2026 Predictions ~ AI Agents, CX Engineers & The End of "Chat" / Jochem van der Veer / Episode #245

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Jan 15, 2026

Jochem van der Veer, CEO of TheyDo, brings his expertise in journey management and customer experience to explore fascinating predictions for 2026. He discusses the evolution of journey frameworks, emphasizing the necessity of quality data to answer vital business questions. Jochem highlights common roadblocks like data access and costs, offering practical strategies to overcome them. He boldly forecasts the rise of CX engineers and AI agents, anticipating a future where technology handles routine tasks while humans provide critical oversight. A must-listen for anyone interested in the future of customer experience!

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ANECDOTE

Baggage Booking Mystery Solved

An airline's baggage-booking drop looked like a problem to one team but was caused by another team's premium offering upstream.
Viewing the full booking journey revealed there was no company-wide revenue issue, just a local shift.

ADVICE

Break Big Data Problems Into Small Steps

Don't let data dependencies become an excuse to do nothing; take incremental steps that produce value.
Start small, validate outcomes, and avoid making implementation feel impossibly large.

ADVICE

Ask 'So What?' Before Scaling

Always ask 'so what?' after building journeys and data models to force outcome-driven use.
Map journeys to the specific decisions, KPIs, and stakeholders they will influence before scaling.

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Imagine a world where you can simply look at your journey model and ask it why... Why, for example, is our customer churn spiking this quarter? How close are we to that reality?

I invited my good friend Jochem van der Veer, CEO of TheyDo, back onto the show to find out. It’s become a bit of a tradition to start the year with Jochem, looking back at our past predictions and setting the stage for what’s next in the world of Journey Management.

Not so long ago, "Journey Management" was really just an emerging term. Fast forward to today, and I think it's fair to say that the conversation has shifted entirely. We're seeing organizations big and small adopt this practice as a framework that drives real business decisions.

In last year's episode, Jochem predicted that by now we’d be able to ask our journeys "Why?" and get instant (and meaningful) answers. In this conversation, we discuss how the technology has arrived and why "Journey Anarchy" is the new hurdle we have to clear.

Next, we play a round of "Objection Bingo" where we address the most common roadblocks we hear every day that stand in the way of wider adoption of journey management. From "we don't have the data" to the classic "It’s too expensive". And of course, Jochem shares some practical strategies to help you overcome these roadblocks when you encounter them.

Finally, Jochem makes some spicy predictions for 2026. Like the emergence of a completely new role in the CX space. So, if you want to stay one step ahead and hear where our field is heading, this is the conversation for you.

I would love to know: how do you feel about the state of journey management heading into 2026? A) Mostly "meh" B) Excited! C) Something else...