As enterprises explore the next phase of artificial intelligence in customer engagement, many are asking whether their existing CRM stacks can support the shift. In this CX Today interview, Nicole Willing speaks with Jason Eubanks, Co-Founder and CEO of Aurasell, about why legacy CRM systems may not be enough for agentic customer operations.
Eubanks argues that many traditional CRM platforms were built as systems of record, designed around human data entry and structured databases.
“You can’t expect the same level of execution and outcomes for a system that was built around a different paradigm of how software was architected.”
That creates a problem in an era where businesses need systems to interpret conversations, understand signals, act in real time, and support autonomous agents. As he explains, legacy CRMs often lack the context, automation, and unified architecture required to power reliable AI-driven workflows.
The discussion focuses on a key distinction for enterprise leaders: adding AI features to an existing platform is not the same as building an AI-native architecture. Eubanks compares the current AI shift to the move from on-premises software to cloud platforms 25 years ago, arguing that businesses should not expect older cloud architectures with AI wrappers to deliver the same outcomes as platforms designed for AI from the ground up.
For customer experience teams, the challenge is especially relevant. Eubanks points out that marketing, sales and customer success often operate across separate databases, workflow engines and insight layers, even though they all serve the same customer journey. That fragmentation can make it harder to share intelligence, act consistently, and deliver connected experiences.
