable for client use cases that involve number-crunching tasks while leaving their annual token budget almost untouched. We regard this as a differentiator for SAP.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Guided agent-building to ensure grounding in enterprise context.<\/strong> Joule Studio provides a guided experience for building agents. The generated agents are grounded in companies\u2019 operational knowledge by seamlessly harnessing information from the SAP Knowledge Graph, LeanIX data, and contextual enterprise resource planning data. Such agents can provide more accurate results than those built on a generic agentic platform using only intent, constraints, and the usual dimensions.<\/li>\n<li><strong>An expanded SAP Knowledge Graph.<\/strong> The first iteration of the SAP Knowledge Graph essentially represents SAP\u2019s domain model, managed by SAP; it captures 50 years of business knowledge. This in itself already helps ground AI in the right data but isn\u2019t quite enough. Hence, SAP is adding the ability to bring a customer\u2019s own knowledge graph into the SAP-managed environment. For customers wanting more control, SAP is also adding a customer-managed customer knowledge graph. Note: SAP also offers SAP Domain Models, which are foundation models enhanced with SAP\u2019s proprietary and business logic.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Turning headless isn\u2019t part of the plan.<\/strong> While some software platform vendors promote their suites becoming headless as a way to streamline AI access, the SAP team intentionally decided against this trend, arguing that it wants to provide the best experience for any user type, from business user and business developer (where WalkMe is a key enabler) to professional developer and AI agent. SAP offers headless as an option but doesn\u2019t intend to replace other experiences.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>TechEd is a developer conference, so expecting too much business-focused content would be unfair. That said, we see a few areas that deserve more attention:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Customers need more clarity on how everything fits together.<\/strong> SAP itself is on a major technology transformation journey and offers a rich portfolio of existing and new solutions. Not all customers are ready to embrace a \u201cbusiness AI platform,\u201d particularly when they can\u2019t immediately tell what is evolutionary and what is revolutionary.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Joule Studio and Joule Work could benefit from some design improvements.<\/strong> This isn\u2019t to distract from the tremendous amount of work that\u2019s gone into these tools and how powerful they are. But if some of these capabilities are to be put into the hands of businesspeople, a few tweaks would improve usability for that target audience. The current design can make it challenging for the human approving an agent or agentic workflow to know what exactly they are approving.<\/li>\n<li><strong>The positioning of AI risk needs more nuance.<\/strong> SAP has a strong focus on AI safety and security before releasing software, whether it\u2019s a new version of a product or a single AI agent. Its focus on governance capabilities is also laudable. What\u2019s missing is a more discerning approach to AI risk. \u201cHuman in the loop\u201d cannot be the stock response to the perennial disclaimer \u201cCheck for accuracy,\u201d as a human in the loop can neither scale nor guarantee correctness. What\u2019s being done technically to minimize error and to make it easier for the human to ensure accuracy? In our view, neither aspect received the attention it deserves.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>\u201cThe autonomous enterprise becomes a reality\u201d is an aspirational statement that matches SAP\u2019s ambitions, and the product announcements at TechEd, both generally available and on the roadmap, reflect those ambitions. Companies ready to transform their business, and whose center of gravity lies with SAP, should ask hard questions about product capabilities and cost. But they should also remember one important point: Nobody knows SAP better than SAP.<\/p>\n",
            "category": [
                {
                    "term_id": 2242,
                    "name": "Age of the Customer",
                    "slug": "age-of-the-customer",
                    "description": "",
                    "permalink": "https:\/\/www.forrester.com\/blogs\/category\/age-of-the-customer\/"
                }
            ],
            "meta_desc": "Forrester Principal Analysts Bernhard Schaffrik and Martha Bennett attended SAP TechEd 2026. Here are their main takeaways.",
            "author": "Martha Bennett",
            "coauthors": "Bernhard Schaffrik"
        },
        {
            "post_type": "post",
            "post_id": 307608,
            "permalink": "https:\/\/www.forrester.com\/blogs\/resilience-pros-answer-our-questions-to-get-a-report\/",
