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☆ Here are Wednesday's biggest analyst calls: Nvidia, Microsoft, Starbucks, McDonald's, Pinterest & more
▼ + stars: | 2024-07-31 | by ( Michael Bloom | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +7 min

Here are Wednesday's biggest calls on Wall Street: Bank of America reiterates Pinterest as buy Bank of America said it's sticking with Pinterest following the company's earnings on Tuesday. "We are raising our rating to Overweight (from Equal-weight); our new price target of $36 (up from $25) implies +43.4% one-year total return, including a 6.7% forward dividend yield." Bank of America upgrades RTX to buy from neutral Bank of America said demand is rising for the aerospace and defense company. " Bank of America adds Marriott to the US1 list Bank of America added the stock to its top picks list. "We initiate coverage of On Holdings (ONON) with an Outperform rating and a $46 price target.

Persons: Pinterest, Morgan Stanley, JPMorgan, it's, Albemarle, Nomura, Bernstein, Venmo, TD Cowen downgrades McDonald's, Cowen, 2Q's, Raymond James, Lockheed Martin, Jefferies, Woodward, Goldman Sachs, Goldman, it's bullish Organizations: Bank of America, Barclays, AMD, Energy, JPMorgan, Mizuho, Nvidia, PayPal, Deutsche Bank, Corning, Deutsche, Citi, Navigator, Lockheed, of America, underperform Bank of America, Management, Starbucks, " Bank of America, Marriott, Holdings Locations: 2H24, Albemarle, Braintree, Switzerland

☆ Patagonia gave 90 staff a choice — relocate across the US or leave the company. They've got 3 days to decide.
▼ + stars: | 2024-06-27 | by ( Polly Thompson | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

CX employees must now live within 60 miles of one of seven "hubs" — Atlanta, Salt Lake City, Reno, Dallas, Austin, Chicago, or Pittsburgh. AdvertisementPatagonia verified the details of the announcement to BI, confirming that 90 of 255 CX staff in the US were affected. Both employees BI spoke to said they were accepting the severance and did not know anyone who was considering relocation. AdvertisementPatagonia spokesperson Corley Kenna told BI several employees had already indicated they would relocate. Advertisement"The reality is that our CX team has been running at 200% to 300% overstaffed for much of this year," Kenna told BI.

Persons: —, Amy Velligan, Bruce Old, George Frey, I've, Corley Kenna, Kenna, We've, Yvon Chouinard, Harris, Chouinard, Jean, Marc Giboux, Yvon Chouinard's, Yvon, it's Organizations: Service, Business, Workers, Walmart, Patagonia, BI, Reno, New York Times, Washington Post Locations: Patagonia, Atlanta, Salt Lake City, Reno, Dallas, Austin, Chicago, Pittsburgh, California, Ventura, Nevada

☆ Prince William: Kate and the kids wish future King a happy birthday with fun family photo
▼ + stars: | 2024-06-21 | by ( Max Foster | Issy Ronald | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

Editor’s Note: CNN’s Royal News is a weekly dispatch bringing you the inside track on the royal family, what they are up to in public and what’s happening behind palace walls. CNN —Prince William’s family marked his 42nd birthday on Friday by posting a fun photo of him jumping off a sand dune, holding hands with his children – Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis. Cx,” said the accompanying caption, written by Catherine, Princess of Wales, who also took the photo while in Norfolk last month. The Prince and Princess of Wales have made it a tradition to release photos on landmark family occasions, like birthdays, Father’s Day, Mother’s Day and wedding anniversaries. For Father’s Day on Sunday, the family released another photo of William and his children, also taken by Kate at a beach.

