Tech innovations to reshape contact centers in 2024, experts say
YUCATAN, MEXICO — The contact center industry faces a major transformation in 2024 driven by artificial intelligence (AI) and automation, according to experts interviewed by Channel Futures.
Experts predict AI will revolutionize customer interactions. Cresta’s Chief Technology Officer (CTO) Tim Shi says AI will disrupt traditional per-seat pricing models. As AI boosts agent productivity, fewer seats will be needed, pushing usage-based pricing.
Twilio Director of Product Management for AI & Insights Dimitris Sotiriou expects “machine customers” — AI chatbots acting for humans — to become common. These “custobots” will handle routine tasks like order tracking. Agents must communicate effectively with them.
According to Gartner, over 80% of companies will use generative AI in contact centers by 2026, a huge increase from less than 5% in early 2023.
Apart from AI, cloud contact centers will expand exponentially. Ribbon Communications Senior Director of Solutions Marketing Greg Zweig says Microsoft Teams Phone and Cisco Webex Calling added five million and two million seats in 2023. They’ll aggressively target each other’s customers in 2024.
More mobility and remote agents are also predicted. Panasonic Connect North America’s Jamil King says contact centers will invest heavily in devices and mobility, opening opportunities for partners around deployments and support.
AWS VP of Amazon Connect Pasquale DeMaio added that 2024 will usher in the “golden age” for cloud contact centers. Unified Communications as a Service (UCaaS) will integrate deeply with Contact Center as a Service (CCaaS) and Communications Platform as a Service (CPaaS) for a unified platform. Contact centers will also drive innovations in sales, marketing, and back-office with AI.
Meanwhile, CaCube Consulting Fractional Chief Marketing Officer (CMO) Nicolas de Kouchkovsky believes enterprises will reevaluate their cloud, customer experience (CX), digital, and AI strategies. He said employee enablement and exploring AI’s long-term potential — beyond cost-cutting — will be a top priority this year.
Enterprises will also start scrutinizing their data architecture and restrategize their “overarching AI visions” based on the influx of innovations over the past year.
Still, industry experts also agree that while AI and automation will transform experiences, human agents will still play a key role in complex inquiries. Businesses combining AI with a human touch are expected to lead the contact center industry this year.