            "title": "Resilience Pros! Answer Our Questions To Get A Report",
            "date": "Nov 3, 2026 16:55:38",
            "excerpt": "Each year, Forrester and the Disaster Recovery Journal (DRJ) team up to launch a study examining resilience. We survey people on different topics in resilience such as disaster recovery, but this time, the focus is solely on business resilience, including business continuity and operational resilience. No matter whether your program\u2019s goals are to create business [&hellip;]",
            "body": "<p>Each year, Forrester and <a href=\"https:\/\/drj.com\/\">the Disaster Recovery Journal (DRJ)<\/a> team up to launch a study examining resilience. We survey people on different topics in resilience such as disaster recovery, but this time, <span data-teams=\"true\">the focus is solely on business resilience, including business continuity and operational resilience<\/span>. No matter whether your program\u2019s goals are to create business continuity plans and test them, to build operational resilience, or to cross-functionally maintain business operations despite disruptions, this survey is for you!<\/p>\n<p>In the last survey two years ago, we shifted our focus not only on business continuity practices but also on the adoption of operational resilience mandates. We found that:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Unfortunately, the testing situation is largely unchanged since 2008. For all test types, most organizations only test once per year with plan walkthroughs and tabletop exercises, and as tests become more extensive, test frequency declines \u2014 41% of respondents said that they never performed a full simulation.<\/li>\n<li>Nine percent of respondents were already compliant with <a href=\"https:\/\/www.esma.europa.eu\/esmas-activities\/digital-finance-and-innovation\/digital-operational-resilience-act-dora\">the EU\u2019s Digital Operational Resilience Act<\/a>.<\/li>\n<li>IT failures had an outsized effect on disruptions, with 59% of respondents reporting an IT failure that caused an invocation.<\/li>\n<li>The top lessons learned from invocations had a tie, with 33% of respondents saying that execution did not adequately address organizationwide communication and collaboration and that decision-makers did not have a central dashboard that included specifics about the incident.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>This time around, we are not only interested in these same trends but also in how AI is helping you be more successful and, alternatively, how it is driving the invocation of plans. If you are a business resilience decision-maker or influencer at your organization, please take 20 minutes to complete the survey <a href=\"https:\/\/forrester.co1.qualtrics.com\/jfe\/form\/SV_b7do2ra9EaoQ6Pk\">here<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>Once the survey is complete, the DRJ will have a summary of the results on its site. For Forrester clients, the survey results will be examined in depth in reports that will publish in the next few quarters. All the results are anonymous. If you\u2019d like to receive a complimentary Forrester report (the upcoming \u201cThe State Of Resilience, 2026\u201d), you can submit your email address; we won\u2019t use it for any other purpose.<\/p>\n<p>Take the <a href=\"https:\/\/forrester.co1.qualtrics.com\/jfe\/form\/SV_b7do2ra9EaoQ6Pk\">survey<\/a>, receive a free report, and help us and <a href=\"https:\/\/drj.com\/\">the DRJ<\/a> get a pulse on business resilience!<\/p>\n",
            "category": [
                {
                    "term_id": 2242,
                    "name": "Age of the Customer",
                    "slug": "age-of-the-customer",
                    "description": "",
                    "permalink": "https:\/\/www.forrester.com\/blogs\/category\/age-of-the-customer\/"
                },
                {
                    "term_id": 52023,
                    "name": "Agentic AI",
                    "slug": "agentic-ai",
                    "description": "AI agents promise to transform business processes, applications, and experiences, but realizing their value takes vision and discipline. Explore Forrester\u2019s agentic AI insights to help separate reality from hype, identify high-value use cases, and build the architecture, data foundations, governance, and controls needed to scale safely.",
                    "permalink": "https:\/\/www.forrester.com\/blogs\/category\/artificial-intelligence-ai\/agentic-ai\/"
                },
                {
                    "term_id": 2352,
                    "name": "AI Insights",
                    "slug": "artificial-intelligence-ai",