Persons: William’s, – Prince George , Princess Charlotte, Prince Louis, “, ”, Catherine , Princess of Wales, William, George, Prince, Princess, Father’s, Kate, King Charles Organizations: CNN Locations: Norfolk, Wales, Kensington

☆ Prince William's birthday post is a welcome change for the royal family
▼ + stars: | 2024-06-21 | by ( Samantha Grindell | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

Read previewAfter months of turmoil, the tides finally appear to be turning in Prince William and Kate Middleton's favor. AdvertisementThe lighthearted photo was a welcome change from the more formal approach they've taken to their public relations strategy in the past. Kate and William shared a photo of the prince with his children for his birthdayIn the photo, Princess Charlotte, Prince William, Prince Louis, and Prince George jump in the air on a beach, each sporting a big smile. William and Kate have not acknowledged the Prince of Wales' birthday on their social media channels since 2021, and the last time they celebrated his birthday with candid family photos was 2020. AdvertisementPrince William, Kate Middleton, Prince George, Prince Louis, and Princess Charlotte attend Trooping the Colour 2024.

Persons: —, Prince William, Kate Middleton's, Kate, Prince, Princess, Wales, William, Princess Charlotte, Prince Louis, Prince George, William —, Eric Schiffer, Kristen Meinzer, Richard Pelham, Meinzer, it's, Schiffer, Kate doesn't, " Schiffer, Kate Middleton, Karwai Tang, William relatable Organizations: Service, Business, Father's, Management, Getty, Wales Locations: Prince, Wales, Kensington

☆ NICE's CEO says AI is 'the ultimate alchemist' that can transform customer-experience solutions
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-30 | by ( Erica Sweeney | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

The software company NICE launched Enlighten AI to improve customer service and clients' efficiency. Eilam said Enlighten AI "dramatically improves" productivity and efficiency for customer-experience teams by automating many labor-intensive tasks, such as note-taking during customer-service calls. Enlighten Autopilot, one of the products within NICE's Enlighten AI for CX repository, enhances self-service with an AI-powered virtual assistant. Many existing customers are adding Enlighten AI to their portfolios, and NICE is attracting new customers with its AI capabilities. The organization implemented Enlighten AI to monitor 100% of its customer interactions and gather insights about the behaviors influencing customer sentiment.

Persons: —, We've, Barak Eilam, Eilam, Copilot, What's Organizations: NICE, Service, Neptune Intelligence Computer Engineering, Business, Republic Services, Open Network Exchange, ONE, BI Locations: Hoboken , New Jersey

☆ In Shopify's app store, 'people are fighting it out on the margins' as the market becomes oversaturated and merchants cut costs
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-29 | by ( Madeline Stone | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +10 min

Its S-1 filing mentions the word "Shopify" 198 times, and it said that about 77.6% of its annual recurring revenue came from Shopify merchants. About a third of the deals FE International facilitates are for businesses within the Shopify ecosystem, Smale said. Smale said that lately, he has worked with a "wider variety of acquirers" quietly looking to scoop up Shopify apps. He said that Shopify apps make good acquisition targets because they tend to be profitable and not venture-backed. "I always say Shopify SaaS applications are so great to build because they're kind of like building a SaaS on training wheels," Gazdecki said.

Persons: Shopify, Rachael Jones, Brent Murri, They've, Murri, Andrew Bialecki, Klaviyo, Dennis Hegstad, there's, Hegstad, Andy Cloyd, it's, We're, Thomas Smale, Smale, Andrew Gazdecki, Acquire.com, Gazdecki, Tobi Lütke, Lucas Jackson, wouldn't Organizations: Shopify's, Business, Boston Globe, FE International, Reuters Locations: Shopify, Klaviyo

☆ How 5 trendsetters are transforming the art of data-driven customer experiences
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-20 | by ( Sponsor Post | Created Twilio With | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +9 min

Read on to find out how these trendsetters are transforming the art of data-driven customer experience. If you skip this essential step, it will lead to scalability problems when building out a customer engagement strategy. Day to day, he said that means a lot of brainstorming on new ways to approach customer experiences, managing and optimizing campaigns, developing and maintaining customer data, and managing a CRM. Corey recommends that leaders looking to implement data-driven customer engagement strategies invest resources early into building a cross-functional team focused on internal customer data. "When everyone is looking at customer experience through the same lens, it rapidly improves efficiency and collaboration," Corey said.

