AI, Voice, and the Future of Contact Centers with Zendesk

What happens when customer service moves beyond answering questions and starts anticipating needs, coordinating actions, and resolving problems with AI? And what does that mean for the future of the contact center? In this episode of Tech Talks Daily, I'm joined by Jonathan Barouch, Vice President and General Manager of Contact Center at Zendesk, to discuss the company's vision for the next generation of customer experience following the integration of Local Measure into the Zendesk platform. Jonathan explains why the contact center is entering a new chapter, where AI is becoming part of every interaction rather than existing as a standalone feature. We discuss the announcements from Relate 2026 and how Zendesk is bringing together customer service, voice, automation, and AI to create a more connected experience for both customers and agents. A major part of our conversation focuses on the acquisition and integration of Local Measure. Jonathan shares why bringing enterprise voice capabilities into the Zendesk platform creates new opportunities for organisations looking to modernise their contact centres without adding unnecessary complexity. Rather than treating voice as a separate channel, Zendesk is building an experience where every customer interaction contributes to a complete understanding of the customer journey. We also discuss how AI is changing the day-to-day reality for contact center teams. Instead of replacing people, Jonathan explains how AI can remove repetitive work, surface the right information at the right time, and allow agents to spend more time solving problems that require empathy, judgement, and human conversation. Looking further ahead, we examine what the future of Contact Center as a Service could look like as AI agents become increasingly capable. Jonathan shares his perspective on how businesses should prepare for this shift, where automation fits alongside human expertise, and why success will depend on creating experiences that customers genuinely value rather than simply reducing costs. If your organisation is rethinking customer service, investing in AI, or planning the next stage of its contact center strategy, this conversation offers practical insight into where the industry is heading and what business leaders should be thinking about today. What role do you think AI should play in customer service? Where should businesses draw the line between automation and the human touch?