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Battling ‘Botenfreude’: The Power of People and Policy

2 weeks ago | opusresearch.net | Dan Miller |Derek Top

The word “schadenfreude” describes “the emotional experience of pleasure in response to another’s misfortune”. In the world of automated customer care, I propose we use the term “botenfreude” to capture the pure joy people feel when they encounter or read of the inevitable failure of a chatbot or voicebot. Who of us can’t recite the story of the bot that sold a 2024 Chevy Tahoe for $1? Or the New York City automated agent who told tenants they don’t have to pay rent?
Bots are People Too (Kind Of): Why AI Needs Accessibility

Feb 28, 2025 | opusresearch.net | Ian Jacobs |Dan Miller |Derek Top

Ever imagined our websites and mobile apps needing to be accessible not just for humans, but for robots too? It sounds like a Black Mirror episode, but with AI Agents becoming increasingly integrated into our digital lives, it’s a reality we need to face. Those AI Agents could be acting as proxies for consumers in their interactions with brands or they could be enterprises’ own agents acting on internal systems.
Enterprise Ambitions and AI Innovation |

Feb 11, 2025 | opusresearch.net | Ian Jacobs |Derek Top

Zoho—the “we do it all” tech vendor—held its analyst event in lovely Texas Hill Country last week. The event was both a launching pad for the company’s enterprise ambitions and the passing of the baton from co-founder Sridhar Vembu to his brother Mani. Sridhar has stepped down as CEO and taken on a Chief Scientist role; Mani now occupies the top slot. Besides the personnel shifts, the event made Zoho’s enterprise focus very clear.
Jet-Lagged but Inspired: Fresh Takes on AI and Customer Experience

Dec 11, 2024 | opusresearch.net | Ian Jacobs |Derek Top

I’ve certainly had a whirlwind start to my time as the new Lead Analyst at Opus Research. A crazy travel schedule (something like 36,000 air miles in my first few weeks) and holidays mean that I am just now settling in to process all that I’ve heard and seen. I’m going to provide a grab-bag of two ideas that require deeper analysis and action by brands looking to infuse AI into their processes to provide better customer experiences.
Uniphore Acquires ActionIQ: Takes a “Zero Data” Approach to Conversational Intelligence

Dec 6, 2024 | opusresearch.net | Ian Jacobs |Derek Top

In today’s AI-powered world, data isn’t just valuable—it’s the game-changer driving innovation and giving companies a competitive edge. Every click, swipe, and purchase creates a treasure trove of insights waiting to be harnessed for smarter decisions, better customer experiences, and new ways to grow revenue. As brands double down on AI, data becomes the fuel that powers it all—training algorithms, guiding automation, and forecasting trends.
Charlie Brown, Lucy, a Football, and Agentic AI

Dec 3, 2024 | opusresearch.net | Dan Miller |Derek Top

on FINALLY! Conversational Commerce is “this close.”Still, the thought that I could have my own personal virtual assistant that knows past purchases, preferences, payment vehicles and is empowered by me to book travel, order dinner, or unsubscribe from a streaming service invokes a commonly shared memory. It’s the recurring schtick in the “Peanuts” comic strip. Charlie Brown lines up to kick the football, Lucy pulls it away. Charlie Brown yells “AAUGH”.
GenAI Trust and Safety: Mitigating Risks and Enabling Solutions

Nov 25, 2024 | opusresearch.net | Derek Top

Generative AI (GenAI), including powerful technologies like Large Language Models (LLMs), will have a profoundly positive impact on both customer experience and employee productivity within the next five years. The capability of these models to engage in human-like conversations, provide accurate and contextually relevant responses, and continuously learn from interactions offers unprecedented opportunities to enhance customer service.
Zoom Unveils AI Companion 2.0: Advancing the AI-Assisted Workplace

Oct 11, 2024 | opusresearch.net | Derek Top

The video conferencing giant Zoom announced a significant upgrade to its AI Companion, promising to transform workplace productivity and collaboration. Set to launch later this month at no additional cost for paid Zoom Workplace subscribers, AI Companion 2.0 represents an interesting leap forward in AI integration across Zoom’s ecosystem and the potential of predictive, autonomous assistance.
Notes An Opus Research Emeritus

Sep 23, 2024 | opusresearch.net | Dan Miller |Derek Top

It’s been 44 years since I started my first job as a technology analyst, and 39 years since I founded Opus Research. During that time I’ve had the privilege to work with entrepreneurs, executives and developers who have brought us Home Computers, Videogames, IP-Telephony, Direct Broadcast Satellites, Personal Communications Services, smartphones, Speech-enabled IVRs, chatbots, voicebots and now Generative AI. I have a lot of people to thank.
Vonage Plays to its Strengths (APIs and GenAI) with Recent Partnerships

Sep 19, 2024 | opusresearch.net | Dan Miller |Derek Top

In quick succession, partnerships with SAP and Salesforce showcase that Vonage’s arsenal of features and function have impact up-and-down today’s technology solution stack. Its robust set of network APIs deliver new capabilities to SAP’s enterprise customers.