NICE vs Zendesk

NiCE Named a Leader in the IDC MarketScape for Worldwide Agentic Contact Center-as-a-Service Platforms

NiCE has been named a Leader in the IDC MarketScape for Worldwide Agentic Contact Center-as-a-Service Platforms, and also recognized as a 2026 Best Workplace for Innovators by Fast Company.

OutRival Appoints Shaun Sjolin as Chief Customer Officer

OutRival, a provider of AI-powered Digital Workers, has appointed Shaun Sjolin as its new Chief Customer Officer. Sjolin, formerly Vice President of Customer Success at NICE, a global leader in contact center software, will lead OutRival's customer organization. He will partner with brands to ensure consistent customer experiences across the entire journey, from initial engagement to long-term retention. His background includes roles at SAP, IBM, and Aon Hewitt. OutRival's AI Digital Workers handle calls, texts, and emails for brands, and the company serves industries like higher education, insurance, and travel. This appointment underscores OutRival's commitment to prioritizing customer care as a key differentiator.

• OutRival, Inc. appointed Shaun Sjolin as Chief Customer Officer.
• Sjolin previously served as Vice President of Customer Success at NICE.
• OutRival creates AI-powered Digital Workers for customer engagement.

Bidgely launches agentic AI CX suite for energy providers

Bidgely, a provider of AI-powered energy intelligence, has launched Agentic CX, which it claims is the energy industry's first agentic AI customer experience suite. The suite uses five specialized UtilityAI agents trained on over a decade of behind-the-meter data to provide appliance-level insights to utilities. It integrates with existing CCaaS and enterprise AI platforms, offering chat, IVR, and CSR co-pilot channels. The agents address high-bill calls, home energy audits, solar and EV impacts, and rate plan optimization. Bidgely reports significant client results, including a 50% reduction in high-bill calls and a 15% reduction in CSR churn. The launch aims to help utilities manage rising operational pressures and regulatory mandates.

• Bidgely launched Agentic CX, an agentic AI customer experience suite for energy providers.
• The suite includes five UtilityAI agents: High Bill Analyzer, Home Energy Audit, What-If Solar, What-If EV, and Best Rate.
• Agentic CX integrates with CCaaS platforms like NICE, Genesys, AWS Connect, and Poly.ai.

Zendesk Appoints Rachita Sundar as Chief Financial Officer

Zendesk today announced Rachita Sundar has joined the company as Chief Financial Officer, effective September 28,…

Good Tape Raises Funding, Launches Explore for Interview Insights

Copenhagen-based AI transcription startup Good Tape has raised €600k from Nordic Makers, an investment group founded by former unicorn founders. Zendesk co-founder Alexander Aghassipour led the investment and joined Good Tape's board. The funding is part of a management buyout that made Good Tape an independent company, with co-founders Lasse Finderup and Ýmir Gyðuson Gíslason buying out Zetland, the Danish newsroom from which it spun out. Good Tape also launched Explore, a feature that connects new recordings to a user's entire transcription history, surfacing contradictions, opinions, and supporting arguments. Explore is free initially. With over 15 million transcriptions in 100+ languages, Good Tape serves journalists, researchers, lawyers, and consultants, and is used by 3 million people in over 150 countries. The company emphasizes EU data residency, GDPR compliance, and does not train AI on customer data.

• Good Tape raised €600k from Nordic Makers, led by Zendesk co-founder Alexander Aghassipour, who joined the board.
• The funding is part of a management buyout, making Good Tape independent from Zetland.
• Good Tape launched Explore, connecting new recordings to past transcriptions to surface patterns.

Zendesk Names Rachita Sundar as CFO

Zendesk announced the appointment of Rachita Sundar as Chief Financial Officer, effective September 28, 2026. Sundar, who brings over 20 years of experience in finance and operations at technology companies including Microsoft Azure, HubSpot, and Qualtrics, succeeds Julie Swinney, who transitions to Chief Administrative Officer and executive sponsor of Zendesk's Employee Service business. At Qualtrics, Sundar helped finance and close the $6.75 billion acquisition of Press Ganey Forsta. CEO Tom Eggemeier highlighted her financial rigor and operational expertise as Zendesk scales toward a multi-billion-dollar AI business.

• Rachita Sundar appointed CFO of Zendesk, effective September 28, 2026.
• Sundar has over 20 years of experience at Microsoft Azure, HubSpot, and Qualtrics.
• At Qualtrics, Sundar helped finance and close the $6.75 billion acquisition of Press Ganey Forsta.