Laying firm foundations for AI-led customer experience transformation – Sanjay Salunkhe, President & Global Head – Digital and Software Services, Hexaware discusses
Rising customer expectations are driving enterprises to rethink their customer experience (CX) strategies, with AI set to play an increasingly important role. To unlock its full value, however, organisations must ensure they are building AI on top of firm foundations.
At present, many enterprises are in the pilot phase with AI – and in CX, the contact centre is proving a natural testing ground. Contact centres already produce large volumes of structured interaction data, giving the inputs needed to train and evaluate AI tools and begin trialling use cases. Many organisations already use elements of automation – such as basic Machine Learning chatbots – in contact centres, meaning they often feel confident trialling AI in these workflows.
However, if these pilots focus purely on driving efficiency and short-term gains, there is a risk that businesses will green-light a series of smaller, tactical AI use cases. For AI to make a meaningful impact, businesses need to take a step back and consider the bigger picture.
Context is crucial
Enterprises need to remain laser-focused on the customer when they are implementing AI across the contact centre – or they risk creating more friction rather than improving the customer experience. They need to give it enough context to succeed. For example, while using AI to automatically triage requests may seem beneficial for the business, if not given visibility over existing data, AI may ask customers to repeat information they’ve already shared or send them in the wrong direction.
AI delivers the greatest value when it is given the context needed to understand past interactions, anticipate needs and guide the next step in a conversation. This will enable human agents to step in at the right moment and add value. By moving beyond quick operational wins and taking a more connected approach, organisations can strengthen the overall customer experience.
When supported by visibility across both historical and real-time interactions, AI can deliver the seamless, connected experiences organisations are striving for – and that customers increasingly expect.
Laying firm foundations
AI offers a valuable opportunity to ease pressure in contact centres, improving outcomes for both customers and service teams. That means taking a structured approach to how AI is designed, deployed and scaled across customer experience.
Here are five key ingredients for building the firm foundations needed to design and scale AI that strengthens customer experience.
1) Create a unified data foundation
Before adopting AI, organisations first need to break down the silos separating data sources, agents and customer channels. Setting off with a unified data foundation enables AI to learn from the full context of each interaction – delivering the efficiency and personalisation customers expect.
2) Make customer context available everywhere
Customer history, preferences and prior decisions must move seamlessly between channels, systems and human agents. When context travels with the customer, AI can understand intent, anticipate needs and guide interactions more effectively.
3) Anchor AI in end-to-end workflows
AI delivers the most value when embedded within operational workflows rather than attached to isolated touchpoints such as a single chatbot interaction. Designing AI around the full customer journey ensures improvements carry through from the first interaction to final resolution.
4) Strengthen human decision-making
AI should augment service teams by surfacing insights, recommending next steps and guiding actions in real time. When designed this way, AI reduces friction for both customers and agents rather than attempting to fully replace human judgement.
5) Put governance and coordination in place from day one
Successful AI deployment requires alignment between technology, people and organisational controls. Clear governance ensures organisations can scale AI safely without compromising compliance, risk management or customer trust.
From experimentation to sustainable CX improvement
Organisations that treat AI as part of their operating model – rather than a series of isolated experiments – will see stronger long-term results. Achieving that shift often requires the right technical foundations, clear governance, and the support of partners experienced in scaling AI across complex enterprise environments.
By embedding AI directly into CX operations, enterprises can scale improvements while maintaining quality, compliance and empathy. The outcome is not simply faster service, but a more coherent, personalised and human customer experience.
Sanjay Salunkhe is President & Global Head – Digital and Software Services at Hexaware
Operating across 30+ countries with nearly 34,000 professionals, Hexaware is a global digital and technology services leader, trusted by 30+ Fortune 500 organisations. With generative AI and agentic AI embedded across its full suite of customer experience solutions, Hexaware helps brands build next-generation contact centres, deliver hyper-personalised experiences, and drive measurable business outcomes.
