Globally and locally, the customer service industry is evolving as new communication channels and the rise of artificial intelligence (AI) push organisations to re-evaluate traditional approaches and models to deliver exceptional service. New research shows that while nearly 90% of organisations plan to use AI to enhance the customer experience (CX), just under 45% have implemented the technology, suggesting an operational disconnect. While it is growing in importance, the implementation of AI-enabled solutions faces several obstacles, according to the research reportWhat Contact Centres Are Doing Right Now.
Budget has been identified as the biggest barrier, with just over 68% of organisations stating that a lack of funds prevented them from achieving their operational goals. This will continue to be a stumbling block until company leadership begins viewing thecontact centreas a value generating centre, rather than a cost centre, as has traditionally been the case. A second challenge lies around conflicting business priorities, as reported by 55.2% of organisations surveyed.
This often stems from the organisational structure surrounding technology and data. Cybersecurity and governance concerns mean that the ownership of business data, software development (including for AI) and corresponding budgets often lie with the IT department. As a result, broader enterprise projects might be given precedence over initiatives that are aimed specifically at enhancing CX across the organisation.
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Other challenges include broken processes and IT issues. The number of organisations citing a lack of skills as an obstacle has increased from 17.6% to 23.3%, suggesting that contact centres are struggling to adapt to the evolving AI landscape. AI in customer service is often associated with digital assistants or bots.
However there are numerous use cases that can help organisations enhance CX, starting at the back-end. Centralisation of data is seen as a foundation to ensure successful AI deployments, and 67% of organisations already have this step in place or plan to implement it within the next year. AI is also now being used as a tool to manage complex regulatory requirements and compliance during live interactions.
For instance, a digital agent can perform mandatory security checks or read outs, saving human agents minutes on every single engagement. This capability drastically mitigates compliance risk.
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