Insight 4
AI will hold a major key to your success
As nearly 40% of global employment faces exposure to AI, there’s a lot of fear around it right now — more fear than excitement.11
And while there are many unknowns in the future, there’s a common misconception that AI will replace human agents in contact centers. The reality is, AI will play a vital role in enhancing customer service operations by complementing human efforts rather than substituting them.
Or, in the words of the IFTI 2024 report: the future of AI-enabled customer service combines the role of human professionals as “discerning critics” and AI tools more as “cognitive prosthetics.”12
That said, your CX strategy should fully embrace the reality that is AI, because ready or not, it’s here and will impact the globe no matter what. As we head into the next decade, it’s critical to ask yourself how to best take advantage of the technology rather than shy away from it. Leaders and innovators know that, while ensuring a tactical approach to the technology, ultimately knowledge is power and can set you up for success or failure over the next decade.
Taking this perspective into consideration, the section below outlines how AI is expected to come to life within the contact center.
11 International Monetary Fund (IMF), “Gen-AI: AI and the future of work,” imf.org.
12 Institute for the future (IFTF) & NTT Data, “Three horizons of AI-enabled work and workers (recommendations to Japenese organizations),” iftf.org.
4 key trends with AI in the contact center
Synergy between bots and humans One of the key areas is the training process, where AI agents simulate customer interactions to help human agents practice and refine their CX skills. This collaborative approach ensures that agents are well-prepared to handle real-world scenarios, ultimately leading to improved customer satisfaction.
Enhancing customer interactions Moreover, when it comes to working directly with customers, AI can streamline interactions by handling routine inquiries and freeing up human agents to tackle more complex issues. This division of labor not only enhances efficiency but also ensures that customers receive the timely support they need. Additionally, AI's ability to analyze data allows for predictive customer insights, enabling contact centers to anticipate customer needs and tailor their services accordingly.
Bots will have greater empathy and capability Looking ahead, the next decade promises significant advancements in AI capabilities. We can expect bots to develop greater empathy, enhancing their ability to understand and respond to customer emotions. Bot development is also a healthy way to add human roles to the contact center — for example, the future roles that most support teams anticipate being created by
AI are chatbot developers
Chatbot analytics
Chatbot data collection
Conversation designers
Chatbot strategists (38%)13
As AI technology evolves and new chatbot developers continue to tweak and enhance bot designs, these virtual agents will become even more adept at handling a broader range of tasks, further bridging the gap between technology and human interaction.
13 Intercom, “The state of AI in the customer service,” intercom.
Questions about revenue impact However, despite the promising potential of AI, questions linger regarding its impact on revenue growth. Many industry leaders remain uncertain about how AI will translate into tangible financial benefits. According to analysts, while AI has the capacity to enhance operational efficiency, its direct correlation to revenue increase is still under investigation. As businesses navigate this uncertainty, it’s essential to stay informed and adaptable.
Top insights into the contact center of the future
feel contact center data will inform most major business decisions.
believe senior leadership will truly embrace the contact center as a “value center.”
believe the contact center will rely on innovative work arrangements, such as gig-based models.
believe the contact center will go beyond service to handle most customer-facing communication.
believe the majority of today’s contact center tasks will be automated.14
14 CCW Market Study, “Contact center study of 2030,” ccw.com.
Point of view
Contrary to popular belief, Lorem Ipsum is not simply random text. It has roots in a piece of classical Latin literature from 45 BC, making it over 2000 years old. Richard McClintock, a Latin professor at Hampden-Sydney College in Virginia, looked up one of the more obscure Latin words, consectetur, from a Lorem Ipsum passage, and going through the cites of the word in classical literature, discovered the undoubtable source. Lorem Ipsum comes from sections 1.10.32 and 1.10.33 of "de Finibus Bonorum et Malorum" (The Extremes of Good and Evil) by Cicero, written in 45 BC. This book is a treatise on the theory of ethics, very popular during the Renaissance. The first line of Lorem Ipsum, "Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet..", comes from a line in section 1.10.32.
The standard chunk of Lorem Ipsum used since the 1500s is reproduced below for those interested. Sections 1.10.32 and 1.10.33 from "de Finibus Bonorum et Malorum"
Guillaume Laporte
Chief AI Officer at Foundever
There are two key differences in AI between today and 2035 that stand out: 1. AI will become more human-like in quality, and 2. There will be a widespread availability of it to support humans in work and everyday life.
For example, the contact center has always been a treasure trove of data but has generally remained siloed from the wider business due to the challenges and costs of turning this data into useful insights.
AI provides a much-improved ability to glean insights from this data. By 2035, every enterprise, large and small, will have an AI-fueled contact analysis on every interaction (completed by bots and people) for both the customer needs and also the “agent” performance.
I also fully expect low-level data at scale to start providing product-related feedback, process improvement opportunities and even tailored training for your agents (which will then be created by another form of AI).
The contact center will become central to the business core due to the richness of its insights, while other departments will surround and support it on the edges of the organization. Currently the contact center is seen by many as a cost center, and a necessary evil. Once data is turned into insights on an industrial scale through AI, it will become central to the success of an organization, and departments such as sales, marketing, product development and others will finally see the value that customer contact can bring, versus the cost of dealing with it at present.
Wayne Butterfield
Partner, Global Lead Contact Center Transformation at ISG
How to prepare
Prioritize regular training sessions focused on how to effectively collaborate with AI tools.
Emphasize analytics for continuous improvement to assess performance and make data-driven decisions.
Build a culture of learning and adaptation to remain competitive in an increasingly automated world.