Retail organisations are systematically moving away from rule-based chatbots towards agentic AI systems that operate with greater autonomy and contextual intelligence. This shift reflects a fundamental recognition that scripted interactions create friction rather than resolution—what some in the industry term "chatbot walls"—where customers encounter predetermined response trees instead of genuine problem-solving. The transition encompasses both the technology stack (vendors like Salesforce, Microsoft, and Writer are embedding agentic capabilities into their platforms) and the operational model, with teams now expected to manage AI systems that make decisions rather than simply route inquiries. Multimodal deployment across WhatsApp, web, and traditional channels has accelerated this adoption, as agentic systems handle the complexity of context switching that scripted bots cannot manage.
The implications for CX teams are substantial and immediate. Zendesk administrators and support leads must reconsider their current automation architecture: systems built around intent classification and rule matching will struggle to compete with agents that can autonomously execute transactions, retrieve contextual data, and escalate intelligently. The per-seat licensing model that dominated contact centre software is already eroding, replaced by consumption-based pricing tied to agent actions rather than human headcount—a structural change that fundamentally alters budget forecasting and ROI calculations. However, this transition introduces acute governance challenges: as highlighted by recent incidents where AI agents have operated without adequate safeguards, the question of liability and data security becomes critical. For teams already running Agentforce or similar agentic platforms, the competitive pressure now centres on implementation depth rather than tool selection, whilst smaller vendors face existential pressure to either specialise in specific use cases or integrate into larger ecosystems.
The regulatory environment adds another layer of complexity that CX leaders cannot ignore. The EU AI Act's classification of customer emotion detection as high-risk, combined with fragmented global compliance requirements, means that agentic deployments require substantially more rigorous governance frameworks than their scripted predecessors. Teams must simultaneously accelerate adoption to remain competitive whilst building compliance infrastructure that many organisations currently lack. This creates a window where implementation quality—not just speed—determines which organisations capture the efficiency gains agentic AI promises and which become cautionary tales about autonomous systems operating without adequate oversight.
Agentic AI is pushing retail customer experience beyond the limits of scripted chatbots, and Gilbert Gooijers, Managing Director and Chief Operating Officer at CM.com, says the shift is closer than many leaders think. In conversation with CX Today’s Nicole Willing, Gooijers breaks down what makes ag