Gladly: AI That Delivers Efficiency and Experience—Without the Tradeoffs

Gladly is the only CX AI platform that puts the customer - not tickets -at the center of every conversation. Trusted by the world's most customer-centric brands, including Crate & Barrel, Ulta Beauty, and Tumi, Gladly delivers radically efficient and radically personal experiences.

Briefly describe the nominated organization or individual: history and past performance (up to 1,250 characters):

Gladly is a CX AI platform built on a simple belief: customer service should be centered around people, not tickets. While most platforms still rely on fragmented case numbers, Gladly organizes every interaction around a lifelong customer profile-giving brands a complete view of who the customer is, what they've purchased, and every conversation they've had across channels. This foundation enables AI to act intelligently and empathetically, providing fast resolutions while preserving the personal touch customers expect.

For over a decade, Gladly has powered the service operations of world-class brands including Crate & Barrel, Nordstrom, Breeze Airways, Rothy's, and Deckers. Companies choose Gladly because it helps them transform service from a cost center into a revenue driver, with measurable gains in efficiency, loyalty, and customer satisfaction. With industry-leading ease of use, seamless integrations, and a modern AI agent, Gladly enables teams to deliver effortless, connected experiences at scale.

Outline the nominated achievements since July 1, 2023 that you wish to bring to the judges' attention (up to 1,500 characters):

While the industry rushed toward automation, data revealed a challenge: 64% of consumers preferred companies not use AI for service (Gartner, 2024), and 59% would abandon brands after bad experiences (PwC). Many AI pilots failed as ticket-based systems created fragmented, impersonal interactions.

Gladly took a different approach. Since July 2023, we expanded our AI agent, Sidekick, to operate on a unified customer view across voice, chat, SMS, email, and social-enabling AI to resolve inquiries with full context and seamlessly escalate to humans when empathy was needed. New copilot tools, like summaries, recommended responses, and real-time translation, boosted efficiency without sacrificing quality. Brands can customize AI behavior to align with their tone and policies.

The results speak for themselves: Gladly achieved 131% year-over-year growth in AI ARR, with 50% of new and expansion ARR now AI-driven. Seventy percent of enterprise and 60% of mid-market customers adopted our AI, many deploying it across their entire operation.

Customer outcomes proved the model: businesses saw up to 470% yearly ROI, 45% reductions in handle time, and CSAT scores as high as 98%. Rothy's saw 20% of AI-assisted conversations lead to purchases. KUHL increased revenue per call by 120%, with AI handling 59% of email inquiries.

Breeze Airways scaled service capacity 40% year-over-year with no added headcount, maintaining an NPS of 59.

Gladly proved AI can deliver efficiency & exceptional experiences.

Explain why the achievements you have highlighted are unique or significant. If possible compare the achievements to the performance of other players in your industry and/or to the organization's past performance (up to 1,500 characters):

Gladly's achievements stand out because they defy the norm for CX AI initiatives. Across the industry, deflection-first bots built on ticket-based systems have delivered low ROI, frustrated customers, and driven declining satisfaction. Most vendors prioritize reducing contact over improving experience quality, leading to churn and eroded loyalty.

Gladly proved a better outcome is possible. Built around people instead of tickets, our platform enables Sidekick to use a continuous conversation model with full customer history-context competitors lack. This makes automation more accurate, brand-aligned, and trusted. While many providers see limited financial returns from AI, Gladly customers achieve triple-digit ROI, major handle time reductions, and high CSAT.

Unlike others, Gladly's CX AI improves customer experiences rather than degrading them. Vendors focused on deflection rarely impact revenue, but Gladly customers drive measurable gains because our AI understands intent and full context behind interactions.

This year marked a step-change for Gladly: AI became the fastest-growing part of our business, with 131% year-over-year ARR growth and half of all new and expansion revenue tied to AI. These results show Gladly has established a new model for CX AI-delivering high efficiency and exceptional experiences without compromise.

Reference any attachments of supporting materials throughout this nomination and how they provide evidence of the claims you have made in this nomination (up to 1,500 characters):

The supporting materials included in this nomination provide independent validation of Gladly's results. Our win as Disruptive Technology of the Year at the 2025 CCW Excellence Awards confirms industry recognition of our AI-driven approach to customer service. In addition, Gladly's placement on the 2025 Constellation ShortList(TM) for Digital Customer Service and Support, awarded to only 12 platforms, reinforces our credibility as a customer-centric, modern CX solution.

The attached customer case studies offer direct evidence of the achievements referenced. Breeze Airways, Rothy's, KUHL, MaryRuth's, and Condé Nast each include verified metrics, before-and-after performance comparisons, and customer quotes showing measurable gains in efficiency, CSAT, revenue impact, and AI-led automation. These materials demonstrate that the outcomes cited-such as reductions in handle time, improved satisfaction, and increased operational scale-are documented and repeatable across diverse brands.

Collectively, the attachments provide clear proof that Gladly's results are real, independently recognized, and backed by detailed customer data.