Latest news with #Refresh
Yahoo
12-06-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
FRSH Boosts Customer & Employee Service With Freddy Agentic AI Platform
At its flagship Refresh event, Freshworks FRSH unveiled the next-generation Freddy Agentic AI Platform, an advanced version that goes beyond chat-based assistance by getting the work done. From processing claims to updating records and booking shipments, Freddy AI is designed to perform high-value tasks autonomously, helping teams reduce manual workloads and focus on more complicated most AI-powered tools only provide answers, the new Freddy Agentic AI Platform actively resolves service requests. Whether in retail, travel, finance, manufacturing, or software services, Freddy AI is transforming support functions into intelligent, action-driven systems. This agentic model enables tasks like order tracking, refunds, booking appointments, managing subscriptions etc, to be handled comprehensively by AI, saving time, reducing errors and improving outcomes for both customers and employees. A key aspect of this release is the Freddy AI Agent Studio — a no-code platform empowering support teams to build and launch AI agents without needing technical expertise. The Studio empowers support teams to reduce ticket backlogs, minimize handoffs and maintain consistent, high-quality customer experiences without coding. Key components of this tool are Skills Library, which is a collection of pre-built action templates for popular platforms like Shopify and Stripe and Skills Builder — a visual environment to design custom skills for agents to autonomously handle actions such as returns or refunds. Email remains a core support channel, and Freddy AI is transforming it with automation that understands and acts. The Freddy AI Agent for Email reads and interprets incoming emails, generates contextual replies and automatically closes tickets when issues are resolved. This helps reduce first-response times from hours to minutes. Repetitive email issues are resolved autonomously, and support capacity increases without growing AI is also transforming employee experience with a smarter, unified search agent that fetches answers from enterprise platforms. It integrates with tools like Slack, Microsoft SharePoint and Microsoft Teams. Support is also available in 40+ languages, ensuring global inclusivity and is backed by enterprise-grade IT and service desk teams, Freshworks is also introducing Freddy AI Insights for Freshservice, which replaces manual analysis with intelligent monitoring. Key highlights are Root Cause Analysis maps, anomaly detection and trend monitoring and metrics for SLA compliance, workforce planning and AI Copilot helps service teams work faster and smarter by handling support tasks such as writing clear replies, linking related issues and creating helpful documents. New features include Intelligent Related Changes, which identify likely causes of problems by checking recent system changes in Freshservice. Reply Suggestions Copilot reads tickets, checks the knowledge base and recommends responses in Freshdesk. With these updates, Freddy becomes a smart support partner. Since its debut in 2023, Freddy AI has helped more than 5,000 organizations automate and enhance their service operations. Among the beneficiaries are Hobbycraft, which has automated 30% of customer queries and boosted CSAT by 25%. Bergzeit auto-triaged 200,000+ tickets and cut translation workloads by 75% and Five9 deflected 65% of IT requests, saving 200+ hours/month. iPostal1 resolved 54% of queries with Freddy AI and scaled to 1.3 million accounts without extra cost, enabling it to expand to 3,500+ success stories prove that Freddy delivers measurable outcomes that matter. To help organizations onboard Freddy quickly, Freshworks is rolling out a suite of resources, including Freshworks University, with tutorials, real-world use cases and live help. AI Academy for Partners is training channel partners to accelerate sales and deployment, and AI Professional Services facilities custom rollout support for enterprise clients. In addition, the company provides In-product assistance with videos, workflows and step-by-step Freddy Agentic AI is especially valuable for growing companies that lack deep AI engineering teams offering enterprise-grade automation without complexity. With Freddy, even resource-constrained teams can deploy autonomous resolution at scale, driving higher efficiency, faster resolutions and better customer experiences without heavy investments. FRSH currently has a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold). Shares of the company have gained 23.5% in the past year compared with the Zacks Internet – Software industry's growth of 35.8%. Image Source: Zacks Investment Research Some better-ranked stocks from the broader technology space are Juniper