At Aspect, being human-centric isn't just a value on paper—it's what drives us. We don't simply build workforce technology for humans; we build with them, guided by customer feedback and insights. Our commitment to creating a better world of work now includes a new initiative: the Product Advisory Council (PAC), designed to turn customers into collaborators in our innovation process.
What is the Product Advisory Council?
The Product Advisory Council is a collaborative forum where Aspect customers work directly with our leaders and product teams to shape the future of workforce technology. It creates strategic alignment between customer needs and our product roadmap through structured engagement and direct communication. Together, we address blockers, validate product designs, and co-develop plans for success. Innovating our product isn't done in a silo—it's done through collaborative working sessions and strengthening relationships with those who matter most: our customers.
The PAC 2025 kick off in Denver
The PAC kicked off in Fall 2025 in Denver, bringing together a select group of customers to discuss workforce challenges and explore how Aspect's customer-first approach shapes our roadmap. Customers and Aspect team members joined one another for two days in downtown Denver, participating in the "Building Together" forum—an initiative aimed at building and strengthening direct connections to create better products for the people who use them.
Our CEO, Darryl Kelly, opened the two-day forum by setting the tone: culture, trust, and innovation driven by people, process, and product.
The following working sessions were lead by Aspect leaders, gathering insights constructive feedback, and forward-looking perspectives to ensure our products are solving real world challenges.
“The product advisory council, to me, is a huge step forward in how receptive Aspect appears to us as customers” Assistant Director, Engagement Center WFM - Benefits and Retirement Services Company
Key sessions from PAC Denver
Aspect's customer-centric development thrives on collaboration—across our teams and with our customers. PAC Denver working sessions brought together leaders from our engineering, product design, and customer service teams.
Product vision and design philosophy
Director of Product Tina Ghanem led a working session that highlighted product innovations and the product team's direction: getting big on experience, leading with intelligence, and expanding beyond contact centers.
Director of Product Design Brittney VanHorssen and Staff Product Designer Julie Mannheimer discussed their team's approach to design, giving customers insights into experience-centric workflows—from ideation to implementation.
The evolution of customer journeys
Senior Director of Professional Services Lori Dewald and Director of Global Customer Success Dan Zuckerman explored the evolution of the Aspect customer journey—from implementation and onboarding through adoption, rollout, and ongoing engagement. They shared how their teams work together to ensure customer success at every stage.
”I think the Product Advisory Council is really crucial to the success of the application” Executive Director, Workforce Center of Excellence - Global Financial Services Company
2026 product roadmap and our commitment to innovation
Chief Technology Officer Royce Haynes provided a transparent look into the Aspect product roadmap for 2026, diving deep into themes of automation, intelligent forecasting, and data connectivity. Staff Product Manager Drazen Bolfek and Senior Research Product Manager Emily Heavner brought these innovations to life with live demos of new features like multi-model predictive forecasting and the Aspect Developer Portal.
The heart of the PAC: Customer feedback sessions
The Roadmap Feedback Session was the highlight of the Denver forum, showcasing what the PAC is all about: customer feedback. Customers shared pain points, like report building, automations for intraday assignments, and improved documentation, and discussed how they're currently working around these challenges. Our product leaders are taking this feedback to their teams, incorporating it into planning, and will share their takeaways with PAC members in a read-back report.
Customer partnership in action
Our commitment to our customers is ongoing. The PAC meets quarterly to share updates, gather feedback, and deliver read-back reports—all to develop stronger products for the people who use them. We give our customers a voice in product development, ensuring we're building solutions that truly meet organizational challenges and driving innovation together, one decision at a time.
