The latest research by 8×8 reveals that IT and contact centre leaders believe the future lies in conversational AI. According to the 2023 State of Conversational AI in the Contact Centre report, 80% of the respondents believe AI capabilities are essential for future operations, while 41% warn of falling behind if not adopted. The findings also highlight increased investment in automation, with 99% of organisations planning to increase spending on contact centre operations, particularly automation, in the next year.
Conversational AI: A Non-Negotiable for Future Contact Centres
According to a recent study on the 2023 State of Conversational AI in Contact Centres, it’s clear that the IT and contact centre leaders foresee conversational artificial intelligence (AI) as indispensable for the future. The report suggests that 80% of these leaders see these capabilities as a necessity in the near future, with 41% positing that companies failing to adopt these capabilities will lag behind.
Automation: The New Frontier
The report also sheds light on how leaders are contemplating the application of conversational AI through automation. An overwhelming 99% of organisations are planning to increase spending on contact centre operations in the coming year. A significant portion of this investment is earmarked for adopting or increasing automation. In the United States, respondents were most likely to consider automation as extremely important (27%), compared to their counterparts in the UK (8%) and Canada (16%).
Conversational AI: High Expectations and High Stakes
The stakes are high for conversational AI. An impressive 87% of respondents believe that conversational AI/chatbots boost productivity. Meanwhile, 76% hold the view that conversational AI/chatbot capabilities are revolutionising business communications, and 72% believe these capabilities will enhance company profitability and revenue while reducing company risks.
Improving Customer Experience (CX) with Automation
IT leaders and contact centres are turning to AI and automation to overcome key challenges such as increasing support volume, staffing challenges, and the need to improve cost-efficiency. Encouragingly, 52% of organisations say they have already invested in conversational AI for the contact centre.
“At 8×8, we understand how the contact centre industry can shift and change—especially as new technologies are introduced, tested, and standardised—and we are proud to always be at the forefront of that changing technology landscape,” said Hunter Middleton, Chief Product Officer at 8×8, Inc.
Final Thoughts
This study brings to light the increasing significance of AI and automation in the contact centre industry. It’s clear that leaders in this space are viewing these technologies not merely as optional extras, but as fundamental components of their future operations. However, it is also important to note that while AI provides many advantages, it does not replace the human touch but complements it. The challenge moving forward will be to strike a balance between leveraging AI’s efficiencies and maintaining the irreplaceable human touch in customer interactions.