Networks, Inc. JNPR, Arista Networks, Inc. ANET and Ubiquiti Inc. UI. JNPR presently sports a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy), while ANET and UI carry a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy). You can see the complete list of today's Zacks #1 Rank stocks here. Juniper is leveraging the 400-gig cycle to capture hyperscale switching opportunities inside the data center. The company is set to capitalize on the increasing demand for data center virtualization, cloud computing and mobile traffic packet/optical convergence. Juniper also introduced new features within the AI-driven enterprise portfolio that enable customers to simplify the rollout of their campus wired and wireless networks while bringing greater insight to network operators. In the last reported quarter, it delivered an earnings surprise of 4.88%.Arista delivered a trailing four-quarter average earnings surprise of 11.82% and has a long-term growth expectation of 14.81%. Arista currently serves five verticals, namely cloud titans (customers that deploy more than 1 million servers, cloud specialty providers, service providers, financial services and the rest of the enterprise. It supplies products to a prestigious set of customers, including Fortune 500 global companies in markets such as cloud titans, enterprises, financials and specialty cloud service effective management of its strong global network of more than 100 distributors and master resellers improved its visibility for future demand and inventory management techniques. In the last reported quarter, Ubiquiti delivered an earnings surprise of 33.3%. Its highly flexible global business model remains well-suited to adapt to the changing market dynamics to overcome challenges while maximizing growth. Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report Juniper Networks, Inc. (JNPR) : Free Stock Analysis Report Arista Networks, Inc. (ANET) : Free Stock Analysis Report Freshworks Inc. (FRSH) : Free Stock Analysis Report Ubiquiti Inc. (UI) : Free Stock Analysis Report This article originally published on Zacks Investment Research ( Zacks Investment Research
Yahoo
29-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
FL Q1 Loss Meets Estimates, Comparable Sales Decline 2.6% Y/Y
Foot Locker, Inc. FL has posted first-quarter fiscal 2025 results, with the top line lagging the Zacks Consensus Estimate and the bottom line meeting the same. Both metrics declined year over year. Comparable sales declined year over year in the quarter under company continues to execute its Lace Up Plan strategies as it prepares for the completion of the DICK'S Sporting Goods transaction. Softer global traffic trends impacted first-quarter performance. During the quarter, focus remained on rolling out the Reimagined and Refresh programs, enhancing digital offerings, strengthening customer engagement through the FLX program and leveraging brand partnerships. The company also stayed agile in managing promotions, inventories, expenses and cash flow amid an uncertain macroeconomic environment. Foot Locker, Inc. price-consensus-eps-surprise-chart | Foot Locker, Inc. Quote The athletic shoes and apparel retailer posted an adjusted loss of seven cents per share. The figure significantly decreased from adjusted earnings of 22 cents in the prior-year quarter. (Stay up-to-date with all quarterly releases: See Zacks Earnings Calendar.)Total revenues of $1,788 million decreased 4.6% from the year-ago period. Excluding the impacts of foreign-currency fluctuations, total revenues decreased 4.5%. Revenues missed the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $1,826 million. Comparable sales declined 2.6% year over year, including a 0.5% decrease in the North American region. In the company's international operations, comparable sales dropped 8.5%, primarily due to weakness in Foot Locker Europe. Gross profit was $514 million, down 5.5% year over year. FL's gross margin rate increased 40 basis points (bps) year over year to 28.7%. Merchandise margins fell 10 bps, while occupancy costs, as a percentage of sales, rose 30 bps year over year. We expected the gross margin to be 28.3% in the quarter under general and administrative (SG&A) costs declined 0.7% year over year to $458 million. This metric, as a percentage of sales, deleveraged 100 basis points compared with the prior-year period, due to the impact of lower sales and investments in technology that outweighed the benefits of the cost optimization program and continued expense discipline. We anticipated SG&A expenses, as a percentage of sales, to deleverage 90 bps. In the first quarter, the company opened nine new stores and closed 56 stores, including locations in South Korea, Denmark, Norway, Sweden, Greece and Romania. FL also remodeled or relocated 11 stores and updated 69 stores to reflect its revised design standards, which