If you reach out to a company with a question or complaint these days, your first point of contact probably won’t be human. In fact, you might resolve your issue without ever interacting with another person. Since generative AI (genAI) exploded in popularity with the debut of ChatGPT, AI-powered virtual customer service agents have proliferated, gaining traction with organizations seeking to tackle high volumes of inquiries without overworking human employees.
Many professionals in the customer experience (CX) space already rely on AI, according to the Nextiva blog entry “2025 CX Trends: ROI, Scale, and a Lot More AI.” Including pilots and standalone solutions, the blog states that 92 percent of companies have deployed artificial intelligence to some extent.
Similarly, NICE’s “AI CX Trends to Watch for in 2025” notes that more than 30 percent of businesses have turned to artificial intelligence to respond to customer calls, lowering average handle time (AHT) by as much as 60 percent. It’s clear that AI is dramatically transforming how companies serve customers, with CX leaders leveraging the technology to meet evolving consumer expectations.
In a recent study commissioned by Avaya, Forrester assessed the impact of AI for CX by surveying 415 decision-makers responsible for CX strategy. The results shed light on how artificial intelligence allows CX professionals to orchestrate exceptional experiences in the face of economic uncertainty and scarce resources.
“AI’s ability to deliver cost-effective, high-quality interactions enables businesses to do more with less and ensures they can meet customer expectations even in tight economic conditions,” the report states.
When asked how their organizations are currently utilizing AI as part of CX operations, decision-makers reported these use cases, according to Forrester and Avaya.
1. Self-service automation.
One of the main ways businesses can leverage AI for CX involves creating new self-service opportunities for clients and automating responses to routine inquiries. Examples of tools performing this function include virtual assistants and AI-powered chatbots. Of the CX decision-makers surveyed, 33 percent were planning to implement this functionality in the next 12 months, 47 percent were currently using AI for this purpose, and 20 percent were expanding or upgrading implementation.
2. Agent assistance.
Artificial intelligence can also assist contact center agents, supporting the delivery of faster and superior customer service. For example, AI assistants can create automated summaries and provide real-time recommendations based on the analysis of customer interactions and best practices. Among the decision-makers that Forrester surveyed, 38 percent were planning to implement this use case in the next 12 months, 41 percent were currently using it, and 21 percent were expanding or upgrading implementation.
3. Orchestrating and routing customer interactions.
Another common way that CX decision-makers leverage AI to improve CX involves utilizing it to orchestrate and route interactions: 47 percent of those surveyed were planning to implement this use case in the next 12 months, 28 percent were currently employing it, and 25 percent were expanding or upgrading.
4. Predictive analytics and decision-making.
AI can also enhance the decision-making process with predictive analytics. Nearly half of those surveyed by Forrester (48 percent of decision-makers) reported planning to implement this function in the next 12 months, while 32 percent were currently utilizing it, and 20 percent were expanding or upgrading.
5. Comprehensive data analysis and customer journey optimization.
Artificial intelligence can efficiently analyze large volumes of data and deliver insights to improve customer journeys. Of the CX decision-makers surveyed, 45 percent were planning to deploy this capability in the next 12 months, 33 percent were currently utilizing AI for this purpose, and 23 percent were expanding or upgrading.
To gain additional insights into AI for CX and how AI can improve customer experience, you can download the report from Avaya’s website.
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