Author Archives
Derek Top, Principal Analyst & Research Director, Opus Research
Derek Top is Principal Analyst and Research Director for Opus Research, a diversified advisory firm tracking how AI, LLMs, and advanced technologies are impacting customer experiences and enterprise applications. For more than 20 years, he has been covering technology innovation and spearheading analysis about how Conversational AI and Conversational Intelligence technologies transform businesses and reshape customer experiences.
Previously, Top served as senior associate editor with Optimize magazine and InformationWeek covering business technology and enterprise IT trends for CMP Media and UBM. Before joining CMP, Top was managing editor with Streaming Media, Inc. Prior to Opus Research, he was senior editor and program director at the Trellis Group. There he helped produce the VERGE conference series and wrote about how technology convergence drives innovation for smart energy and sustainability.
Contact: dtop@opusresearch.net
Twitter: @derektop
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The Proof-of-Value Scoreboard: Measuring What Matters for BPO AI
Opus Research interviews TP, Alorica, TELUS Digital, iQor, Firstsource, and Atento to find credible proof of AI value depends a BPO’s strategy that connects breadth, rigor, and discipline.
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Enterprise Connect 2026: Orchestration, Pricing, and Power Plays
Opus Research’s Ian Jacobs and Peter Headrick talk all things EC with special attention paid to AI pricing, CX orchestration, and the strategic role of data platforms.
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NiCE Cognigy Nexus 2026: Agentic AI Finds Its Footing in the Enterprise
Nexus 2026 showcased NiCE Cognigy customers leveraging AI for CX and a palpable urgency to foster innovation, increase reach, and deliver value fast.
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Zoho’s Quiet Bet on Business Intelligence at the Point of Action
At ZohoDay 26, Lead Analyst Ian Jacobs asks Zoho’s Sailas Sundaram two questions about how the company is adding AI to its BI stack and ways they’re rethinking what analytics are for.
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2025 Conversation Intelligence Intelliview: Introducing Conversational Experience Orchestration
Opus Research’s exclusive report details nine leading solutions providers, outlining specific products and services, technology differentiators, business impact, and future strategies for advanced LLMs and GenAI.
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Freshworks Takes Aim at Complexity with Freddy AI and Next-Gen Vertical Agents
A new set of Freshworks AI Agents, targeted for e-commerce, fintech, travel, and logistics, help unify data, free up agent capacity, and let AI handle the repetitive pieces.
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Webinar: The Buyer Journey Rewired by AI
Opus Research and Invoca explore how Agentic AI is redefining “brand experience” in a world of fractured attention, where loyalty is earned one micro-moment at a time.
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The BPO Wake-Up Call: AI Is Rewriting the Rulebook
Drawing on interviews with executive leaders in contact center outsourcing, Opus Research’s Ian Jacobs explores how forward-looking BPO firms are turning AI disruption into opportunity.
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Zoho Cuts Through the Hype: AI Maturity Takes Work
In this Opus Video series interview, Zoho shares that organizations genuinely benefiting from AI are those eliminating process and data silos and leaning into mature digital practices.
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Tackling Deepfake Audio Risks in Voice Security
Discover how deepfake audio fraud is evolving at an alarming rate and what proactive steps your organization can take to defend against sophisticated AI-based attacks.