... RPA, VIRTUAL ASSISTANTS, AND CHATBOTS SHARE CORE LIMITATIONS; THEY’ RE RULE-BOUND AND THEY STRUGGLE IN AMBIGUOUS OR UNSTRUCTURED SCENARIOS.
AGENTIC AI
BY IRIS ZARECKI, K2VIEW
ILLUSTRATION PROVIDED BY ADOBE STOCK
BEYOND RPA, CHATBOTS,
AND ASSISTANTS WHY AGENTIC AI IS SUPERIOR: WITH THE RIGHT DATA.
34 CONTACT CENTER PIPELINE
Automation in contact centers has come a long way. It began with basic macros and rule-based scripts designed to streamline repetitive tasks like data entry or case routing. Then came robotic process automation( RPA), which mimicked human actions within digital systems: copying and pasting information, logging into applications, and executing structured workflows.
RPA was a major step forward, delivering tangible gains in efficiency, cost reduction, and consistency. Virtual assistants and chatbots followed, offering always-on support to internal and external stakeholders( like customers) through scripted conversations. These tools helped manage high-volume, low-complexity queries and reduced pressure on human agents.
But despite their utility, RPA, virtual assistants, and chatbots share core limitations; they’ re rule-bound and they struggle in ambiguous or unstructured scenarios. They don’ t learn or adapt and they operate in silos: lacking awareness of the full customer journey.
WHAT MAKES AGENTIC AI DIFFERENT
Agentic AI refers to a new class of intelligent systems that can reason, plan, and act autonomously toward specific customer service goals.
... RPA, VIRTUAL ASSISTANTS, AND CHATBOTS SHARE CORE LIMITATIONS; THEY’ RE RULE-BOUND AND THEY STRUGGLE IN AMBIGUOUS OR UNSTRUCTURED SCENARIOS.