Persons: they've, Read, Alexandra Dimitriu Alexandra Dimitriu, Alexandra Dimitriu Alexandra, Alexandra, Brad Greene, Brad, Michaela Kron, Duolingo, Jordan Dietch Jordan Dietch, Jordan Dietch Jordan, he's, Jordan, Corey Egan Corey Egan, Corey Egan Orchard, Corey Organizations: Insider Studios Locations: MongoDB, Orchard

☆ Lenovo is tackling circularity to power a new wave of user-friendly devices
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-21 | by ( Sponsor Post | Created Lenovo With Insider Studios | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

Lenovo's Next UX (user experience) team is one such group. "Our team gets to research and explore what's possible and what best empowers Lenovo users, and we share recommendations across the enterprise." Developing a modular PCYears ago, the Next UX team considered a maximally repairable PC concept called Project Aurora. And visionary, data-driven recommendations and the voices of our customers, users, and partners, continue to inform powerful innovation at Lenovo. Learn more about Lenovo's user experience solutions here.

Persons: Lincoln Hancock, Hancock, –, they've, Dilip Bhatia, what's, Alden Rose, Rose Organizations: Lenovo, COVID, Lenovo's, Technology, Next, Insider Studios

☆ Why conversation is at the heart of an excellent customer experience
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-16 | by ( Sponsor Post | Created Insider Studios With Nice | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

NICE Enlighten, a purpose-built AI for customer experience, has operations, agents, and customers covered across the end-to-end customer journeyAI chatbots that understand and respond to customer emotions can be used to personalize the customer experience and provide expedited resolutions. Conversation as a means of delivering exceptional customer experience (CX) has reached a tipping point in today's modern business landscape. This mismatch between consumer expectations and business capabilities is a significant opportunity for generative AI to improve the customer experience. The future of conversational customer experienceAlthough AI has the potential to revolutionize the customer experience, it is not without its drawbacks. These chatbots can be used to personalize the customer experience and provide expedited resolutions to customer problems.

Persons: Elizabeth Tobey, Tobey Organizations: NICE, CX, Insider Studios

☆ CNBC Special Podcast: Disney’s Wildest Ride
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-14 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: 1 min

CNBC's Alex Sherman reports on the inside story of a CEO succession plan gone awry at Disney — a cautionary tale of how good intentions clashed with ego and hubris at the highest levels of corporate America. Sherman spoke with more than two dozen people who worked closely with Disney's last two CEOs, Bob Iger and Bob Chapek, between 2020 and 2022. His report features many never-before reported details about Chapek's tenure, how and why he was fired, and Iger's plan to revive Disney now that he's CEO once again. To read the full article go to https://cnb.cx/3Pr3kEd

Persons: CNBC's Alex Sherman, Sherman, Disney's, Bob Iger, Bob Chapek Organizations: Disney Locations: America

☆ Activist Impactive sees an opportunity to build value with an ESG tilt at Concentrix
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-28 | by ( Kenneth Squire | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +6 min

Business: Concentrix provides technology-infused customer experience (CX) solutions and runs customer service for 2,000 customers globally. They are the second largest outsourced CX company globally and provide CX process optimization, technology innovation, front- and back-office automation, analytics and business transformation services. Activist Commentary: Impactive Capital is an activist hedge fund founded in 2018 by Lauren Taylor Wolfe and Christian Alejandro Asmar. Impactive Capital is an active ESG (AESG) investor that launched with a $250 million investment from CalSTRS and now has almost $3 billion. Concentrix, the second-largest outsourced CX company globally, is a high-quality business.