                    "description": "<p class=\"text-body font-regular leading-[24px] pt-[9px] pb-[2px]\">The integration of artificial intelligence (AI) is revolutionizing how organizations operate, offering unprecedented opportunities to boost efficiency and drive innovation. Yet, alongside this immense potential comes a layer of complexity that requires deliberate strategy. AI is doing more than just enhancing systems; it\u2019s reshaping how organizations allocate resources, advance capabilities, and achieve growth. Its influence touches every corner of an operating model, challenging leaders to not only capture the power of AI but to create meaningful value with it. The path forward is both exciting and intricate, filled with the promise of transformation and the need for thoughtful navigation. Get the latest AI insights and strategic perspectives from Forrester analysts and experts.<\/p>\r\n<a href=\"https:\/\/www.forrester.com\/technology\/data-ai-leaders\/\">Discover how Forrester supports data, AI, and analytics leaders. <\/a>",
                    "permalink": "https:\/\/www.forrester.com\/blogs\/category\/artificial-intelligence-ai\/"
                },
                {
                    "term_id": 51984,
                    "name": "AI model",
                    "slug": "ai-model",
                    "description": "",
                    "permalink": "https:\/\/www.forrester.com\/blogs\/category\/artificial-intelligence-ai\/ai-model\/"
                },
                {
                    "term_id": 14963,
                    "name": "Cybersecurity Trends",
                    "slug": "cybersecurity",
                    "description": "Stay up-to-date on the cutting edge of cybersecurity with insights on Zero Trust, vendors, regulations, and other privacy &amp; security topics.",
                    "permalink": "https:\/\/www.forrester.com\/blogs\/category\/cybersecurity\/"
                },
                {
                    "term_id": 51104,
                    "name": "GRC - Governance, Risk, And Compliance",
                    "slug": "grc-governance-risk-and-compliance",
                    "description": "Governance, risk, and compliance (GRC) trends are always evolving. Follow Forrester's latest research and insights on GRC trends.\r\n\r\n<a href=\"\/technology\/\">Discover how Forrester supports IT leaders.<\/a>",
                    "permalink": "https:\/\/www.forrester.com\/blogs\/category\/grc-governance-risk-and-compliance\/"
                }
            ],
            "meta_desc": "If you are a business resilience decision-maker or influencer at your organization, please take 20 minutes to complete our survey.",
            "author": "Amy DeMartine"
        },
        {
            "post_type": "post",
            "post_id": 307509,
            "permalink": "https:\/\/www.forrester.com\/blogs\/questioning-your-ai-roi-start-with-your-ai-strategy\/",
            "title": "Questioning Your AI ROI? Start With Your AI Strategy",
            "date": "Nov 3, 2026 14:09:44",
            "excerpt": "\u201cHow do we measure the ROI of AI?\u201d \u201cAI costs are going up. How do we prove the ROI?\u201d These questions \u2014 coming mostly from IT \u2014 start more of my client engagements than any other. As usage of AI credits ramps up and token costs roll in, it\u2019s IT that foots the bill and [&hellip;]",
            "body": "<p><em>\u201cHow do we measure the ROI of AI?\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n<p><em>\u201cAI costs are going up. How do we prove the ROI?\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n<p>These questions \u2014 coming mostly from IT \u2014 start more of my client engagements than any other. As usage of AI credits ramps up and token costs roll in, it\u2019s IT that foots the bill and it\u2019s CIOs who are on the hook to justify the spend.<\/p>\n<p>When I dig into AI ROI challenges with a client, I always uncover a strategy problem at the heart of them. Without knowing why you are investing in AI, where in your business it needs to show up, and having a plan to invest and measure the value, IT is left trying to prove the ROI of workforce enablement and individual worker productivity investments. You are going to have a hard time proving that helping employees write emails, schedule meetings, or produce PowerPoints actually lands in your P&amp;L. Lack of ROI then becomes a scapegoat for bad or missing strategy that forces hard choices about what to focus on and what to deprioritize.<\/p>\n<p>Our new report, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.forrester.com\/report\/your-enterprise-ai-strategy\/RES204067\">Your Enterprise AI Strategy<\/a>, addresses these pain points. It comes out of nine months of collaboration across Forrester and interviews with more than 40 leaders at 25 organizations, plus hundreds of client engagements. Another freshly updated report, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.forrester.com\/report\/introducing-the-forrester-ai-value-matrix-a-framework-for-measuring-what-matters\/RES194340\">Introducing The Forrester AI Value Matrix: A Framework For Measuring What Matters<\/a>, tells you what the right value looks like.<\/p>\n<h2>Your AI Strategy Must Answer Why, Where, When, And How<\/h2>\n<p>The enterprise AI strategy report introduces a three-part model in which:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>The vision sets why and where you win with AI.