In this episode of Simply CX, Nicole McKinley sits down with Allison West Hughes, Corporate Vice President of Global Small and Medium Business at Microsoft, to unpack how Microsoft became its own “customer zero” by deploying an autonomous AI sales agent—Agent Riley. Together, they explore what it takes to balance scale, trust, privacy, and human-centered design while transforming the Small and Medium Business customer experience with agentic AI. 

You'll walk away with: 

• How Microsoft used AI to solve a real CX and scale challenge in its SMB business 

• Practical lessons on testing, iterating, and governing agentic AI responsibly 

• Why SMB customers are embracing AI-led experiences faster than larger enterprises 

Whether you're a CX pro, team leader, or brand builder, this episode will inspire you to see customer experience through a more human—and more powerful—lens. 

Mentioned in this Episode 

• The concept of “Customer Zero” at Microsoft 

• Agent Riley (Autonomous Sales Agent) 

• Agentic AI and the Frontier Firm mindset 
• • Data integrity, privacy, and legal considerations in AI deployment 
• • SMB adoption trends of AI and Copilot agents 

🎧 Produced by Larj Media 

📩 For more CX insights, follow Nicole on Linkedin 

If you have questions or comments about CX email us: SimplyCX@microsoft.com 

Additional Resources 

Guest: Allison West Hughes 

Corporate Vice President, Global SMB, Microsoft 

Leader of one of Microsoft’s fastest-growing and most complex global organizations serving millions of small and medium businesses