Automation is shaping the future of the contact centre – new research from Cavell reveals
Respondents across the UK, US and Europe reveal the changing dynamics in customer experience (CX)
Automation is becoming an integral part of business’ CX strategies, with over half (52%) of contact centre buyers across the UK, Western Europe and North America aiming to increase automated case resolution in the next three years, according to new research released today by Cavell.
The 2024 Contact Centre Enterprise Insight Report surveyed over 600 certified contact centre buyers at companies of all sizes across the UK, Western Europe, and North America, providing clear insight into the automated approach to contact centre solutions and customer experience provision.
The report also reveals that US companies are leading the way when it comes to AI deployment within contact centres, with 39% of US respondents reporting that their company has already deployed AI solutions. This is nearly twice that compared to the UK and Europe (both 14%).
Meanwhile, 40% of companies have already been using virtual agents, and there is a commitment to increase the virtual agent ratio to over 50% by 2028.
Patrick Watson, Head of Research at Cavell, commented:
“The survey findings are incredibly encouraging for the CX industry and its stakeholders. In addition to the increasing focus on automated resolution systems, the majority of contact centre operators have plans to expand their agent numbers over the next 12 months. This promises to provide a sizeable growth opportunity for the industry to leverage.”
Somewhat surprisingly, only 3% of companies are concerned about losing employee skills to AI despite the common theme of fear around AI replacing jobs. AI is instead largely seen as a catalyst in customer services to equip automated systems to handle increasing queries and allow agents to resolve more complex cases.
Respondents also highlight a clear focus on agent experience, with almost all companies (94%) having already deployed or planning to deploy technology to improve and monitor agent experience in order to tackle increasingly stressful environments for agents dealing with high-complexity cases.
Cavell is a leading research and consulting firm specialising in the telecommunications industry with a particular focus on business communications technologies including UCaaS, collaboration, contact centre and customer engagement software, business messaging, and Microsoft Teams.
Cavell provides insights, analysis, and advisory services to help their clients navigate and succeed in these rapidly evolving sectors.
Cavell’s team combines years of accumulated telecoms industry experience with enterprise and SMB surveys and proven market intelligence to provide a suite of services including market research, commercial and technical due diligence, strategy advisory services and leading industry events.
For additional information on Cavell visit their Website