<\/strong> Saving a bit of money isn\u2019t a vision, and neither is handing every employee a copilot. CITGO\u2019s CEO helped write his company\u2019s AI strategy, spelling out the expected outcomes in plain business language: Reduce cost per barrel, raise production output, and improve safety, each with a KPI target to which the board could hold him. A vision also says where you won\u2019t play.<\/li>\n<li><strong>An action plan commits to big bets, timing, scaling, and funding.<\/strong> Planning is what moves a firm from hundreds of use cases to a handful of investment portfolios, the way PepsiCo got to \u201cfour or five big bets.\u201d<\/li>\n<li><strong>Principles and policies set how the organization behaves.<\/strong> They\u2019re the part that most companies skip, because they force executives to decide who gives something up so others can gain, who pays for the change, and what people can expect for their jobs and skills.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter wp-image-307510 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/go.forrester.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/11\/Picture1.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"560\" height=\"213\" srcset=\"https:\/\/go.forrester.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/11\/Picture1.png 560w, https:\/\/go.forrester.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/11\/Picture1-300x114.png 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 560px) 100vw, 560px\" \/><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h2>Only The CEO Can Hold An AI Strategy Together<\/h2>\n<p>CEO ownership is what binds all three together. At Bank of New York, CEO Robin Vince drove the vision that took the bank from a common AI platform to AI agents that it calls digital employees. We\u2019ve found that when the CEO owns the strategy, the company makes the hard decisions: which investments move the business substantially and what gets deprioritized to pay for them. At an organizational level, only the chief executive can make those calls. With the CEO in charge, a CIO has the incentive to prioritize data and AI readiness for the CMO\u2019s growth ambitions and a chief AI officer no longer spends their day refereeing five executives who don\u2019t report to them and don\u2019t agree on what the business is after.<\/p>\n<h2>A Strategy Is Only As Bold As The Value It Targets<\/h2>\n<p>The Forrester AI Value Matrix provides a framework for value that crosses where AI value lands on your P&amp;L with how that value is delivered (productivity, engagement, and transformation). It gives you a three-by-three grid of nine value types. Productivity is the easy, quick kind of value. Engagement, how AI changes the way customers deal with you, takes longer and lasts longer. Transformational value is slow and hard to get, but it\u2019s the biggest payoff and the most durable.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter wp-image-307511 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/go.forrester.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/11\/Picture2.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"560\" height=\"342\" srcset=\"https:\/\/go.forrester.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/11\/Picture2.png 560w, https:\/\/go.forrester.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/11\/Picture2-300x183.png 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 560px) 100vw, 560px\" \/><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>AI strategy and value management work as a pair. Without a target value that\u2019s large and durable enough, organizations rarely find the wherewithal to create and execute a strategy bold enough for the disruption that\u2019s coming (our <a href=\"https:\/\/www.forrester.com\/blogs\/beyond-the-saaspocalypse-introducing-the-forrester-ai-disruption-model\/\">AI Disruption Model<\/a> lays that out for you).<\/p>\n<p>Once you understand why and where AI needs to show up in your business, and how large and durable the value needs to be, you can put an AI value management plan in place that tracks changes in business outcomes that create real, lasting advantage.<\/p>\n<p>Read <a href=\"https:\/\/www.forrester.com\/report\/your-enterprise-ai-strategy\/RES204067\">Your Enterprise AI Strategy<\/a>, check out our updated <a href=\"https:\/\/www.forrester.com\/report\/introducing-the-forrester-ai-value-matrix-a-framework-for-measuring-what-matters\/RES194340\">AI Value Matrix<\/a>, then <a href=\"http:\/\/forrester.com\/inquiry\">book an inquiry or guidance session<\/a> with me. Bring your use case list, and we\u2019ll see what value it\u2019s really aiming for.<\/p>\n",
            "category": [
                {
                    "term_id": 2352,
                    "name": "AI Insights",
                    "slug": "artificial-intelligence-ai",