feature key elements of the current brand of May 3, 2025, the company operated 2,363 stores across 20 countries in North America, Europe, Asia, Australia and New Zealand. Additionally, 236 licensed stores were operating in the Middle East, Europe and Asia. These licensed operations include the Greece and Romania businesses, which were sold to the company's license partner in April announced on May 15, 2025, Foot Locker and DICK'S Sporting Goods have finalized a definitive merger agreement, under which DKS will acquire Foot Locker. FL Stock Past Three-Month Performance Image Source: Zacks Investment Research This Zacks Rank #4 (Sell) company ended the fiscal first quarter with cash and cash equivalents of $343 million. Long-term debt and obligations under finance leases amounted to $440 million. Shareholders' equity totaled $2.61 billion. As of May 3, 2025, merchandise inventories were $1.67 billion, up 0.4% from the year-earlier the past three months, FL shares have gained 33.7% compared with the industry's 4.9% growth. Some better-ranked stocks are Urban Outfitters Inc. URBN, Genesco Inc. GCO and Allbirds Inc. Outfitters is a lifestyle specialty retailer that offers fashion apparel and accessories, footwear, home decor and gift products. It currently sports a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy). You can see the complete list of today's Zacks #1 Rank stocks Zacks Consensus Estimate for URBN's fiscal 2025 earnings and sales implies growth of 20.9% and 8%, respectively, from the year-ago actuals. URBN delivered a trailing four-quarter average earnings surprise of 29%.Genesco is a Nashville-based specialty retail and branded company that sells footwear and accessories in retail stores. It currently has a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy).The Zacks Consensus Estimate for GCO's fiscal 2025 earnings and sales implies growth of 62.8% and 0.6%, respectively, from the year-ago actuals. Genesco delivered a trailing four-quarter average earnings surprise of 37.2%.Allbirds is a lifestyle brand that uses naturally derived materials to make footwear and apparel products. It carries a Zacks Rank of 2 at Zacks Consensus Estimate for BIRD's current financial-year's earnings implies growth of 16.1% from the year-ago actual. The company delivered a trailing four-quarter average earnings surprise of 21.3%. Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report Urban Outfitters, Inc. (URBN) : Free Stock Analysis Report Foot Locker, Inc. (FL) : Free Stock Analysis Report Genesco Inc. (GCO) : Free Stock Analysis Report Allbirds, Inc. (BIRD) : Free Stock Analysis Report This article originally published on Zacks Investment Research ( Zacks Investment Research
Yahoo
16-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Foot Locker sees $363m Q1 2025 loss amid pending $2.4bn Dick's deal
The company, which agreed to a $2.4bn acquisition with Dick's Sporting Goods, attributed the weak performance to 'softer traffic trends globally'. Foot Locker CEO Mary Dillon said: "Despite making ongoing progress with our Lace Up Plan, our preliminary first quarter results are below our expectations as we experienced softer traffic trends globally. We continued to manage our promotional levels and maintain inventory and expense discipline, and we have taken actionable steps to advance these efforts and remain nimble and well positioned in an uncertain macroeconomic backdrop.' Key figures from preliminary first quarter 2025 results Foot Locker's comparable sales saw a 2.6% decrease from the previous year's figures. The North America region specifically experienced a 0.5% decline in comparable sales. The anticipated loss per share for the quarter stands at $3.81, which is a significant shift from earnings per share of $0.09 during the first quarter of 2024. On a non-GAAP basis, the expected loss per share is $0.07 for the quarter, down from non-GAAP earnings per share of $0.22 in the corresponding period last year. The non-GAAP net loss and per-share figures do not include non-cash impairment charges totalling $276m. These charges consist mainly of a $140m tradename charge and a goodwill impairment charge of $110m. Furthermore, there is a recorded full valuation allowance on deferred tax assets and related costs totalling $124m concerning the company's European business; these are also excluded from non-GAAP results. Dillon further stated: "In the first quarter, we continued to elevate our in-store experience through our Reimagined and Refresh programs and enhanced our digital offerings, including our new Champs Sports and Kids Foot Locker mobile apps. We have remained focused on increasing engagement through our FLX programme and leveraging our strong brand partnerships to generate excitement for our customers." The company reported net worldwide sales of $7.97bn and net income of $12m for fiscal