As AI rapidly reshapes customer interactions, customer experience leaders are confronting a new challenge: how to maintain customer trust while accelerating automation. According to new research from Execs In The Know, 67% of contact centers now use AI, but leading organizations are moving beyond efficiency metrics to focus on customer trust, resolution, and experience outcomes. Customer Response Summit (CRS) Scottsdale will bring together senior customer experience executives from leading brands—including Zillow, Turo, Corpay, The Ritz-Carlton Yacht Collection, Microsoft, Intuit, Priceline, YETI, and others—to discuss how organizations are redefining customer experience around a new strategic imperative: Customer Assurance. The event will explore how brands are responsibly deploying AI, measuring trust, preparing leaders for AI-driven change, and creating customer experiences that build confidence and long-term loyalty. Executives will share practical strategies, real-world case studies, and emerging best practices from some of the world's most recognized brands. With AI transforming nearly every customer touchpoint, CRS Scottsdale offers a timely look at how industry leaders are balancing innovation with the trust customers increasingly expect.
PHOENIX, July 14, 2026 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ -- As organizations race to integrate AI into the customer journey, customer experience (CX) leaders are grappling with a new challenge: maintaining trust while accelerating innovation. New research from Execs In The Know's 2026 CX Leaders Trends & Insights: Corporate Edition finds that two-thirds (67%) of contact centers now use some form of AI — yet leaders are shifting their focus from cost savings to outcomes, increasingly measuring success by resolution, customer trust, and abandonment rather than deflection alone.
To address that challenge, Execs In The Know today announced the speaker lineup for Customer Response Summit (CRS) Scottsdale under the theme, Customer Assurance: Leading the Next CX Advantage, a premier gathering of CX leaders from the world's top corporate brands, taking place September 30–October 2, 2026, at The Phoenician in Scottsdale, Arizona.
The event will feature keynote presentations and executive-led discussions focused on responsible AI adoption, leadership resilience, customer trust, and the strategies brands are using to create assurance at every stage of the customer journey.
Featured Keynote Speakers
CRS Scottsdale will feature four main stage keynotes from executives who are redefining what CX leadership looks like.
- Julio Lopez, Vice President of Sales Enablement, Global Reservations at The Ritz-Carlton Yacht Collection, will deliver a keynote highlighting leadership lessons and customer experience strategies from one of the world's premier luxury hospitality brands.
- Todd Sale, Senior Vice President, Customer Experience at Corpay will explore why emotional regulation, self-awareness, and inner resilience have become critical leadership skills for guiding teams through uncertainty, change, and the rapid impact of AI on the workplace.
- Phoebe Schultz, Vice President, Customer Experience Operations at Zillow, will share how the company transformed a fragmented support ecosystem into a unified, AI-enabled self-service experience that reduces customer friction, strengthens trust, and delivers more personalized support at scale.
- Julie Weingardt, Chief Operations Officer at Turo, will address the growing gap between customer satisfaction metrics and customer reality, highlighting why trust has become the defining factor in long-term loyalty.
Featured Panel Speakers
In addition to the four keynote speakers, the conference will feature main stage panel discussions from CX leaders at some of the world's most recognized brands, including: Travelzoo, Microsoft, Cox, Intuit, Priceline, YETI, and more.
These speakers will join a broader roster of CX executives sharing candid insights of building Customer Assurance on AI through the agent's eyes, channel strategy, the contact center workforce, measuring what matters in CX, leadership wellness, and operationalizing customer feedback.
"Customer Assurance has become one of the most important strategic priorities facing CX leaders today," said Susan McDaniel, COO and Co-Founder of Execs In The Know. "AI may change how we serve customers, but it can never replace the trust that earns their loyalty. CRS Scottsdale is designed to help leaders build the trust, confidence, and operational excellence required to thrive in this environment."
About Customer Response Summit (CRS)
For more than 15 years, CRS has brought together senior customer experience leaders from many of the world's most recognized brands to share ideas, tackle challenges, and explore what's next in CX. Designed exclusively for corporate practitioners, CRS delivers real-world insights through practitioner-led keynotes, interactive discussions, peer-to-peer learning, and curated networking opportunities.
Attendees gain access to candid conversations with fellow leaders, discover innovative solutions shaping the future of customer experience, and build meaningful relationships that extend well beyond the event. Past attendees have represented organizations including Google, Grubhub, Microsoft, MLB, T-Mobile, American Airlines, Staples, Ulta Beauty, Uber, Michael Kors, YETI, Walmart, Target, Visa, Peloton, The Home Depot, and many others.
Learn more about the agenda details, speaker information, venue, and registration, visit: https://execsintheknow.com/events/customer-response-summit-scottsdale-2026/
About Execs In The Know
Execs In The Know brings together customer experience (CX) leaders from across industries in an effort to advance the conversation and set a new agenda for delivering amazing experiences for consumers. As a global community of the brightest minds in CX, Execs In The Know provides opportunities to learn, share, network, and engage to innovate. Operating under the motto, "Leaders Learning from Leaders," Execs In The Know facilitates many opportunities for community engagement, such as its bi-annual national Customer Response Summit and private, online community, Know It All "KIA." There are also exclusive, laser-focused engagements like industry briefings and executive roundtables. Execs In The Know also guides and informs the industry with a rich tapestry of CX-related content that includes CX Insight magazine, industry research, webinars, blogs, and much more. For more information, visit Execs In The Know's website.
Media Contact
Laurie Tomko, Execs In The Know, 1 8043631432, [email protected], ExecsInTheKnow.com
SOURCE Execs In The Know
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