It’s a pivotal time in the contact center industry; businesses are in a state of flux as they consider how their artificial intelligence (AI) strategies will evolve and take shape. As a former Gartner analyst, I’ve recently been on the forefront of helping many organizations use analytics and AI to improve both the customer experience (CX) and the employee experience (EX), and drive business value across various domains, including digital commerce, marketing, sales and customer service.

Now is the time for businesses to progress their AI blueprints to provide the unmatched experiences their employees and customers desire. This is why I’m excited to bring this strong focus on customer analytics strategies, trends and technologies to Genesys as the Senior Vice President of Product Marketing.

In taking on this role, I thought it would be fitting to share some of my thoughts about AI’s impact on the future of CX and EX as well as some best practices for how businesses should approach their evolution.

One of the biggest obstacles business leaders face when adopting and deploying AI for CX/EX is inadequate scoping of AI projects. Without clear, well-defined objectives, AI initiatives often fail to address the specific needs and challenges of the business, leading to suboptimal outcomes. Many businesses also struggle with data siloes, inconsistent data formats and incomplete data sets that undermine the accuracy and reliability of AI models.

A recent Gartner survey analyzing the keys to successful AI implementations and the impact of generative AI revealed that businesses are continuing to face challenges on this front. The survey stated, “AI projects are difficult. On average, only 48% of AI prototypes make it into production, which is lower than in the 2021 AI in Organizations Survey (54%). Similarly, it takes longer to go from AI prototype to production — on average 8.2 months, versus 7.3 months in 2021.”[1]

While this survey applies to all AI initiatives, it is likely similar for those specifically related to customer experience.

Ensuring robust data management practices and precise project scoping are essential steps for businesses to overcome these challenges and successfully leverage AI to enhance customer and employee experiences.

Empowered Employees Are the Foundation of Exceptional CX

I believe AI will increasingly be instrumental in improving CX but will also prove revolutionary for EX in the next decade. Historically, many businesses have chronically underinvested in their employee experience. But this mindset is finally shifting as organizations recognize the critical impact of employee satisfaction on overall business performance.

One of the most transformative developments is the introduction of intuitive, consumer-grade user interfaces in AI-powered tools for employees. These interfaces, which are already becoming standard, drastically improve usability and engagement, making work processes more efficient and less painful for employees.

Products like the Genesys Cloud™ platform are leading the charge and enabling organizations to shift numerous impactful changes into the realm of configuration rather than custom builds. This flexibility allows companies to move away from clunky, cumbersome systems that have plagued employees for years — essentially eliminating the “death by a thousand paper cuts” scenario that has been all too common.

As a result, employees can experience a dramatic reduction in friction and frustration in their daily tasks. Holistic improvements in the workplace lead to higher productivity and better job satisfaction, empowering employees to deliver exceptional customer experiences. This creates a virtuous cycle of enhanced performance and satisfaction for both employees and customers.

Intentional Experience Orchestration Will Win Customer Loyalty

After years of adding channels and complexity, businesses are realizing that offering a lesser experience across every channel is not sustainable. Instead, intentional orchestration of experiences tailored to each channel’s strengths is becoming the new standard.

AI and machine learning are key to enabling hyper-personalized experiences and predictive customer interactions that anticipate customer needs; proactively resolve issues; and deliver seamless, consistent experiences across all touchpoints. However, the real opportunity for businesses to differentiate today is to thoughtfully design these interactions to match the specific context and preferences of their customers.

While the transformation in EX will be revolutionary, the ongoing evolution in CX will be characterized by consistent enhancements in personalization, efficiency and intentional design. Together, these advancements will reinvent how businesses approach both the employee and customer experience — fostering a more connected, efficient and satisfying environment for all.

Reshaping Experience Delivery with AI

Businesses have an unparalleled potential to transform experience delivery with AI, particularly in maintaining customer context across multichannel journeys. The common frustration of having to repeat information — often depicted as poor service in the media — can be effectively eradicated with AI, leading to the seamless, consistent customer service we’ve all longed for as consumers.

Specifically, AI-powered journey management and analytics are crucial to allowing organizations to harness deeper insights into a consumer’s holistic journey. This unlocks new levels of visibility and control so brands can deliver the personalized end-to-end experiences that fuel business growth.

The reality is today that most companies are still in their AI experimental phase, focused on identifying the best applications and strategies to drive value from this intelligent technology. They may describe themselves as “evaluating use cases,” which typically translates into making a list and deploying one or two minimum viable products or proofs of concept. A common shortcoming I’ve seen is that prioritization is patchy and inconsistent, resulting in misspent efforts that could be leveraged more effectively elsewhere.

Advanced businesses are currently in the phase of running multiple small-scale proofs of concept to evaluate the value and feasibility of AI-powered experiences. This approach allows them to prioritize efforts on initiatives that show promise while cutting their losses on ideas that don’t deliver expected results. By experimenting and learning iteratively, businesses are gradually building their AI capabilities, and many are already driving meaningful results, moving them closer to fully realizing the potential of AI in enhancing customer experiences.

Competitive Differentiation and the Power of Partnerships

The CX elites of the future will be organizations that design experiences with intent. While contact center teams are operational specialists, it’s essential to recognize they are not designers by trade.

They possess the expertise to identify potential pitfalls in a new customer journey draft that might never occur to a product lead. Technology partners must equip contact centers with tools that add value across various functions, ensuring they don’t start from scratch.

To remain competitive in this business landscape, organizations need their technology partners to provide patterns, playbooks and evidence-based guidance that can be trusted. These resources are crucial when contact center teams need to advocate for significant changes across other business functions, which naturally prioritize their own departments.

Technology partners also need to offer robust solutions that integrate seamlessly into existing workflows and provide the necessary flexibility to adapt to evolving needs. This includes advanced analytics, AI-driven automation and omnichannel capabilities to ensure consistent and personalized customer interactions.

Furthermore, technology partners should focus on delivering platforms that simplify the customization and configuration process. This enables contact center teams to make iterative improvements without resorting to complex custom builds, thus reducing the burden of operational inefficiencies.

The Dual Impact of AI

AI is driving a new age of efficiency and personalization throughout all experiences. This dual transformation is ushering in a new era of experience orchestration through a synergistic environment where satisfied employees deliver exceptional customer experiences.

In my career, I’ve had the opportunity to interact with Genesys from almost every angle. Whether through client-side RFPs, managing teams of end users, covering the competitive landscape as an industry analyst or working with Genesys as a client. I’ve consistently been impressed by the company’s people and products.

As I step into my new role at Genesys, I have confidence in the company’s ability to deliver AI solutions that allow a diverse set of businesses to craft the right experiences for their customers and employees. Together, we will continue to implement AI with purpose to drive loyalty and cultivate a cycle of growth and success.

 

[1] Gartner®, “Survey Shows How Generative AI Puts Organizational AI Maturity to the Test”, Leinar Ramos, Anthony Mullen, Bern Elliot, 23 April 2024.

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