Readying the frontlines: how to embrace AI within the contact centre
Sid Banerjee, Chief Strategy Officer, Medallia discusses.
The integration of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in business operations is on the rise, with recent research showing that 42 percent of high-growth companies plan on making significant investments in AI over the next year. From streamlining workflows to enhancing customer insights and driving faster, data-driven decisions, AI offers endless opportunities for organisations to stay ahead.
Nowhere is this shift more apparent than the contact centre. As customer expectations of brands evolve, contact centres face immense pressure to deliver seamless, efficient and empathetic service at scale. Latest industry research from Medallia has revealed that 96 percent of CX and contact centre leaders believe AI, including generative and agentic AI, is key to their business strategy.
However, the influx of AI in the contact centre space has sparked concern – namely around the risks of agents being replaced by technology, and the resulting loss of the human touch that defines great customer service. So, how can the contact centre harness the transformative abilities of AI while protecting the customer connections that build lasting loyalty? The key is deploying AI that works in harmony with agents, empowering them to deliver the best possible customer service by putting the right insights at their fingertips. Here are four key ways to make that vision a reality.
- Automate the routine
Despite the importance of human connection in customer service, much of an agent’s day is still consumed by admin rather than meaningful conversations. As it stands, contact centre agents spend an estimated 40–60 percent of their time on follow-up tasks, such as summarising calls and inputting data. This not only consumes valuable time, but also places additional pressure on agents to record information accurately in an already high-intensity environment, negatively impacting the quality of service delivered.
Excellent customer service means directing the agent’s time and energy towards those all-important personal interactions, not the note-taking in between. Thanks to AI, advanced language models can quickly and accurately summarise conversations, creating a clear and useful record of each customer’s experience. Not only does this automate workflows in real-time, freeing up time for the agent to focus on their next interaction, it ensures key details are logged accurately for future reference.
- Anticipate customer needs for faster action
Solving problems doesn’t have to take an entire day. The latest AI technologies work proactively to instantly explain fluctuations in customer satisfaction, both positive and negative, providing clear insights into the factors shaping customer experiences. This enables agents to act quickly, address friction points and identify what drives success. By drawing conclusions from data across multiple channels, AI gives agents access to insights that would otherwise be impossible to obtain, transforming the way organisations anticipate and meet the needs of their customers.
- Personalise customer experience
A key element of effective customer service is personalisation, as customers increasingly expect companies to respond to their individual needs and preferences. For organisations to make the most of their user base, it’s crucial to tailor interactions on a personal basis – a one-size-fits-all approach simply isn’t enough to stay competitive today. AI enables organisations to sync customer interactions across multiple channels, be that contact centre conversations, purchase history or returns logs, providing a holistic view of each customer’s journey with the brand. By streamlining the data, AI paints a clear picture of how customers interact with a brand relative to demographic and loyalty information, empowering agents with the valuable context needed to deliver informed, personalised support.
- Empower the whole organisation
As AI advances, there is a risk it becomes disconnected from real-world use. In the world of customer service, AI is only valuable so long as it makes the job easier, not more complex. Contact centre agents, working under high pressure to deliver exceptional service, do not have the capacity or expertise to navigate convoluted AI systems. Forward-thinking organisations will therefore ensure that the AI deployed is accessible – designed for the frontlines rather than analysts – and seamlessly embedded in workflows to help agents deliver smarter and more informed customer experiences.
Shaping the future of customer experience
The combination of human empathy and AI has the potential to redefine what exceptional customer service looks like. When implemented strategically, AI’s capabilities can elevate the contact centre from a transactional point of contact into a dynamic hub where customers are understood and valued. At the same time, AI empowers frontline agents by automating routine work and arming them with real-time insights, so that they can focus on delivering meaningful customer experiences instead of navigating complex systems. AI’s intuitive, context-aware intelligence supports rapid, informed decision-making at scale, transforming every interaction into a strategic moment that enhances customer experience and strengthens brand loyalty.
Sid Banerjee is Chief Strategy Officer at Medallia.
Medallia is the global leader in customer and employee experience, trusted by the world’s most iconic brands — including 7 of the Fortune 10.
Medallia’s AI-driven platform helps enterprise organisations turn billions of feedback signals into clear, prioritised actions. With deep domain expertise, a powerful partner ecosystem, and consistent leadership recognition from top industry analysts, Medallia transforms customer experience into a strategic driver of business growth
For additional information on Medallia view their Company Profile
