Deflection Is Dead: Why Customer Engagement Is the New Goal

Deflection Is Dead: Why Customer Engagement Is the New Goal

July 14, 2026 · 9 min

About this episode

Pasquale DeMaio discusses the importance of customer engagement over deflection in business.

What if getting rid of customers quickly is actually bad for business? That's the case Pasquale DeMaio , VP of Amazon Connect Customer, makes on this week's episode of The Modern Customer Podcast . His point: if your AI strategy is built around deflection, you're not saving money—you're handing customers straight to your competitors. We also dig into how deterministic and agentic AI work together, and why AI should make people's jobs better, not just shorter conversations. This episode is sponsored by Amazon Web Services. Click the link to learn more: https://fandf.co/4fu6tAd #sponsored #AWS #AmazonConnect #amazonconnectcustomer #CCWVegas Blake Morgan was called "The Queen of CX" by Meta. She is a customer experience futurist and author of three books on customer experience. Follow Blake Morgan on LinkedIn For regular updates on customer experience, sign up for her weekly newsletter here . Learn more at www.blakemichellemorgan.com

People in this episode

Host: Blake Morgan

Guest: Pasquale DeMaio

Topics covered

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Amazon Web Services

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Amazon Connect, Meta

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