AI AGENTS
BY REDDY MALLIDI, J & R CONSULTING
ILLUSTRATION PROVIDED BY ADOBE STOCK
MOVING AI AGENTS FROM PILOT TO PRODUCTION A PLAYBOOK FOR DEPLOYING THEM AT SCALE.
The hardest part of deploying AI agents in a contact center isn’ t the technology. It’ s the moment when a successful pilot fails to translate into production.
I’ ve seen that moment from both sides. At Autodesk, I inherited a large customer service organization with CSAT in the low 80s and led it to an industry-high 95 %.
That result didn’ t come from technology alone. It came from prioritizing customer experience( CX) first and letting efficiency follow.
The leaders who succeed will be those who move deliberately from pilot to production, treating AI agents as strategic assets, not cost levers.
This article is that playbook with these five steps to follow.
STEP 1: REJECT DEFLECTION; ADOPT ENHANCEMENT STRATEGIES.
Most AI contact center deployments begin with a deflection goal: to keep customers away from human agents as long as possible. Containment rate becomes the North Star. Every interaction resolved without human involvement is counted as a win.
This framing is flawed. Deflection optimizes for the cost of the interaction. But enhancement optimizes for the outcome the customer needs.
THE GAP BETWEEN A SUCCESSFUL PILOT AND A FAILED PRODUCTION ROLLOUT IS USUALLY A MEASUREMENT PROBLEM.
JULY 2026 19