year 2024. Foot Locker will refrain from issuing new financial forecasts or revising any prior projections due to the deal with Dick's. "Foot Locker sees $363m Q1 2025 loss amid pending $2.4bn Dick's deal" was originally created and published by Just Style, a GlobalData owned brand. The information on this site has been included in good faith for general informational purposes only. It is not intended to amount to advice on which you should rely, and we give no representation, warranty or guarantee, whether express or implied as to its accuracy or completeness. You must obtain professional or specialist advice before taking, or refraining from, any action on the basis of the content on our site. Sign in to access your portfolio
Yahoo
03-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
The best budget TVs for gaming, according to the experts
All products featured here are independently selected by our editors and writers. If you buy something through links on our site, Mashable may earn an affiliate commission. We all own so many tech gadgets these days that combining functions is always welcomed. You probably have a TV at home for streaming your favorite shows, but is it good enough for gaming? If you're not one to game on your laptop or you like to spend the weekend with friends playing co-op games in the living room, your TV needs to be up to snuff in terms of performance. Not all TVs are worthy of your gaming skills, and many top-of-the-line models come with a hefty price tag. If you're not in the mood to spend thousands on a new TV but you also intend to game in the living room, some of the best budget-friendly TV brands make a few models that are great for gaming. TV jargon is notoriously confusing, and new acronyms pop up often. Instead of leaving you overwhelmed with the decision, we asked PCMag's Will Greenwald to help out. Greenwald serves as a lead analyst, having tested over 170 TVs for PCMag, which is also owned by Mashable's publisher, Ziff Davis. Here's the thing about testing TVs — it takes deeply advanced technology that most of us don't have. SEE ALSO: I bent LG's new 5K2K bendable gaming monitor at CES 2025 When it comes to TVs capable of handling gaming without costing over $1,000, Greenwald says, 'Several of Hisense and TCL's TVs are excellent for gaming on a budget.' Both brands stand out as leaders when it comes to offering a solid price-to-quality ratio. Gaming, or rather gaming efficiently, means your TV needs to tick a few boxes. We're looking at the refresh rate and input lag when finding a TV that's well-equipped for gaming. Without scoring decent numbers on those elements, your gaming experience could be stuttery and interrupted. If your game happens to be full of quick action, you'll want a TV that can keep up, instead of leaving you in sticky situations. 'For gaming, you should look for a TV with at least a 120Hz refresh rate and VRR, at the very least,' according to Greenwald. Refresh rate refers to how many times per second your TV updates the image, measured in hertz. VRR refers to variable refresh rate, and VRR-equipped TVs are able to match the game's FPS (frames per second) up to the max refresh rate. For this feature, Greenwald says you want to look out for a gaming TV that comes with AMD FreeSync or Nvidia G-Sync. And then there's input lag, which is "the amount of time between when the TV receives a signal and the screen updates,' according to Greenwald. This is where the PCMag expert testing proves essential because TVs don't include input lag info in their stats, and you won't be able to tell when buying a TV online or even when it's displayed in a store. In real-life terms, input lag is how long it takes the TV to reflect what happened IRL. Say you press the jump button in the game. Input lag measures how much time it takes for the TV to get that info and show it on screen. As you can imagine, this is a big deal when it comes to gaming. Since buying a gaming-worthy TV can be overwhelming, we've intentionally kept this short and sweet — only selecting a few models that should work well for everyone, following Greenwald's guidance and expert testing. TCL QM6K (65-inch) $749.99 at Amazon $999.99 Save $250 Shop Now The TCL QM6K is Greenwald's top pick for buying a budget-friendly gaming TV. The refresh rate comes in at 144 Hz and you'll get AMD FreeSync Premium Pro to tick off that VRR requirement. 'The TCL QM6K is a very good value and a strong performer for the price,' said Greenwald in his review. 