FEATURE
• Give agents the tools and knowledge they need to succeed. With 85 % of customers using multiple channels and digital use rising sharply, agents need access to omnichannel customer data and instant context to provide a seamless experience.
Ultimately, the leaders in CX will be those that can strike the right balance between AI-powered CX automation that delivers speed and volume, and the human touch required to navigate complex conversations.
MP: Contact centers need continued investment in omnichannel listening and in hybrid models that pair AI with human agents, providing scale and cost efficiency without losing empathy and connection.
Contact center leaders must place more emphasis on transparency and data governance to close the consumer trust gap with AI, with smarter, context-specific AI deployments focused on clear user value rather than blanket automation.
In short: service quality and trust remain the differentiators. AI and data can help, but only if contact centers implement them carefully and listen across more channels.
CD: My recommendations fall into four categories:
1. Empower Employees. Invest in purpose-built AI copilots, and workflow automation that reduce friction and cognitive load. When AI is designed for CX, it enhances agent performance and satisfaction, enabling people to focus on high-value interactions that drive better outcomes.
2. Redesign Journeys. Take an end-to-end view of customer journeys, not just individual touchpoints. A platform-based approach allows AI to orchestrate interactions across digital and human channels, across the front-, mid-, and back-office, proactively addressing friction and ensuring seamless handoffs, so customers experience consistent, personalized service at scale.
3. Measure What Matters Now. Move beyond decades-old operational metrics. As more organizations deploy generative- and agentic AI-based solutions, it’ s becoming increasingly important to understand and continuously improve how these solutions are using data, making decisions and impacting key business outcomes.
" TAKE AN END-TO-END VIEW OF CUSTOMER JOURNEYS, NOT JUST INDIVIDUAL TOUCHPOINTS."
-- CARMIT DIANDREA
4. Analyze Historical Interactions. XO( experience orchestration) turns historical customer interactions into a prioritized, governed automation backlog and deploys the highest-value, production-ready flows with built-in measurement. [ This way ] you ship high-performing CX automations at the speed of business.
Above all, don’ t treat AI as a generic tool or replacement strategy. The winning approach is purpose-built AI working across an integrated CX platform, augmenting humans to deliver speed, scale, and intelligence while preserving personal connections and judgment. Enterprises that embrace this approach will not only improve CX and AX but they’ ll future-proof their CX.
EW: To improve both the CX and agent experience contact centers should start by capturing data from all customer interactions. Doing so uncovers the root causes of dissatisfaction, as well as satisfaction, and highlights opportunities to coach and empower agents.
From there, balance automation with human engagement. AI can streamline repetitive, high‐volume tasks and provide real‐time guidance, while human agents focus on empathy and complex problem‐solving.
In the years ahead, it won’ t be the organizations that simply collect the most data or deploy the most tools that lead. Instead, CX leaders must:
• Blend solicited and unsolicited feedback to capture a full spectrum of customer insights.
• Lean into automation and AI-driven analytics to accelerate data interpretation and close feedback loops faster.
• Establish robust governance frameworks that safeguard trust while driving growth.
This cycle of listening, learning, and acting, underpinned by responsible AI, creates better customer relationships, stronger agent performance, and better business outcomes.
Brendan Read is Editor of Contact Center Pipeline. He has been covering and working in customer service and sales and for contact center companies for most of his career. Brendan has edited and written for leading industry publications and has been an industry analyst. He also has authored and co-authored books on contact center design, customer support, and working from home. Brendan can be reached at brendan @ contactcenterpipeline. com.
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