Persons: Lauren Taylor Wolfe, Christian Alejandro Asmar, Wolfe, Asmar, Impactive, Concentrix, Ken Squire Organizations: CX, Impactive, Concentrix, 13D Locations: Impactive, CalSTRS, Asia, Caribbean, United States

☆ UBS downgrades stock of a company with 400,000 workers — thanks to 'significant uncertainty' from AI
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-28 | by ( Ganesh Rao | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

UBS has downgraded the shares of Teleperformance , which has around 400,000 customer service agents worldwide, over the "significant uncertainty" the company faces from the rise of artificial intelligence. The stock has fallen over 50% in the past year to 116 euros ($122) on those fears. UBS also cut its price target for Teleperformance's stock by 65% to 130 euros per share. Analysts at Berenberg are also looking past Teleperformance's immediate challenges and believe the company will gain from artificial intelligence in the near term. Raynsford expects shares of the company to rise by 85% over the next 12 months to 211 euros a share.

Persons: Nicole Manion, Carl Raynsford, Raynsford Organizations: UBS Locations: Teleperformance, Paris, France, Berenberg

☆ Deutsche Bank says this cloud software software stock is poised for big gains ahead
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-21 | by ( Hakyung Kim | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

Five9 is well-positioned to grow its market share in the software space as companies prioritize customer satisfaction, according to Deutsche Bank. The firm upgraded Five9, which provides cloud software services to customer contact centers, to buy from hold. Niknam thinks there is a significant runway for incremental growth in the cloud contact center as a service market, which he said has a size of about 16 million total agent seats globally. Only about 20% of these seats have transitioned to the cloud — which suggests additional room for growth. Shares also trade at an attractive valuation — and off peak-levels — despite "enhanced visibility toward re-accelerating growth," the analyst added.

Persons: Five9, Matt Niknam, Niknam, Michael Bloom Organizations: Deutsche Bank

☆ Why purpose-built AI is key to improving customer experience
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-21 | by ( Sponsor Post | Created Insider Studios With Nice Analytics | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

This means the customer experience starts earlier than ever before — and how companies engage them in this first point of contact is crucial. That's where purpose-built AI solutions help: AI that is specifically designed and developed for a particular application or task. The key to empowering customer self-service is a customer experience built around removing friction in their journey. If a sales agent can't efficiently solve the customer query, the customer experience suffers — no matter how friendly or approachable that sales agent may be. Creating an extraordinary customer experience across touchpointsEvery customer interaction matters, so earning their loyalty and trust is paramount to business success.

Persons: John Willcutts, Willcutts, aren't Organizations: NICE, Insider Studios

☆ 2024 Mazda CX-90 PHEV: A Slow Walk to the EV Revolution
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-07 | by ( Dan Neil | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

This copy is for your personal, non-commercial use only. Distribution and use of this material are governed by our Subscriber Agreement and by copyright law. For non-personal use or to order multiple copies, please contact Dow Jones Reprints at 1-800-843-0008 or visit www.djreprints.com. https://www.wsj.com/lifestyle/cars/2024-mazda-cx-90-phev-a-slow-walk-to-the-ev-revolution-420bc93a

Persons: Dow Jones Organizations: mazda

☆ Amazon used 6 friendly 'tenets' to woo its rival Shopify into a partnership such as 'better together,' leaked document shows
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-06 | by ( Eugene Kim | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

Amazon and Shopify launched a new Buy with Prime app for Shopify last week. This was true for its partnership with Shopify, a company that Amazon views as a major ecommerce rival. The Amazon "Prime bar" shoppers expect from Amazon.com is maintained on Shopify. We believe we can build a "better together" shopper and merchant experience with Shopify. We lean in to the key differentiators each company has to offer (e.g., Prime, MCF, Amazon App, Shop App) to "grow the pie."

