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

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...

Leave a comment (if you're on Spotify).

Be well,

~ Marc

--- [ 1. GUIDE ] ---

00:00 Welcome to Episode 245

05:30 Revisiting 2025 Predictions

10:00 The One Question Most Marketers Forget to Ask

12:45 Role of Human Judgment vs. AI Clues

14:30 4-Step Journey Framework for 2026

17:00 Why Journey Mapping is "Dead"

21:15 #1 Reason Companies Fail at Implementation

24:45 The "Journey Anarchy" Crisis

28:00 improving decision making

31:00 How Siloed Teams Kill Revenue

38:30:00 Another Objection: "It's Too Expensive"

42:30 Objection Bingo: Flipping the Script on Stakeholder Pushback

46:15 Wildcard: AI Agents vs. Simple Chatbowildcard: AI

48:45 Credit Card/Budget Reality Check

53:00 Predictions for 2026

54:15 Shift from Efficiency Cuts to Innovation Growth

57:00 Why "Operationalizing Empathy" is the New Competitive Edge

58:00 Other Challenges to Watch for in 2026

59:30 Near Real-Time Journey Monitoring

1:03:00 The 10 Million Dollar Problem

1:05:00 Connect with Jochem

--- [ 2. LINKS ] ---

• https://www.linkedin.com/in/jochemvanderveer
• The Experience Edge Podcast - https://open.spotify.com/show/4M2BsaT4jC5Oz54eyek0SZ
• https://www.theydo.com/

--- [ 3. CIRCLE ] ---

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[4. FIND THE SHOW ON]

• Youtube ~ https://go.servicedesignshow.com/245-youtube
• Spotify ~ https://go.servicedesignshow.com/245-spotify
• Apple ~ https://go.servicedesignshow.com/245-apple
• Snipd ~ https://go.servicedesignshow.com/245-snipd