Financial Data and Key Metrics Changes - The company reported revenue of approximately $2.48 billion, an increase of 2.6% year on year on a constant currency basis and 4% year on year as reported [11] - Non-GAAP operating income was $305 million, which was below the guidance range due to excess capacity and investments in cybersecurity [12][15] - Adjusted EBITDA for the quarter was $359 million, with a margin of 14.5% [15] - Non-GAAP diluted earnings per share was $2.78, $0.02 below the guidance range [15] - Adjusted free cash flow was $179 million, an increase of about $44 million year on year [15] Business Line Data and Key Metrics Changes - Revenue from banking, financial services, and insurance clients grew 8% year on year [12] - Media and communications clients grew 7% year on year, driven largely by clients outside of the U.S. [12] - Revenue from retail, travel, and e-commerce clients grew 3%, with travel being a strong vertical [12] - Technology and consumer electronics, as well as healthcare verticals, were essentially flat [12] Market Data and Key Metrics Changes - The company is gaining market share and securing new wins by integrating AI, CX, and IT services [4] - Almost 40% of new wins this year included AI technology platforms as part of the solution [7] - A study from MIT indicated that externally sourced AI projects with strategic partners succeeded about 67% of the time, which is higher than internally built projects [8] Company Strategy and Development Direction - The company aims to establish itself at the forefront of industry changes by combining practical AI with human intelligence [6] - The IX AI technology suite is positioned to address clients' needs for both full and partial automation [7] - The strategy is focused on capturing growth opportunities in the AI space while maintaining strong cash flow [9] Management's Comments on Operating Environment and Future Outlook - Management expressed confidence in modest sequential quarterly margin improvement over the next few quarters [5] - The overall demand environment remains positive, with expectations for revenue growth as the company enters the final months of 2025 [19] - The company is optimistic about 2026 and plans to provide detailed guidance in the next call [20] Other Important Information - The Board has authorized an increase in the quarterly dividend to $0.36 per share [16] - The company returned approximately $64 million to shareholders in the quarter, including share repurchases and dividends [16] - The company plans to prioritize debt repayment while supporting dividends and share repurchase programs [19] Q&A Session Summary Question: Can you unpack the margin guide down and the impact of excess capacity? - Management indicated that excess capacity was primarily due to tariff-impacted clients and that normalization is expected to take multiple quarters [22][25] Question: How is the IX suite ramping and what does the pipeline look like? - Management reported that 40% of new wins have integrated technology, with a mix of discrete billing and bundled offerings [28][29] Question: What are the expectations for margins moving forward? - Management stated that current margin pressures are one-off items and that they expect to return to historical margins as new deals ramp up [36][38] Question: Is the sales pipeline healthy and broad-based? - Management confirmed a healthy pipeline across strategic verticals and regions, with good momentum in major deals [48][49] Question: Can you discuss the decision criteria for transformational investments? - Management emphasized long-term relationships with clients and the expectation of reciprocation in terms of volume and opportunities [52][54] Question: What is the outlook for free cash flow and capital returns? - Management remains optimistic about increasing free cash flow in 2026 and plans to balance capital allocation between debt repayment, dividends, and share repurchases [60][63]

Core Insights - Cracker Barrel is focusing on enhancing customer experience (CX) and food quality to drive traffic growth, supported by a new logo and planned remodels as part of a multiyear strategy [3][8] - The loyalty program has seen significant growth, with membership increasing by 3 million year-over-year to 9 million, contributing over 35% of tracked sales [4][8] - The company is implementing the "Front Porch Feedback" feature to gather direct customer feedback, which will inform future improvements [5][8] Customer Engagement - The loyalty program's membership growth indicates strong customer engagement, with an increase of 300,000 members since August 19 [8] - Cracker Barrel aims to leverage customer feedback to refine its restaurant offerings and overall experience [8] - The company acknowledges the need to adapt to changing consumer expectations and preferences over the past decade [6] Service Improvement Initiatives - "The Herschel Way" service principles have been introduced to enhance guest experiences and align team members with updated service standards [7] - The company is addressing challenges stemming from recent backlash over a logo redesign and store renovations, which were only tested in four locations [5]

CX Leader to Showcase “Moments of Brilliance” Presentation with Peloton ibex Sponsors Execs In The Know Customer Response Summit in San Diego Showcasing “Moments of Brilliance” Presentation with Peloton SAN DIEGO, Sept. 16, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- ibex (NASDAQ: IBEX), a leading global provider of business process outsourcing (BPO) and AI-powered customer engagement technology solutions, today announced its sponsorship of the Customer Response Summit (CRS) – San Diego, an Execs In The Know (EITK) event, ...

Core Insights - More than half of global executives (57%) are confident that AI will enhance customer experience (CX), yet only 17% believe their organization is currently optimizing CX effectively, indicating a significant opportunity gap [1][2] - The gap in CX optimization is a global challenge, with rising customer expectations presenting opportunities for companies that can close this gap [2] - Nearly three-quarters of respondents are optimistic about AI's benefits, with 33% believing it will be extremely impactful and 40% believing it will be impactful [3] CX Optimization and Spending Trends - Two-thirds of business leaders express confidence in their organization's resources for effective CX management, with 69% increasing investments in marketing resources and 73% boosting investments in tools and technologies for CX enhancement over the past two to three years [4] - Looking ahead, 76% of respondents expect increases in CX spending, with 53% anticipating increases of less than 10% and 23% expecting increases exceeding 11% [5] Strengths and Weaknesses in CX Strategy - The top strengths identified in CX strategy include brand promise, while the top weaknesses include omni-channel experience [6] - In the Asia-Pacific region, 57% of executives consider CX extremely important, but only 14% believe their company is very effective at optimizing performance [6] - 71% of respondents feel their organization is effective at maintaining customer trust in data practices, while 65% believe their company is transparent about data collection and usage [7] Execution Challenges - There is a contradiction where 64% of executives believe in their company's ability to gain actionable insights from CX data, yet they often fall short in execution, particularly in leveraging technology effectively [8] - The disconnect between confidence in CX strategy and the actual customer experience highlights the need for organizations to shift from intention to execution and commit to sustained investment in CX capabilities [9] Methodology - The insights are based on a global survey conducted by Protiviti and the University of Oxford, involving over 250 board members, C-suite executives, and other business leaders across 20 countries, representing more than 25 industries [9]

