In an exclusive interview for the CX Vision 2026 Observatory, a Portal Customer initiative led by Euriale Voidela, Marina Russo discusses artificial intelligence in customer service, the balance between automation and a human touch, and the skills CX leaders will need in the coming years.

"Customer experience has to stop being seen as support and start being treated as a growth strategy. Done well, CX has a direct impact on occupancy, average ticket, and repeat business", she says. At Club Haas, experience drives reviews, platform ranking and, as a result, revenue.

On technology, she argues for automating what is predictable and humanizing what requires context and empathy: "The mistake is using automation for everything, it degrades the experience". She also stresses the role of the internal team: "Without a good internal experience, there is no good external experience. Today my main client is my team".

Read the full interview on Portal Customer.