'While it isn't the brightest TV available, its mini-LED backlight enables deep black levels for excellent contrast, its colors are wide and accurate, and it's packed with features for streaming and gaming.' Greenwald's measurements showed the TCL QM6K has an input lag of 7.5 milliseconds when in Game Mode, and anything under 10 milliseconds is considered good for gaming with Greenwald's advanced equipment. The TCL QM6K's overall design is also nice, with a slim design that looks modern. Its Google TV platform is one of the best options around, thanks to an intuitive design that keeps all of your streaming options nicely arranged and easy to access. Google Cast lets you stream from an Android device or a Chrome tab, and Apple AirPlay means Apple's ecosystem can easily push to the TV. While it's a small detail, the backlighting on the included remote control is really helpful for movie nights. The 4K QLED display on the TCL QM6K is impressive when it comes to contrast, according to Greenwald, giving off accurate colors and deep blacks. 'By the numbers, the QM6K's contrast is excellent, though it only gets modestly bright compared with slightly more expensive TVs,' Greenwald found after extensive testing. But what makes the TCL QM6K our top pick is the combination of picture quality with gaming features at an affordable price. If you're looking for an even more budget-friendly option, consider the 55-inch version of the TCL QM6K, which usually knocks about $200 off the price of the 65-inch. You could also go bigger and grab an 85 or 98-inch model. While the price increases with size, it remains a good value for the cost across the entire line. The TCL QM6K comes in 55, 65, 75, 85, and 98 inches. Hisense U8N (65-inch) $947.99 at Amazon $1,499.99 Save $552 Shop Now In addition to TCL, Hisense is a strong contender when it comes to manufacturing TVs with impressive specs for the price point. The Hisense U8N is one of Greenwald's top picks for budget-friendly TVs that don't skimp out on quality, and this model comes with gaming stats that should work well for all but the most serious of gamers. For starters, the Hisense U8N comes with a 144 Hz refresh rate in Game Mode Pro, which is more than acceptable. Plus, it comes equipped with AMD FreeSync Premium Pro, which will give you a better experience in terms of VRR. When Greenwald tested the Hisense U8N for input lag, his equipment showed a 7.4 millisecond lag when in Game Mode Pro with Instant Game Response enabled. This is pretty quick, according to Greenwald, since anything under 10 milliseconds is PCMag's threshold for what makes a TV suitable for gaming. Greenwald further explains that a 7.4 millisecond lag works out to just one frame drop per second at the Hisense U8N's 144 Hz refresh rate. The one disclaimer with the Hisense U8N's Game Mode is that Greenwald suggests you turn that feature off once you're done gaming and switch to watching TV. 'Make sure you turn off Game Mode when not playing games, though, because I saw significant clipping in highlights (where very bright parts of the screen blend together and become indistinct) with it turned on,' he noted in his review of the TV. Greenwald also praises the Hisense U8N's brightness, which comes from the 4K QLED display. He was impressed with the U8N's off-angle viewing, which didn't have color skewing or desaturation. This off-angle viewing experience can be a big factor if you host a gaming night for friends, where not everyone will be directly in front of the TV. With a 144 Hz refresh rate, low input lag, nice display, and budget-friendly price, the U8N is a great option. 'It can put out a nearly blinding amount of light, it's loaded with features, and it's very affordable for the performance it offers,' Greenwald noted. The Hisense U8N comes in 55, 65, 75, and 85 inches. Vizio Quantum Pro (65-inch) $698 at Walmart $1,644.56 Save $946.56 Shop Now Also hanging out under the $1,000 mark, the Vizio Quantum Pro could work well as your affordable gaming TV. CNET, another Mashable sister publication also owned by Ziff Davis, considers the Vizio Quantum Pro to be a nice mid-range option. 'In our tests over the years, Vizio TVs have consistently produced excellent picture quality at a more affordable price,' according to the CNET review. 'The Vizio Quantum Pro continues this trend and holds up as a solid mid-priced TV option, particularly for gamers looking for a high-performance gaming TV without breaking the bank.' It comes with a 120 Hz refresh rate, which is lower than our top two choices, but is still perfectly acceptable for gaming. That's especially true if your video game preferences are on the more chill side, like spending the weekend with Animal Crossing or endless rounds of Balatro. It's also worth noting some consoles top out at 120 Hz, including the Nintendo Switch 2, which means you might not require a 240 Hz+ TV. Regarding VRR, you'll be in good shape with AMD FreeSync Premium Pro. A slight limitation comes from the single HDMI port on the Quantum Pro that can support 4K 120 Hz. This means you can only have one console connected at a time. The other three HDMI ports cannot support these specs. The Vision Quantum Pro comes in 65 and 75 inches.
