In conversation with Adrian Swinscoe: Is your contact center future-ready?

“If this, then that” automation is rapidly being replaced by an even more powerful tool for businesses–generative AI (GenAI). A decade ago, Big Data was all the rage, until brands realized that collecting this data was only valuable if they could digest and innovate from it. Finally, this data has found its purpose by being used as Large Language Model (LLM) trainers. These sophisticated LLM models are powering tools that help employees be more productive and can provide customers with faster answers and resolutions. The speed at which AI is evolving and transforming how businesses operate is astounding. One thing that won’t change is that many businesses continue to compete primarily on customer experience.

As customer expectations continue to rise, there’s no avoiding the fact that CX leaders need to innovate to stay ahead. To help CX leaders get in front of these trends Adrian Swinscoe, renowned customer experience thought leader and visionary author, has published his latest paper, Is Your Contact Center Future-Ready? How Bringing Together a Cloud Contact Center, Unified Communications, and AI Can Create the Experience Your Customers Crave. Commissioned by Zoom, Adrian's paper explores the transformative potential of AI and innovation in the contact center space.

Adrian Swinscoe is no stranger to the good, the bad, and the ugly of customer experience. With a repertoire of over 25 years working with brands such as Shell, Apple, Vonage, and Zoom, he has established himself as a trusted advisor and thought leader in the field. His insights have helped numerous organizations navigate the complex terrain of customer service and experience, making him the perfect guide to understanding the future of contact centers.

In this interview, we delve into the key themes of Adrian’s paper, exploring how cloud technology, unified communications, and AI can revolutionize the contact center industry. We also gain a sneak peek into the strategies and innovations that can help businesses not only meet but exceed customer expectations in the years to come.

Welcome, Adrian! We’re excited to discuss your latest paper, Is Your Contact Center Future-Ready? 

Q. Can you start by telling us what inspires you about this topic?

Adrian: Thank you! I'd have to say the rapid evolution of customer expectations we’ve all witnessed, along with the rise of GenAI and cloud technology, inspired me to explore this transformation and its impact on the contact center. Contact centers have always been crucial to customer experience, but they’re under immense pressure, now more than ever. I wanted to investigate how integrating cloud contact center technology, unified communications, and AI can help businesses not just keep up, but truly excel.

Q. Your paper mentions that many brands are not meeting customer expectations despite significant efforts. Why do you think this is happening?

Adrian: Many brands focus heavily on the buying part of the customer journey but neglect what happens when things go wrong for customers. This lack of balance leads to frustration when customers need support. The contact center often doesn’t get the investment it needs to keep up with rising consumer expectations, which results in unmet customer needs. It’s a big miss for businesses to deprioritize customer service as it can harm brand loyalty and customer satisfaction.

Q. You talk about the emergence of GenAI and its impact on contact centers. How do you see this playing out in the short term?

Adrian: It’s easy to get swept up in the GenAI hype, but it’s important to plan AI implementation carefully with a short-term and long-term strategy. Tackle the low-hanging fruit to get started and then prepare a longer-term deployment. In the short term, GenAI can significantly enhance self-service capabilities, allowing customers to resolve simple issues on their own. This can free up agents to handle more complex queries. Then you can introduce AI to assist agents in real-time during those more complex interactions, providing them with the information they need to resolve issues quickly and effectively, ultimately improving both the agent and customer experience.

Q. Your paper introduces the concept of “a third wave of customer interaction,” or as Eric Yuan, Zoom CEO, describes it in the paper’s foreword: "a Total Experience.” Can you explain what the third wave means and why it’s important?

Adrian: The third wave of customer interaction is about the need for a seamless and integrated experience for both customers and employees. It combines the power of AI, a cloud contact center, and unified communications to help make every interaction efficient and personalized. Agents can reach back-office subject matter experts easily, data is shared across departments to gain deeper insights, and everyone has a role in delivering a complete brand experience for customers. This approach not only has the potential to boost customer satisfaction now and in the future but also to improve employee engagement and productivity, leading to better overall business outcomes.

Q. What role do you see Zoom playing in this transformation?

Adrian: From what I can see, Zoom is at the forefront of this transformation with its Multi-CaaS (combined CCaaS and UCaaS) platform. This is due to your platform being natively built in the cloud, integrating AI at its core, and offering comprehensive features that support customer and agent experiences. I believe this makes Zoom an ideal partner for businesses looking to future-proof their contact centers.

Q. What can CX leaders expect to learn from your paper?

Adrian: By reading my paper, and attending my forthcoming webinar with Zoom and CX Today, CX leaders can gain a deep understanding of the current state of customer experience, the challenges facing contact centers, and the transformative potential of new technologies like GenAI. They can also learn practical strategies for integrating these technologies to prepare for the third wave of transformation and, to quote Eric, create a “Total Experience,” that goes above and beyond their customer expectations.

Q. Any final thoughts to share?

Adrian: The contact center landscape is changing rapidly, and businesses need to adapt to stay competitive. It is crucial to embrace new technologies and rethink the role of the contact center within the broader customer journey. I hope my paper, with its valuable insights, encourages leaders to take bold steps toward a future-ready contact center.

Thank you for sharing your insights with us today, Adrian!

Adrian: Thank you for having me. It’s been a pleasure!

Want to hear more of Adrian's insights on the future of CX? Join our next webinar with CX Today, where I'll be chatting with Adrian on the topic of: The Contact Center Evolution: The Missing Pieces to Make AI a Success. 

Get Adrian's full paper here: 'Is your contact center future-ready?'.

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