Contact centers find themselves at the intersection of a major hype cycle around AI.
Many have invested heavily in AI or secured funding to do so, but have stumbled as they plot out the best path forward.
As such, some are still stuck preparing data projects, spotting process improvement opportunities, and mapping use cases.
Unable to move beyond, they’re facing a lot of fear, ambiguity, and confusion.
After all, solution providers are proving out their models for the first time, and universally trusted case studies are few and far between.
This uncertainty creates internal tension. Turf wars have begun, with departments debating ownership, metrics, and success definitions.
Yet, there’s only one way forward: Experiment. Fail fast. Iterate.
Laying the Foundations for Fast Innovation
As noted, there’s only one way forward. But, to prepare for experiments and faster innovation, contact centers must lay the foundations. There are two critical steps here:
1. Prepare People for a Changing Future
Generative and agentic AI will shift what the role of a contact center agent looks like.
Of course, there have always been shifts in what agents do as technology advances. But now, that maturity curve is accelerating.
There’s a hard truth here: a machine can learn faster than a person can be reskilled. Agentic AI will further accelerate this shift by introducing autonomous agents capable of navigating multi-step customer journeys. This evolution requires a new level of assurance to validate outcomes, behaviors, and experiences across increasingly complex interactions.
So, if the contact center knows where it wishes to innovate, consider how the agent role and customer journey will change in six, 12, or 18 months from now, and start building toward that today.
That may include creating structured development plans and maturity models.
2. Accept Uncertainty and Learn to Work Within It
Automation will eliminate some tasks, but new, complex problems will emerge.
For instance, forecasting, staffing, and workload planning will be more challenging than ever.