Persons: Shopify, Jeff Bezos Organizations: Shopify, Amazon, Prime, Amazon.com Locations: Santos

☆ Ukrainian snipers say they don't care for big leafy ghillie suits, but they're fans of these Western rifles
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-05 | by ( Ryan Pickrell | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

Ukrainian snipers rarely use ghillie suits, camouflage preferred by Western snipers, several marksmen told the Kyiv Post. For the US military, ghillie suit preparation is a key part of sniper training. A ghillie suit is not always necessary to achieve that though. But while they aren't fans of the ghillie suit, there's a few Western weapons they're fond of. The weapons that were tossed aside when these Western weapons showed up were the Soviet/Russian-made SVD "Dragunov " sniper rifles.

Persons: Vladimir Shtanko, Kyiv Post's Stefan Korshak, John Moore, Barrett MRAD, Barrett, Norma Magnum Organizations: Western, Kyiv Post, Service, Training Center, National Guard, Anadolu Agency, Getty, Kyiv, 28th Brigade, TAC, US Army, Marines, NATO Locations: Kyiv, Canada, Finland, Wall, Silicon, Novi Petrivtsi, Kiev, Ukraine, Ukrainian, Bakhmut, Soviet, Russia

☆ Mazda says needs China strategy overhaul to catch up with market
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-14 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

TOKYO, July 14 (Reuters) - Japan's Mazda Motor (7261.T) needs to overhaul its strategy in China, the world's biggest auto market, where it faces increasingly tough competition from domestic players, the automaker's chief executive said on Friday. CEO Masahiro Moro said business conditions for Mazda in China, where it has a joint venture with Chongqing Changan Automobile (000625.SZ) and China FAW, would become increasingly tough over the coming year to 18 months. Its sales in China peaked in 2016 at just over 316,000 vehicles, separate industry data showed. Mazda is not alone in finding the Chinese market increasingly tough. Looking beyond China, Moro said if Mazda were to begin EV production in North America, it would happen after 2027, which marks the end of the middle phase of its business plan for this decade.

Persons: Masahiro Moro, Moro, Daniel Leussink, Jason Neely, Kim Coghill, Barbara Lewis Organizations: Mazda, Chongqing Changan Automobile, China FAW, Mitsubishi Motors, Guangzhou Automobile Group, Toyota Motor, Thomson Locations: TOKYO, China, Chongqing, North America, Huntsville , Alabama

☆ Consumers and marketers see a role for (responsible) generative AI in customer experiences
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-05 | by ( Sponsor Post | Created Adobe With Insider Studios | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

A majority (57%) of all surveyed consumers believe generative AI will enhance their personal creativity, and the number rises as consumers get younger: 75% of Gen Z consumers say generative AI will make them more creative. And when it comes to their experiences with brands, 72% of global consumers say generative AI will improve their customer experiences, with eight out of ten millennial (80%) and Gen Z (83%) consumers expressing similar optimism. Consumers want companies to use generative AI to improve experiences – responsiblyWhen it comes to the most important things companies should do when using new generative AI technologies, consumers ranked responsibility #1, with 34% prioritizing actions like having guardrails in place to encourage responsible use. Generative AI will help boost efficiency and make customer experiences more personal. Learn more about Adobe's differentiated approach to generative AI – including next-generation customer experiences enhanced by Adobe Sensei GenAI, and our creative co-pilot Adobe Firefly.

Persons: Anil Kamath, there's, Adobe, they've, —, Adobe Sensei GenAI Organizations: Adobe, CAI, CX, Insider Studios Locations: United States, United Kingdom, Denmark, Netherlands, Sweden, Germany, France, Australia, New Zealand, Japan, India, Singapore, Thailand, Malaysia

☆ Living on $48K a year freelancing in NYC
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-30 | by ( Lauren Shamo | Cheyenne Devon | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: 1 min

This is a Gen Z episode of CNBC Make It's Millennial Money series, which profiles people across the globe and details how they earn, spend and save their money.What's your budget breakdown? We're looking for stories from all ages, not just millennials! Share your story with us for a chance to be featured in a future installment of Millennial Money: https://cnb.cx/3OxbJ71

