Redefining Customer Experience with AI Agents— Insights from Alex Rigaud
2 minute read
AI agents are quickly redefining how organizations operate—moving beyond basic automation into a new frontier of human‑led, AI‑powered business transformation. Unlike traditional workflows or stand‑alone chatbots, AI agents are designed to scale outcomes, augment human decision‑making, and deliver measurable value across the enterprise.
In this conversation, Alex Rigaud, Vice President of Incubation Solutions at Hitachi Solutions, shares how organizations can operationalize AI agents in practical, repeatable ways. Drawing on real-world, internal-first use cases, Alex breaks down what it means to become a Frontier Firm—and why being Customer Zero is critical to building AI solutions that actually work.
These insights set the stage for Alex’s upcoming Microsoft‑hosted event on January 27, where he will dive deeper into how AI agents are transforming customer engagement, accelerating business processes, and helping organizations move from experimentation to execution. Click here to register.
Key Takeaways
AI Agents vs. Traditional Automation
AI agents go beyond rule-based automation by focusing on outcomes rather than tasks. They scale intelligently, validate outputs with users, and keep human judgment in the loop—making them fundamentally different from simple bots or scripted workflows.
Empowering Employees, Not Replacing Them
The Frontier Firm model is built on augmentation, not replacement. AI agents enhance employee capabilities, enable faster decision‑making, and help teams scale without removing people from the process.
Customer Zero: Proven Before It’s Sold
Hitachi Solutions applies AI internally first, using its own teams as Customer Zero. Solutions like Turbo RFP streamline RFP responses by scanning previous content and pre‑populating answers, while tools like DocuDrop and the QA Bot automate document handling and customer inquiries—all validated through real internal use before entering the market.
Data Quality and Scalable Foundations
Successful AI agent deployment depends on strong internal data and operational readiness. By validating solutions across the broader Hitachi ecosystem, outcomes are tested for scalability, relevance, and cross‑industry applicability.
Measurable Impact Across the Business
Early adoption has delivered meaningful gains across sales and operational teams, proving that AI agents can drive real performance improvements—not just theoretical value.
Building Trust Through Transparency
Human‑in‑the‑loop design, clear validation steps, and practical demonstrations—such as the Turbo RFP showcase—are essential to building user trust and accelerating adoption.
