432. Anna Convery. AI Needs an Outcome.
Anna Convery
October 8, 2026
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Most companies have moved past deciding whether to adopt AI. Their concern now is whether the money spent on it is producing measurable business results.
In today’s conversation, Anna Convery, chief marketing officer at Verint, a customer experience automation company that works with more than 80 of the Fortune 100, discusses the pressure companies face to adopt AI and her own experience putting it to use inside her marketing department.
These dual experiences have given her some unique insights and valuable advice.
Start with the outcome, not the AI
Before choosing a technology, companies need to know what they are trying to accomplish and what teams, knowledge and infrastructure it requires. Example: AI-generated post-call notes save employee time and improve data accuracy, but the value is what the organization does with that time and data, not the automation itself.
Stop confusing activity with impact
A company might celebrate how many customer interactions AI processed. That number says little on its own. The more useful questions: Did customer satisfaction or Net Promoter Score improve? Did processing time drop? Did retention, upsell or cross-sell opportunities increase?
AI doesn't eliminate the need for judgment
Convery describes a hybrid workforce where AI handles what it does best and people focus on sensitive, complicated or high-value interactions. As information becomes more accessible, human judgment may become more valuable, not less.
Why AI pilots fail
Common failure points, per Convery:
A pilot not tied to a meaningful use case
No plan for scaling
Insufficient organizational readiness
Lack of training
Weak executive sponsorship
Don't rip and replace what already works
AI transformation doesn't require discarding existing technology, data or expertise. Convery argues most organizations gain more from doing many smaller things well than from a full overhaul, and that data quality and governance remain central to useful AI output.
The contact center as a marketing research source
Contact centers capture real customer interactions at scale, a different kind of data than surveys or research samples. Convery argues CMOs should be part of contact center AI conversations, since that is where the brand is being experienced.
The biggest lesson is that AI creates value when organizations connect technology to the things they already care about: customers, employees, revenue, retention and growth.
The question isn't simply, "Where can we use AI?"
It's "What business outcome are we trying to change, and where can AI actually help us change it?"
Anna Convery joined Verint as Chief Marketing Officer in March 2025 with more than 20 years of experience in enterprise technology marketing product management and sales. Anna has global responsibility for all Verint marketing functions with a focus on market growth industry positioning and revenue generation. She is a recognized advocate for STEM education and professional development for women and girls.
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Anna Convery
Verint