                    "description": "<p class=\"text-body font-regular leading-[24px] pt-[9px] pb-[2px]\">The integration of artificial intelligence (AI) is revolutionizing how organizations operate, offering unprecedented opportunities to boost efficiency and drive innovation. Yet, alongside this immense potential comes a layer of complexity that requires deliberate strategy. AI is doing more than just enhancing systems; it\u2019s reshaping how organizations allocate resources, advance capabilities, and achieve growth. Its influence touches every corner of an operating model, challenging leaders to not only capture the power of AI but to create meaningful value with it. The path forward is both exciting and intricate, filled with the promise of transformation and the need for thoughtful navigation. Get the latest AI insights and strategic perspectives from Forrester analysts and experts.<\/p>\r\n<a href=\"https:\/\/www.forrester.com\/technology\/data-ai-leaders\/\">Discover how Forrester supports data, AI, and analytics leaders. <\/a>",
                    "permalink": "https:\/\/www.forrester.com\/blogs\/category\/artificial-intelligence-ai\/"
                }
            ],
            "meta_desc": "Struggling to prove AI ROI? Learn why a strong enterprise AI strategy is essential to connecting AI investments to measurable, lasting business value.",
            "meta_keywords": "AI ROI, enterprise AI strategy, AI value, AI value management, AI Value Matrix, AI investment, AI business value, AI productivity, AI transformation, AI strategy, generative AI, CIO",
            "author": "Brian Hopkins"
        },
        {
            "post_type": "post",
            "post_id": 307594,
            "permalink": "https:\/\/www.forrester.com\/blogs\/cresta-fills-an-important-gap-in-salesforces-customer-service-ai-story\/",
            "title": "Cresta Fills An Important Gap In Salesforce\u2019s Customer Service AI Story",
            "date": "Nov 3, 2026 14:06:04",
            "excerpt": "Salesforce has agreed to acquire Cresta, adding voice agents, real-time agent assistance, and conversation intelligence to its customer service portfolio. Salesforce already owns much of the customer context and many of the systems where customer service work gets done. What it lacked was a credible conversation intelligence offering to understand what happens within those interactions [&hellip;]",
            "body": "<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.salesforce.com\/news\/stories\/salesforce-signs-definitive-agreement-to-acquire-cresta\/\"><span data-contrast=\"none\">Salesforce has agreed to acquire Cresta<\/span><\/a><span data-contrast=\"auto\">, adding voice agents, real-time agent assistance, and conversation intelligence to its customer service portfolio. Salesforce already owns much of the customer context and many of the systems where customer service work gets done. What it lacked was a credible conversation intelligence offering to understand what happens within those interactions and take action. Cresta, <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.forrester.com\/report\/the-forrester-wave-tm-conversation-intelligence-solutions-for-contact-centers-q2-2025\/RES182915\"><span data-contrast=\"none\">one of the market\u2019s most technically innovative providers<\/span><\/a><span data-contrast=\"auto\">, fills that gap.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">But Salesforce should resist treating Cresta only as a customer service AI asset. Cresta\u2019s conversation-derived feedback and predictive customer satisfaction score could also strengthen Salesforce\u2019s much weaker <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.forrester.com\/blogs\/takeaways-from-the-forrester-wave-customer-feedback-management-and-analytics-solutions-q3-2026\/\"><span data-contrast=\"none\">customer feedback management<\/span><\/a><span data-contrast=\"auto\"> story, particularly for CX teams under pressure to consolidate their tech stacks and get more from platforms they already own.<\/span><\/p>\n<h3><b><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Salesforce Is Buying The Missing Pieces Of Its Agentic Architecture<\/span><\/b><\/h3>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">The Cresta deal is the latest in a series of acquisitions Salesforce is using to fill gaps in its <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.forrester.com\/blogs\/from-crm-to-the-agentic-enterprise-salesforces-biggest-dreamforce-2026-reveals\"><span data-contrast=\"none\">agentic architecture<\/span><\/a><span data-contrast=\"auto\">. Cresta is a smart addition, bringing sophisticated technology and expertise in an area where Salesforce had a meaningful gap. But Salesforce is layering these acquisitions onto an already complex and fragmented product estate, with overlapping capabilities and a <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.forrester.com\/blogs\/how-to-take-back-control-when-negotiating-with-salesforce\/\"><span data-contrast=\"none\">complicated buying experience<\/span><\/a><span data-contrast=\"auto\">. A crisper architectural vision doesn\u2019t fix that.