Organizations: CNBC

☆ Amazon tricked customers into buying a more expensive Prime subscription when they just wanted to stream videos, FTC says
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-21 | by ( Yeji Jesse Lee | Eugene Kim | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

The complaint alleged that Amazon's website was set up in a way that tricked customers out of the lower-cost Prime Video subscription. Colored buttons encouraged and redirected customers to sign up for a full Amazon Prime subscription, the complaint said. "Capitalizing on some consumers' inability to appreciate the difference between 'Prime' and 'Prime Video,' the Prime Video enrollment process fails to clarify Amazon will enroll them in Prime rather than the less expensive Prime Video, on both desktop and mobile platforms," the complaint said. "This causes some consumers to enroll in Prime, rather than Prime Video, unknowingly." The FTC complaint also alleged that Amazon "tricked" customers into signing up for a Prime subscription and then made it difficult to cancel the memberships.

Persons: Amazon, Insider's Organizations: FTC, Prime, Morning, Federal Trade Commission, Amazon, Insider

☆ Wells Fargo is pushing for quantity over quality in its private bank
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-04 | by ( Dan Defrancesco | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

Which brings us to a fantastic story about Wells Fargo's decision to reorganize how it serves its ultra-rich clients. And while many understood some changes were necessary, nearly everyone agreed the bank didn't go about it the right way. Read more about Wells Fargo's chaotic reorganization of its private bank. It's the latest move in what has been an active 12 months for the bank's tech division. The accounting firm had signed off on financial statements from Silicon Valley Bank, Signature Bank, and First Republic, the Financial Times reports.

☆ This building materials stock has pricing power and can jump 40%, Goldman Sachs says
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-04 | by ( Sarah Min | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

It's time to buy Cemex , according to Goldman Sachs. Analyst Bruno Amorim upgraded Cemex to buy after the company's strong first-quarter results, citing strong pricing power amid easing inflation for the concrete and building materials company. "[We] upgrade Cemex to Buy reflecting a better than expected pricing environment as evidenced by 1Q23 results," Amorim wrote in a Wednesday note. CX YTD mountain Cemex shares YTD The U.S.-listed shares of Cemex are surging this year, higher by 55%. Meanwhile, the analyst's 12-month price target of $9 implies shares could jump 43% from Wednesday's close.

☆ Teleperformance launches 3 bln euro offer for call centre group Majorel
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-26 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

April 26 (Reuters) - Shares in Teleperformance (TEPRF.PA) dropped over 14% in early Wednesday trade after the French outsourcing and call centre group said it intends to buy rival Majorel (MAJ.AS) for 3 billion euros ($3.30 billion). The group, which employs more than 420,000 call centre workers worldwide, plans to raise 2.05 billion euros through a highly dilutive capital hike to entirely fund the acquisition. The announcement follows a $4.8 billion merger deal between U.S.-based competitor Concentrix Corp (CNXC.O) and French firm Webhelp in March. Majority shareholders in Majorel, Bertelsmann (BTGGg.F) and Saham, have irrevocably committed to tender their shares, Teleperformance said in a statement. Teleperformance is offering 30 euros per Majorel share, with an option for the latter's shareholders to receive Teleperformance shares at an exchange ratio of 0.1382.

☆ After 55 years in flight, the US Air Force is planning to keep its biggest plane in action for a few more decades
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-13 | by ( Benjamin Brimelow | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

The Air Force said the material used to make the parts showed "promising results" and appeared "to be impervious to natural elements." The use of 3D parts could result in faster turnaround times and reduced costs for maintenance on the C-5, the largest aircraft in Air Force's inventory and the workhorse of US Air Force Air Mobility Command. The GalaxyThe C-5A Galaxy lifts off from the Dobbins Air Force Base for its maiden flight on June 30, 1968. The Air Force needed a single plane capable of carrying loads of over 150,000 pounds to distances over 3,000 miles. Development, upgrades, and futureA C-5 and other US Air Force aircraft during an air show at at Andrews Air Force Base in May 2007.

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