Why the Future of CX is All About the Vibe Feat. Shama Hyder

When every tech reviewer on the planet unanimously slammed Apple after it announced its latest UI update — the Liquid Glass — on June 9, one of the few voices of reason who knew exactly what Apple was up to was none other than Shama Hyder.

Hyder broke it all down beautifully in her newsletter a week later.

Apple isn't just redesigning your iPhone's interface. They're running the world's most sophisticated behavioral conditioning experiment. Every user updating to iOS 26 is a lab rat in a trillion-dollar experiment. The question isn't "Do people like translucent buttons?" The question is "How do we train a billion people to expect digital layers floating over physical reality?"

Think about it: Liquid Glass makes every interface element behave like actual glass - refracting light, creating specular highlights, dynamically adapting to content beneath it. It's training your brain to see digital information as a translucent layer that can exist on top of the physical world. Sound familiar? That's exactly what AR glasses need you to believe.

The pattern is always the same:

Release an "underwhelming update" → Condition user behavior → Launch the hardware that needs that behavior → Own the next decade.

As outrageous as it may sound, it all adds up, doesn't it? Apple is shaping customer behavior through CX like no company ever has!

Be sure to check out Hyder's newsletter to read her complete take on Apple's strategy with its latest offering. (Trust us — it's the best two minutes you'll spend this week.) And guess what — she joined us on the CX-WISE podcast as a guest speaker recently and covered a wide breadth of CX-related topics.

Read on to get her take on how brands can thrive in this AI-fueled, expectation-heavy, dark-social world — and what it all means for the future of customer experience (CX).

The future of CX is already here — are you ready?

When asked about the key shifts in customer expectations, Hyder spotlighted three seismic shifts that are already reshaping CX.

AI isn’t just a tool — it’s a teammate

We're moving from B2B/B2C to Agent-to-Agent (A2A) interactions — where AI anticipates needs, auto-drafts responses and personalizes communication down to tone and format. For CX leaders, that means the real challenge isn’t AI — it’s letting go of rigid, outdated processes that can’t keep up.

Frictionless is the new normal

From Uber wait times to next-day deliveries, customer tolerance for delay is evaporating. Expectations — shaped by seamless digital-first experiences — now apply across every industry, whether you're selling software or socks.

Dark social is where CX lives now

Customers still consume content publicly, but share it privately — in Slack threads, WhatsApp groups and DMs. That means customer engagement no longer looks like likes or comments. For CX leaders, the game has changed: if you're only measuring visible signals, you’re missing the big picture.

Add to this the complexity of five generations rubbing shoulders in the workforce and a culture evolving at lightning speed, and it’s clear: CX teams must be more creative, adaptable and strategic than ever before.

The CX sweet spot: when AI meets empathy

We live in an AI-driven world where solving problems quickly isn’t enough — customers want helpful, human-feeling interactions, even when they’re handled by machines. Hyder points to a beauty brand getting it right: its AI-powered DMs on Instagram are not only efficient, but perfectly on-brand — helpful, friendly and surprisingly human.

What does that mean for brands? Customers don’t care if it’s a bot or a human — as long as it works and it feels personal. That’s the bar now. And for CX leaders, the opportunity is clear: use AI to handle the mundane tasks, plus double down on creativity, community and connection in the moments that matter.

AI may be getting smarter by the second. But that only makes what’s uniquely human even more valuable: empathy, storytelling, community and emotional resonance. “Much of the future of CX and marketing is going to be creating the right vibe. And if you get that right vibe, everything else falls into place,” Hyder said.

In other words, CX’s future lies in combining intelligent automation with intentional, high-touch experiences — the kind that make customers care enough to wait in line, share your story or stick around for the long haul. Because when people care, they’ll forgive friction. The real challenge? Giving them a reason to care.

What it takes to win in CX today: Shama’s 5-point framework

To create great customer experiences today, it all comes down to really knowing your customers — not just the basics like age or job title, but where they hang out online, how they engage and what actually matters to them. A lot of brands skip this and jump straight into tactics.

Brands need to understand their own boundaries too — like what they stand for and how much risk they’re willing to take. Once you’re clear on both your audience and your brand, that’s where AI can really help: connecting the dots between customer behavior and brand goals so you can create something that actually resonates.

Lastly, the more digital things get, the more people crave real, human moments. So doing events — whether they’re online or in-person — and then using social media to amplify the experience can be super powerful. “The more digital our world gets, the more I’m betting on the analog,” Hyder noted. In the end, it’s all about building experiences that attract people, convert them and leave a lasting impression.

To sum up, CX leaders must:

1. Step into the customer’s world — not just with data, but with empathy

2. Align brand risk and voice with what today’s audiences want and expect

3. Tap AI thoughtfully — to connect customer psychographics with brand values and surface insight-rich overlaps

4. Think analog in a digital world — from remote to in-person activations, real connection drives engagement

5. Maximize the lifecycle of every moment — plan, deliver and amplify experiences that attract, convert and transform

Remember this: great CX isn’t just built — it’s choreographed across customer touchpoints, platforms and human moments, with AI as a partner, not a shortcut.

Want more Shama Hyder? Tune into the podcast.

We're giving away free copies of her book Momentum to everyone who shares their biggest takeaway from the episode on social. Just be sure to use the hashtag #CXWISE.