<\/span><\/p>\n<h3><b><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Make Salesforce Prove That Ownership Creates Value<\/span><\/b><\/h3>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">As customer relationship management and contact center platforms <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.forrester.com\/blogs\/frenemies-forever-the-tension-between-crm-and-ccaas-vendors\/\"><span data-contrast=\"none\">increasingly converge<\/span><\/a><span data-contrast=\"auto\">, customer service leaders must decide which platform should own which capabilities. The promise of that convergence should be less complexity for vendors\u2019 customers, not simply more functionality under one vendor\u2019s roof.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Existing Cresta customers should watch whether Salesforce preserves what made Cresta valuable: its product velocity, access to its teams, and the ability to work across the contact center technology they already use. Salesforce has committed to maintaining support for leading contact center and telephony platforms after the acquisition closes. Buyers should hold it to that promise.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Prospective buyers that already have Salesforce but still haven\u2019t invested in strong conversation intelligence capabilities have plenty of reasons to be excited. But Salesforce should clearly distinguish what they can buy and deploy today from capabilities that depend on future product integration.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Forrester customers seeking guidance on what the Cresta acquisition means for their organizations can <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.forrester.com\/inquiry\/guidance-session\"><span data-contrast=\"none\">book a guidance session<\/span><\/a><span data-contrast=\"auto\"> with us.<\/span><\/p>\n",
            "category": [
                {
                    "term_id": 2242,
                    "name": "Age of the Customer",
                    "slug": "age-of-the-customer",
                    "description": "",
                    "permalink": "https:\/\/www.forrester.com\/blogs\/category\/age-of-the-customer\/"
                },
                {
                    "term_id": 52023,
                    "name": "Agentic AI",
                    "slug": "agentic-ai",
                    "description": "AI agents promise to transform business processes, applications, and experiences, but realizing their value takes vision and discipline. Explore Forrester\u2019s agentic AI insights to help separate reality from hype, identify high-value use cases, and build the architecture, data foundations, governance, and controls needed to scale safely.",
                    "permalink": "https:\/\/www.forrester.com\/blogs\/category\/artificial-intelligence-ai\/agentic-ai\/"
                },
                {
                    "term_id": 2352,
                    "name": "AI Insights",
                    "slug": "artificial-intelligence-ai",
                    "description": "<p class=\"text-body font-regular leading-[24px] pt-[9px] pb-[2px]\">The integration of artificial intelligence (AI) is revolutionizing how organizations operate, offering unprecedented opportunities to boost efficiency and drive innovation. Yet, alongside this immense potential comes a layer of complexity that requires deliberate strategy. AI is doing more than just enhancing systems; it\u2019s reshaping how organizations allocate resources, advance capabilities, and achieve growth. Its influence touches every corner of an operating model, challenging leaders to not only capture the power of AI but to create meaningful value with it. The path forward is both exciting and intricate, filled with the promise of transformation and the need for thoughtful navigation. Get the latest AI insights and strategic perspectives from Forrester analysts and experts.<\/p>\r\n<a href=\"https:\/\/www.forrester.com\/technology\/data-ai-leaders\/\">Discover how Forrester supports data, AI, and analytics leaders. <\/a>",
                    "permalink": "https:\/\/www.forrester.com\/blogs\/category\/artificial-intelligence-ai\/"
                },
                {
                    "term_id": 2364,
                    "name": "mergers &amp; acquisitions (M&amp;As)",
                    "slug": "mergers-acquisitions-mas",
                    "description": "Read analysis on mergers &amp; acquisitions: what they mean for the market and for your business.",
                    "permalink": "https:\/\/www.forrester.com\/blogs\/category\/mergers-acquisitions-mas\/"
                }
            ],
            "meta_desc": "Salesforce has agreed to acquire Cresta, adding voice agents, real-time agent assistance, and conversation intelligence to its customer service portfolio.",
            "author": "Christina McAllister",
            "coauthors": "Kate Leggett, Colleen Fazio, Max Ball"
        }
    ]
}