What Are Intelligent Contact Centres Doing Right Now?

Technology is evolving so fast it can feel near impossible to keep up!

That’s why we asked a cross-section of technology experts to put the spotlight on how industry-leading operations are embracing the latest in AI and automation right now.

“Providing Agents With Ongoing Coaching to Help Them Navigate AI-Driven Workflows” 

Calabrio’s 2025 State of the Contact Centre research revealed that 59% of contact centres are not providing agents with the ongoing coaching or support needed to help them navigate AI-driven workflows.  

To truly reap the benefits of AI and build a smarter contact centre, support must be given to agents to ensure they are well equipped to handle their changing responsibilities.

Prioritizing continuous agent development by investing in training and coaching will ensure agents are engaged with new technology and that the changes don’t have a negative impact on job satisfaction or attrition rates. 

Contributed by: Magnus Geverts, VP Product Marketing, Calabrio

Take a look at this article and video interview with Brad Cleveland for more on Digital Literacy: How to Train Agents to Work Alongside AI Tools

“Creating More Personalized Journeys by Matching Customers With Agents Who Share Similar Interests”

Go beyond basics and use AI to create more meaningful and personalized customer journeys.

One powerful example of this is matching customers with agents who share similar interests, such as pairing a football fan with an agent who follows the same team. This small connection can turn the experience more positive and increase engagement.

The same approach can apply to self-service. By leveraging AI to adapt IVR flows or bot responses based on customer profiles, you can turn scripted interactions into humanized experiences.

Contributed by: Zainab Ahmed, Marketing Manager, Peopleware

“Embracing Virtual Agents to Greet Customers and Validate a Caller’s Identity”

Contact centre IVRs can be complex, often requiring highly skilled staff or professional services to build and maintain them. AI is dramatically changing this paradigm by replacing heavy-duty IVRs with AI Virtual Agents.

The Virtual Agent can greet your customers like an answering service and be taught to handle a multitude of calls in the way a live agent would.

It can validate a caller’s identity, look up the status of an order, process a return, file a complaint, provide answers to routine questions – and so much more. 

Where necessary, the Virtual Agent can also route callers to appropriate Live Agent queues or other more specialized Virtual Agent queues.

Contributed by: Jeff Lear, Sr. Solutions Engineer, Enghouse

“Inferring CX Metrics Like CSAT and NPS by Analysing Conversations”

CSAT and NPS scores are only useful if they’re timely and representative. Unfortunately, traditional surveys suffer from low response rates and lagging results.

AI can infer CX metrics like CSAT, NPS, and even Net Effort Score (NES) by analysing the actual conversation.

This means every customer interaction becomes a data point – no extra steps for the customer or agent. You can now monitor customer satisfaction in real time, segment scores by agent or topic, and even predict churn before it happens.

Contributed by: Tatiana Polyakova, COO, MiaRec

“Automatically Following Up With Customers After a Poor Experience”

To stay ahead, contact centres need to go beyond just reacting and use AI-powered insights to proactively engage customers.

By analysing customer interactions across all channels, teams can uncover not just what was said, but how customers felt and what they might need next.

This can help organizations provide more thoughtful, relevant and personalized outreach. For instance, automatically following up after a poor experience, re-engaging high-value customers, or providing resolution before issues escalate.

It can also help determine the right timing, messaging, and prioritization based on sentiment, engagement patterns, and past outcomes.

Instead of a one-size-fits-all approach, communication becomes tailored and relevant based on contact centre interactions, and it can leave customers feeling understood and valued.

Contributed by: Frank Sherlock, VP of International, CallMiner

“Providing Automated Real-Time Updates About a Problem’s Cause and What Is Being Done to Fix It”

AI-driven automation can predict customer intent based on recent interactions and deliver resolution across channels.

For example, during a large-scale power outage, utilities providers can connect location data with high and low voltage network data to provide customers with automated real-time updates – detailing the problem’s cause, timeline, and what is being done to fix it.

It can also set out the resolution actions and schedule, while registering the customer for further proactive alerts.

This example is heavily linked to improved CSAT, disproving the notion that automation doesn’t necessarily mean “worse than human”.

Contributed by: Martin Taylor, Co-Founder and Deputy CEO, Content Guru

“Spotting Intent and Routing Queries Intelligently to Boost C-SAT”

We see leading contact centres using AI to spot intent, route queries intelligently, and anticipate customer needs. This not only improves satisfaction but also boosts operational resilience.

The smartest approach? Combine AI with human empathy – use automation to handle the routine, so your agents can focus on complex, high-value conversations.

Contributed by: Ben Booth, CEO, MaxContact

“Reframing Problems and Challenging Convention”

Be bold. This doesn’t mean being reckless – it means being unafraid to prototype, reframe problems and to challenge convention.

If you were designing your contact centre from scratch today, with the full power of AI and automation at your fingertips, would you really do things the same way you are now? Probably not. 

