Contact centres are the backbone of customer service for businesses, and as customer expectations rise, so too does the pressure to deliver exceptional service. Enter Artificial Intelligence (AI) — a game-changer that’s transforming not only the way the world operates including changing the contact centre industry. AI is not just a buzzword; it’s actively shaping the software tools that power customer service teams and enabling them to deliver an efficient, faster, smarter, and more personalised experience.
Let’s dive into how AI is being used to develop contact centre software that enhances the customer experience with our CTO, Darren Kangurs.
What does AI mean to you?
To me, AI represents powerful and evolving tools that are here to stay. Whilst recent media attention has focused on tools like ChatGPT and DeepSeek, AI itself has been around for quite some time and we've been developing and exploring its potential for years. It's exciting to see it gain more mainstream recognition, but it’s important to remember that beyond the buzz, AI has real, impactful applications. We're already seeing how it's transforming contact centre software, leading to significant improvements in the customer experience and satisfaction.
Where do you see AI having the biggest impact?
One of the most notable applications of AI in contact centre software is the integration of chatbots and virtual assistants. These AI-driven tools are designed to handle common customer enquiries often providing 24/7 assistance with no human intervention. They use Natural Language Processing (NLP) to understand and respond to customer queries in real time.
Chatbots are particularly beneficial for resolving simple issues like checking order status, answering FAQs, or troubleshooting basic problems. By automating these tasks, contact centres can save valuable time and reduce the volume of routine enquiries that human agents must address. For customers, this means instant responses without the frustration of long wait times.
What’s more, AI chatbots are continuously improving. Through machine learning, they can learn from each interaction and refine their responses over time, providing even more accurate and helpful support.
How much of AI should be personalised?
Personalisation is a key factor in creating a memorable customer experience. AI-powered contact centre software can analyse vast amounts of data from previous interactions, customer profiles, and preferences. By doing so, it can deliver a personalised service that feels tailored to each individual customer.
For instance, AI can recognise returning customers and access their interaction history, allowing agents to provide contextually relevant assistance right from the start. This minimises the need for customers to repeat themselves and enhances their satisfaction.
Moreover, AI-driven systems can suggest relevant products, promotions, or services based on a customer’s past behaviour, offering them personalised recommendations that feel timely and valuable.
What are your thoughts on predictive analytics?
One of the most impressive features of AI in contact centre software I have seen is predictive analytics. Using data and historical trends, AI can predict potential customer issues before they arise. For example, AI might detect patterns indicating a service outage or delivery delay and proactively reach out to affected customers with an update or solution.
Predictive AI can also help optimise resource allocation. By analysing trends in call volume, it can predict peak times and suggest staffing adjustments, ensuring that agents are available when they’re needed most. This predictive capability helps businesses stay ahead of potential problems and enhances the customer experience by providing proactive, rather than reactive, service.
What about AI and omnichannel?
Customers today expect a seamless experience across multiple channels—whether it’s voice, email, chat, social media, or messaging apps. AI-driven contact centre software excels at providing omnichannel support, enabling businesses to connect with customers on their preferred platforms.
AI can unify interactions from different channels into a single view, allowing agents to quickly access all relevant customer data, regardless of the medium. This ensures a consistent and cohesive experience for the customer, regardless of how they choose to communicate.
Moreover, AI tools can automatically route customers to the most appropriate channel based on the complexity of their issue, making the whole process more efficient.
How does AI help agents do their job more efficiently?
AI isn’t just about enhancing customer interactions it is also changing how contact centres operate. It enhances back-end operations by automating routine tasks and workflows. From ticket management to case routing, AI-powered software can handle repetitive tasks, allowing agents to focus on more complex issues that require human expertise.
For example, AI can automatically assign cases to the most suitable agent based on their skills, availability, and past interactions with the customer. It can also provide agents with suggested responses or knowledge base articles, improving efficiency and reducing resolution times.
Furthermore, it’s also a powerful tool for optimising contact centre operations. AI-powered software can forecast demand, predict call volumes, and adjust staffing levels accordingly. This ensures that contact centres are appropriately always staffed, minimising wait times and improving service levels. It can help identify trends in agent performance, providing insights into areas where additional training or support may be needed. This data-driven approach helps managers make informed decisions and ensures agents are equipped to deliver top-notch service.
We’ve spoken about how AI is helping contact centres and the customer, how is it helping you to develop?
AI is helping all aspects of the business and has some great benefits. It’s helping us streamline our processes and very similar to how it benefits agents, we use AI to assist with optimising our development.
Whilst AI is very topical and when used correctly can have major benefits, we must balance the hype and the idea of AI with the practicality of delivering secure software. AI is exciting, especially for a developer in a Tech space, however, everything we do has to be considered. Most of what I have spoken about in this interview doesn’t make the headlines. AI has been around for a while, but it’s becoming more popular and enhanced with all the major players in the Tech space talking about it.
How do you see AI in the future of contact centres?
AI is here to stay and is a natural development in the tech space. It is no longer a futuristic concept—it’s actively transforming contact centre software and reshaping the customer experience. By leveraging AI, businesses can streamline operations, provide more personalised and efficient support, and better anticipate customer needs. Ultimately, AI is not about replacing humans – either agents in contact centres, or developers designing the software - but empowering them to perform their jobs more effectively and focus on what truly matters.
As AI technology continues to evolve, we can expect even more sophisticated tools that further enhance the customer journey. The future of customer service is undoubtedly AI-powered – but how will depend on the needs of the customer. I believe if businesses embrace these innovations, they will be better positioned to meet the ever-growing demands of their customers.
Would you like to know more about TelXL's contact centre software platform, Cxp, and how it could help your business? Book a call today with a member of the team.