New Ways to Help Agents Build Rapport

Building meaningful rapport with customers has always been the foundation of exceptional service. But today, traditional approaches to connection are no longer enough on their own.

Enter a new era of relationship building, where CX AI isn’t replacing the human element, it’s amplifying it – at scale! So, what does this look like in practice? We asked our panel of technology experts to find out!

Assign a “Rapport Score” to Each Interaction

What if you could actually measure rapport on a call and then coach it? That’s the idea behind a new approach where AI assigns a “rapport score” to each interaction based on tone, empathy, emotional alignment, and communication style.

So, at the end of the call, the agent gets a quick score along with suggestions for how to improve.

For instance, the AI might say, “Use more validating language when the customer expresses frustration”, or “Express concern earlier in emotionally charged moments”. It turns something subjective into clear, constructive feedback.

More importantly, it helps agents reflect and grow in how they connect with customers. As emotional intelligence improves across the team, strong rapport becomes part of the culture.

Contributed by: John Ortiz, AI and Voice Analytics Consultant, MiaRec

Empower Your Agents With the Interpretive Skills They Need to Harness AI Insights

Building rapport in the age of CX AI means combining intelligent insights with genuine human connection.

AI can surface emotional cues, recommend next-best actions, and guide tone, but rapport still depends on empathy and authenticity. The most effective agents use AI’s recommendations as a starting point, not a finish line.

As customer interactions become more complex, leaders must right-skill agents to handle nuanced, emotionally charged scenarios that AI alone can’t resolve.

That means developing skills in emotional intelligence, problem-solving, and contextual judgement alongside digital fluency. When agents are empowered to interpret insights and adapt naturally, AI becomes a true partner in connection.

Contributed by: Gal Rimon, CEO & Founder, Centrical

Surface Customer History So Agents Can Bypass Repetitive Questioning

AI is not replacing the human touch in contact centres; it is helping to scale it.

The future of CX therefore lies in empowering agents with customer insights at speed. For example, using AI to analyse customer engagement sentiment in real time, prompting agents to adjust their tone.

For example, when one client faced a frustrated caller regarding billing, AI flagged their engagement sentiment and suggested different responses, helping to defuse tension immediately. Furthermore, by surfacing customer history, agents can bypass repetitive questioning.

In fact, Metrigy’s State of AI in Customer Experience report, commissioned by Zoom, found that 64% of companies using AI agent assist tools have reduced average handle time by 28%, and 42% have reduced agent attrition by 29%.

Contributed by: Ben Neo, Head of Contact Center and CX Sales EMEA, Zoom

Give Agents Real-Time Emotional Cues to Help Them Respond in More Considerate Ways

CX AI can give agents real-time insight into tone, pace, and emotional cues so they can respond in ways that feel calmer, clearer, and more considerate.

For example, it can surface context that customers have already shared so they never need to repeat themselves. It can translate, simplify, or rephrase language to support accessibility needs and reduce moments of friction or embarrassment.

But the heart of rapport still comes from people. AI creates the space for agents to be fully present by taking away the mental load of searching, typing, or remembering every policy.

When agents are not overwhelmed, they can listen, validate, and adapt. Rapport becomes less about scripts and speed, and more about connection. AI supports empathy. Humans deliver it!

Contributed by: Tara Aldridge, Strategic Services Director, Vonage

Create a Customized Greeting Based on Each Customer’s Account Activity

Your virtual or human agent can use information that a customer has previously shared with you to logically anticipate their needs.

For example, it can provide a customized greeting based on their account activity, such as:

• “If you are calling about your next appointment with Dr Alan Smith at 10am on Monday 3rd August, press 1”
• “I see your house insurance is due for renewal this month. Is that something I can help you with today?”
• “Thank you for being a customer with our company since 2003. How can we help today?”

Showing that you have listened to your customers’ preferences is also instantly effective.

For example, during a conversation, an agent can be prompted or programmed to say, “We can certainly have a technician call you. You’ve previously asked us to call on a Tuesday or Thursday evening between 7 and 9pm, is that still your preferred time?”

Contributed by: Debbie Thomas, Director, Pre-Sales WNE, Enghouse Interactive

Automate Call Notes to Make Future Calls Smoother and Service Sharper

Customer trust with AI is a fine line. As tools get smarter, customers do too. They accept bots for simple stuff but expect humans for nuance – and they’re good at telling the difference. So how do we build trust without turning customers into guinea pigs?

Start with strong monitoring. A good interaction can go sideways fast, so catch issues early and fix them often.

Next: verify, then trust. Treat AI like a new hire – shadow it with experienced agents until it proves itself, and be ready to jump in.

Finally, use “behind-the-scenes” AI to boost rapport: automatic QM, sentiment analysis, summaries, schedule tweaks, and automated call notes make future calls smoother and service sharper.

Bottom line: AI is a helper, not a replacement. Humans think critically, handle complexity, and deepen the rapport that keeps customers coming back.

Contributed by: Dave Hoekstra, Product Evangelist, Calabrio

Make Sure Your Data Is Connected, Queryable, and Actually Usable

What organizations want and need are CX AI tools that enable teams to finally talk to their data.

Done well – and if the data is solid – it unifies intelligence across conversations and systems and makes it accessible through an intuitive chat interface.

This means human agents stay in control, asking the AI co-pilot to make sense of signals across multiple historical and real-time data sources – comfortably, confidently, and without needing an analyst.

It’s data that’s connected, queryable, and actually usable.

Contributed by: Dhwani Soni, Global VP Product Management, Design & Operations, 8×8

Put the Right Information in Front of Your Agents at Exactly the Right Moment

The role of AI in customer experience is to make that human element as human as possible by preparing and enriching every interaction.

With intelligent agent-assist technology, agents have the right information in front of them at exactly the right moment.

A customer data platform (CDP) synchronizes organizational and individual data in real time, empowering agents to respond in a personalized way with empathy, confidence, and charm.

While only humans can truly build trust, AI enables them to do so faster, giving every agent the insight and capability of the most experienced team member from day one.

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

Even Chatbots Can Now Build Rapport

Customers want to feel heard, not processed. AI-driven chatbots and virtual assistants can now mimic natural language and tone, making digital conversations feel more human.

When these tools handle routine queries smoothly, customers experience speed without losing warmth. Consistency across channels reinforces trust and shows that your brand values every interaction.

Contributed by: Lewis Gallagher, Senior Solutions Consultant, Netcall

What If the Best Experience Was One That Required No Interaction at All?

Imagine how much happier your customers would be if they never needed to reach out in the first place?

By connecting visibility across your existing platforms (CCaaS, CRM, ticketing, social media, CSAT/NPS surveys, reviews, etc.) and analysing 100% of your customer conversations and feedback using AI, you can generate deep research reports in minutes to help identify the root cause of customer pain points, so you can fix issues at the source and prevent unnecessary interactions entirely.

Contributed by: Matthew Clare, VP, Product Marketing, UJET

Where Rapport Matters Most, Humans + AI Win Together

AI is reshaping customer experience, but not by replacing the warmth, intuition, and empathy customers value – it’s enhancing it!

From real-time emotional cues and personalized greetings to rapport scoring and seamless handovers, CX AI removes the friction that gets in the way of connection.

It gives agents the clarity, context, and confidence they need to show up as their most attentive, human selves. And those are the moments where true loyalty is built!

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

• Top Contact Centre Predictions for 2026
• Create a “Win–Win” Self-Service Strategy
• What’s Happening With Forecasting Right Now?

Author: Megan Jones