Financial Data and Key Metrics Changes - Total revenue for Q4 was $177 million, near the midpoint of guidance, while service revenue totaled $171.6 million, also near the midpoint of guidance [29] - Year-over-year growth in service revenue, excluding Fuse customers, accelerated to 4.6% from 2.7% in Q3, marking the highest growth rate in 10 quarters [10] - For fiscal year 2025, service revenue excluding Fuse customers grew 2.8%, compared to 1.8% in fiscal year 2024 [10] - Gross margin for the quarter was 69%, at the low end of guidance, driven by a revenue mix with lower margin platform usage revenue growing to approximately 13.5% of total revenue [30] - Operating margin was 10%, at the high end of guidance, with stock-based compensation declining to 4.6% of total revenue, a multiyear low [31] Business Line Data and Key Metrics Changes - The number of customers with three or more products increased 13% year-over-year to over 700 customers, indicating successful cross-selling [11] - Sales of Microsoft Teams integration saw new license sales up 72% in Q4, with cumulative licenses sold growing 30% year-over-year to over 550,000 seats [12] - The transition from the legacy Fuse platform is on track, with remaining revenue from Fuse customers reduced to under 5% of service revenue, down from approximately 11% in Q4 2024 [29] Market Data and Key Metrics Changes - The company noted a shift in the economic picture due to recent tariff actions and global uncertainty, impacting sales cycles and spending [7] - The U.S. market experienced some chaos in March and April, with elongated deal cycles, while the rest of the world continued to perform steadily [44] Company Strategy and Development Direction - The company is focused on building a durable, cash-generative business that creates long-term value, emphasizing disciplined execution and platform innovation [7] - A massive transformation began in fiscal year 2023, with a clear plan to fix the financial model, invest in innovation, and improve customer experience outcomes [9] - The go-to-market model has been rebuilt around solution selling and partner enablement, with ongoing adjustments to improve performance [22] Management's Comments on Operating Environment and Future Outlook - Management expressed confidence in the company's future, citing a solid foundation for growth and the expectation of high single-digit revenue growth and double-digit operating margins in the coming years [25] - The company anticipates that the headwinds from the Fuse platform will lessen significantly in fiscal year 2027, allowing for improved growth rates [25] - Management remains realistic about challenges ahead but sees signs of a tailwind, with growth accelerating in the core business [24] Other Important Information - The combined cash flow from operations for fiscal years 2024 and 2025 is the highest in the company's history, representing over half of its market capitalization [10] - The company has made significant progress in debt reduction, with over $209 million reduced since August 2022, enhancing financial flexibility [28] Q&A Session Summary Question: What are you hearing from your field reps regarding macro impacts? - Management noted elongated deal cycles and some shrinking depending on urgency, with a calmer environment in May compared to earlier months [42][43] Question: Can you clarify the status of your go-to-market changes? - The company is approximately 60-70% through the go-to-market rebuild, focusing on solution selling and fine-tuning processes [46] Question: What is the adjusted service revenue growth forecast for fiscal year 2026, excluding Fuse? - The company expects positive growth rates for fiscal year 2026, with the headwinds from Fuse expected to diminish [48][52] Question: What is driving the expected high single-digit growth by fiscal year 2028? - Growth is anticipated from increased multi-product customers, improved retention rates, and the rollout of new products [76][80] Question: How is the cash flow guidance for fiscal year 2026 structured? - The guidance reflects investments in growth, with a focus on maintaining stable net income despite some margin compression [60] Question: Why is the company winning in the CCaaS space? - The company offers a complete solution with best-in-breed technology from a single vendor, which is appealing to mid-market and enterprise customers [64][66]

Core Viewpoint - TTEC Holdings, Inc. is currently reviewing a non-binding acquisition proposal from its founder, Kenneth Tuchman, to buy shares at $6.85 each, with the Special Committee prepared to engage further on this matter [1][2]. Group 1: Proposal Details - The proposal from Kenneth Tuchman aims to acquire shares not already owned by him and his affiliates at a price of $6.85 per share [1]. - The Special Committee has completed its review of the proposal and preliminary valuation analysis, indicating readiness to consider a definitive transaction proposal [2]. Group 2: Current Status and Actions - No action is required from TTEC's non-affiliated stockholders at this time, and there is no guarantee that a definitive agreement will be reached [3]. - The Special Committee does not commit to providing updates on the proposal or transaction unless legally required [3]. Group 3: Company Overview - TTEC Holdings, Inc. is a global leader in customer experience technology and services, focusing on AI-enabled digital solutions [4]. - The company operates through TTEC Digital and TTEC Engage, providing a range of services including omnichannel contact center technology, customer engagement, and fraud prevention [4]. - Founded in 1982, TTEC emphasizes customer experience excellence, achieving high satisfaction scores globally [4].