That’s the mindset needed to move forward. Start by mapping your existing processes. Then challenge them. Where are the inefficiencies? Where can automation drive speed, accuracy, and consistency? Where can AI deliver insight, not just data? Quantify the impact and build the case.

With tools like conversational AI, intelligent routing, and predictive analytics more accessible than ever, there’s no excuse not to evolve.  Think big, start small, move fast – but most of all, move somewhere!

Contributed by: Lewis Gallagher, Senior Solutions Consultant, Netcall

“Putting a Well-Governed Data Strategy in Place”

The most overlooked ingredient in a smart contact centre is data strategy. AI is only as powerful as the data it learns from.

That’s why centralized, well-governed data is essential – not just for training models, but for building resilience.

AI maturity isn’t about flashy features – it’s about dependable, measurable outcomes. Make CSAT your north star and continuously refine based on feedback.

With strong data foundations and adaptability, AI stops being a trend and becomes your competitive edge.

Contributed by: Jonathan Mckenzie, Senior Manager and AI/Chatbot Expert, 8×8

“Analysing Call Recordings to Identify Training Opportunities”

By automatically analysing call recordings for keywords, sentiment, silence, and emotion, teams gain a clearer view of customer needs, agent performance, and emerging issues – without manually reviewing thousands of calls. 

This visibility enables continuous improvement across the board, from refining scripts and processes, to identifying training opportunities, to enhancing compliance and quality assurance. 

Contributed by: Ben Booth, CEO, MaxContact

“Automating Baseline Forecasting, So Planners Can Focus on Handling Exceptions and Special Events”

AI can deliver impact by supporting internal operations.

For example, automating baseline forecasting, so planners can focus on handling exceptions and special events, or scheduling breaks and 1:1 sessions during low-demand periods.

Contributed by: Zainab Ahmed, Marketing Manager, Peopleware

“Identifying and Prioritizing High-Value Calls”

Not all interactions are created equal. With AI, you can tag calls by revenue potential, customer value, or churn risk.

For example, a call from a high-value account mentioning dissatisfaction can be flagged for urgent follow-up. Combine this with predictive analytics to prioritize calls that are likely to lead to upsells, renewals, or cancellations.

Smart routing engines can use these insights to route VIP customers to senior agents or escalate at-risk accounts to retention teams.

This approach helps maximize revenue, reduce churn, and ensure your most important customers always get the best experience – without increasing headcount.

Contributed by: Tatiana Polyakova, COO, MiaRec

“Identifying Trending Topics and Drilling Down to Discover What’s Causing Them”

Your calls and their conversational content are rich with data that is likely going unnoticed! 

However, with modern transcription and AI-enhanced call analytics, you can discover conversational content, topics, outcomes and trends without limits. 

You can easily identify trending topics along with sentiment analysis and drill down to discover what is causing them to trend – for positive or negative reasons. 

Contributed by: Jeff Lear, Sr. Solutions Engineer, Enghouse

“Automating Administrative Tasks Like Summarizing Calls or Inputting Data”

Agents often spend 40–60% of their time on administrative tasks like summarizing calls or inputting data.

AI can automate these functions, instantly generating interaction summaries, populating forms, and suggesting next steps based on live conversation analysis, reducing training time and boosting job satisfaction.

One of our new customers calculated that agents had over 13 systems of record to tab between to locate or record information. AI can unify access to this data, streamlining processes dramatically.

Contributed by: Martin Taylor, Co-Founder and Deputy CEO, Content Guru

“Retiring Their Legacy IVR and Rigid Call-Flows”

To build a smarter contact centre, start by retiring the legacy IVR and rigid call-flows. Today’s customers expect intelligent, personalized service – not hold music and labyrinthine menus. AI must be deployed with intent, not as a buzzword.

Begin with a strong CX vision and select technologies that deliver real-time value while remaining adaptable.

A seamlessly integrated CRM is foundational – it powers contextual conversations by ensuring every agent and AI tool has up-to-date customer data.

Without this backbone, automation risks becoming fragmented. Personalized service begins with understanding, and that means unifying and leveraging your customer data at every touchpoint. Building smarter means building from a solid base!

Contributed by: Jonathan Mckenzie, Senior Manager and AI/Chatbot Expert, 8×8

Don’t Wait for Tomorrow, the Opportunity Is Already Here!

From transforming how agents are coached and capturing customer sentiment in real time, to automating everything from routing to forecasting, the smartest contact centres are using AI not just to streamline operations, but to deliver deeper personalization, resilience, and long-term value to customers.

So stop waiting for tomorrow – the opportunity is now!

For more great insights and advice from our panel of experts, read these articles next:

• 15 Proven Tactics to Reduce Abandon Rate
• Top Tips for Digital Channels – Forecasting and Scheduling
• Top Tactics to Improve First Contact Resolution (FCR)
• Are Chatbots the Tech We All Love to Hate?

Author: Megan Jones
Reviewed by: Xander Freeman