The ultimate guide to contact center AI: Five steps to greatness

Unless you’ve been living under a rock, there’s no doubt that all things Artificial Intelligence (AI) continue to flood your inbox and social feeds. AI in all its forms, from generative AI (GenAI) to agentic AI, is still the hot topic everyone’s talking about. AI isn’t just the future; it’s unfolding in real time. And it’s not just hype—AI has the potential to add trillions of dollars to the global economy according to a recent McKinsey report. But where do you even start when thinking about implementing contact center AI when you’re just trying to stay on top of your day-to-day?

Our practical guide to contact center AI is at hand to help you get off to the right start. We get real about AI's impact in the contact center, its benefits, implementation challenges, and five steps you can take to achieve AI greatness in your customer experiences.

The dream is a world where your contact center runs smoother, your agents are happier, and your customers are more satisfied. AI can help turn this dream into reality. It’s transforming contact centers by making them more efficient and helping agents provide the top-notch service customers expect. 

In fact, Metrigy’s 2024 report, Transforming customer experience - 6 vital projects to help improve CX, found that when companies use AI for customer engagement, they increase revenue by an average of 19.6% and improve customer ratings by 20.5%. And Gartner predicts that agentic AI will resolve 80 percent of common customer service issues without intervention by 2029. The data suggests that it’s time to jump aboard the AI train if you haven’t already done so. 

However, finding the right balance between AI and the human touch is delicate and complex. It’s not about replacing human interaction; it’s about enhancing it and making every customer feel special. Take the time to find the right balance, and you’ll reap the benefits in the months and years to come.

In your role as a CX leader, we understand that the mere mention of AI can spark a sense of panic, driven by the added pressure from leadership to get on board fast. But don’t worry—we’re here to help! Our guide breaks down all the benefits of AI in the contact center and gives you practical steps to build an AI-powered contact center that enhances the human touch your customers love. 

Key takeaways you’ll find inside include:

• Real talk about AI challenges: We break down the common hurdles and show you how to conquer them.
• The all-in-one business benefit: Discover how taking a unified approach to AI can not only bolster your contact center but your entire organization.
• Five simple steps to success: Get actionable tips to launch your customer experience AI strategy and prepare for the future.

Here’s a sneak peek of the five steps you can take to leverage some quick wins and get on the path to AI success in your contact center:  

1. Create a vision 

Start with a clear vision of what customer experience success looks like for your business. Think big but also specifically. Are you aiming for faster response times? Higher customer satisfaction scores? Reduced call volumes? Define your goals and align them with the outcomes you want to achieve. Remember, a well-defined vision will serve as a guidepost for every decision you make moving forward. 

2. Take a customer-led approach

AI works best when it’s customer-first. Instead of using technology as a shortcut, find solutions that enhance the overall customer experience. Conduct customer feedback sessions or analyze support data to uncover what matters most to your audience. Then, build processes and implement AI tools that deliver on those needs. 

3. Empower your agents and supervisors

AI isn’t about replacing your agents; it’s about making them the heroes. Use AI tools to complement their workflows, help them handle complex queries, and enable supervisors to coach more effectively. Empower your team with hands-on training and easy-to-use technology. That way they’ll feel confident and ready to deliver the results you want to see. 

4. Evaluate and course correct

The beauty of modern AI lies in its adaptability—but only if you monitor and refine its performance. Use contact center analytics to uncover trends, evaluate effectiveness, and make adjustments where necessary. Don’t be afraid to course-correct. Continuous improvement will help your contact center stay aligned with customer expectations and business goals. 

5. Partner with the right experts

Finally, partnering with the right technology provider and implementation experts can make all the difference. Look for a team that understands your industry and has a proven record of success in scaling AI for customer support. That partnership can save you time, resources, and headaches. At Zoom, we’re creating Total Experiences for customers with our Zoom CX solution, bringing teams together, eliminating silos, and creating seamless AI-first interactions across multiple channels. 

Ready to implement these steps and get started on your contact center AI journey?

Excited to learn more? Discover the full potential of contact center AI and how Zoom CX can help you lead the charge in customer experience innovation. 

Reach out to us today; we're here to help you every step of the way!