AI isn’t just another flashy buzzword. But let’s get something straight: it’s not just about automating people—it’s about powering them to be more efficient, effective, and even more human in how they serve your customers.

There’s a clear promise here—cut costs, boost efficiency, and deliver experiences that make customers go wow. But the buzz about automation and those mind-blowing demos can sometimes distract from what really matters.

If you focus on the real goal (powering your people), you’ll set your contact center up to thrive in 2025 and beyond.

Automating People vs. Powering People

We’ve been culturally primed to get excited about AI agents. Think about it: from R2-D2 to HAL to Jarvis, AI has always been something you talk to.

So when we see conversational AI becoming a reality, it just feels… familiar, exciting, and most importantly—possible.

That’s why we see this rush to build voice-to-voice AI agents, which can handle basic tasks by pulling info from a single source. But let’s be real—what happens when these systems go live and need to pull data from multiple systems or make decisions based on more than a canned response?

Here’s the catch: pulling off a demo is the easy part. Running an AI agent at scale? Whole different ball game.

The big challenge isn’t just providing information — it’s taking action within complex systems, across layers of permissions. And most companies aren’t ready to let AI agents change orders or issue refunds autonomously… yet.

And honestly? They probably shouldn’t be ready for that just yet.

Finding the Sweet Spot: The Routine Wins

So, where do you start? It’s not rocket science: start with the basics.

We’re talking routine tasks like scheduling and confirming appointments or sending reminders. It’s predictable, routine, and key to your efficiency. AI can handle the conversation, collect the details, and pass them off to a human to plug into the CRM if needed.

It’s a hybrid approach that works—and it’s low-risk, so you can build momentum without risking the farm.

Why Speech Analytics 1.0 is Outdated

Now, let’s talk about where things get really exciting.

Traditional speech analytics tools spent decades picking out words and phrases, piecing them together to guess the context. But here’s the problem: it’s prone to error, full of false positives, and honestly, it’s like playing a frustrating game of whack-a-mole.

Enter large language models (LLMs). Instead of just counting keywords, LLMs look at the entire conversation to understand what’s really happening. The result? More accurate insights, fewer mistakes, and an end to all those false positives.

For contact center leaders, this is a game-changer. The centers that embrace this shift now are going to leave competitors clinging to outdated speech analytics in the dust.

Boosting Agent Efficiency with AI

Beyond voice agents and insights, AI brings an enormous opportunity to power your agents.

Imagine doubling your agents’ speed—not by making them work harder, but by eliminating all the small delays that add up. Think about it: typing in customer details, reading back phone numbers—those little tasks slow down the whole conversation.

With AI, agents can collect and confirm info instantly and move on without breaking their stride. This isn’t just about a 10% bump in efficiency—we’re talking two to three times faster. That’s the kind of transformation AI can bring to your contact center.

The Enterprise Needs a Dose of Courage and Creativity

But here’s the kicker: to unlock all this potential, contact centers need to get creative and be willing to take some risks.

Your customers are already chatting with AI in their homes through Alexa, Siri, and more. They’re seeing what’s possible, and they’re wondering, “Why isn’t this in the companies I deal with every day?”

The answer? Complexity. Enterprise systems are more complicated, with more moving pieces. But that can’t be an excuse to sit still. The businesses that push boundaries today will not only stay competitive—they’ll leap ahead.

What to Look For When Shopping for AI Solutions

If you’re out there evaluating AI vendors, keep these three things in mind:

  1. Is it real or just a demo? Ask yourself, “Am I seeing real, live software or just a polished mock-up?” Companies are under intense pressure to sell AI that isn’t fully baked, so make sure you’re interacting with the actual product.
  2. Can they dive into your use case? At 30,000 feet, all these AI pitches sound great. But if a vendor can’t drill down to your specific use case, that’s a red flag. Real tech delivers real results in the weeds, not just at a high level.
  3. Are they honest about limitations? Look for vendors who are clear about where their tech excels and where it struggles. It’s not enough to say they’ve “put up guardrails.” They need to be able to articulate how their AI avoids mistakes and when it’s going to ask for help from a human.

In Conclusion: Why You Should Start Now

The future of contact centers is bright for the businesses willing to lean into AI today. If you embrace AI not just to automate, but to power, you’ll set your contact center up for scalable, sustainable success. And it’s not just about cost savings or efficiency—the real ROI is in winning trust and loyalty by delivering a smarter, smoother experience.

So, here’s the takeaway: start small, learn fast, and don’t let complexity hold you back. The contact centers that take bold steps now are going to dominate customer experience in 2025.

The AI revolution isn’t “coming”—it’s already here. The question is, how are you going to navigate it?