Customer Experience Trends for the Digital Age
By Nikola Mrkšić, co-founder and CEO of PolyAI and Todd Fisher, co-founder and CEO of CallTrackingMetrics
We’re no strangers to customer expectations — in fact, meeting and then surpassing them is what has propelled us this far professionally. We want to delight our customers and provide them with convenient, efficient interactions that build relationships and, in turn, make for more loyal customers. The current customer service environment demands agility from businesses seeking to maintain their competitive edge. Organizations must not just respond to change, but anticipate and adapt proactively. This article will explore some standout trends we expect to redefine customer experiences in 2025 and beyond.
The great divide between the AI haves and have nots - Nikola’s perspective
At this time last year, the hype cycle surrounding AI was marked by almost utopian expectations, with many envisioning an overnight transformation of every industry. The reality has proved to be more complex, however. Though AI has not delivered on some of the more ambitious expectations, it is driving real and measurable business value when thoughtfully implemented, especially in contact centers.
2025 will be the year that we begin to see a widening AI divide between organizations based on their adoption timeline. Those that chose to start their AI journeys in 2023 and 2024 will see substantial benefits over those that have lagged. For example, early adopters will likely have already begun to see shorter, faster R&D periods thanks to AI assists during the product development cycle. Operationally, automation can help things run more smoothly and efficiently, saving time and other resources.
Companies that have started incorporating AI into their call centers have found that it improves experiences for customers and employees alike. Because of voice assistants’ unique knowledge bases, customers can get many of the answers they’re looking for without ever having to speak to a human. Additionally, voice assistants are always available, so the majority of frustrating hold times are significantly reduced, if not cut out completely. On the agent side, with AI doing the heavy lifting and taking on the bulk of FAQs and other common queries, human agents in the call center have more time to focus on higher-value tasks and interactions that require an empathetic human touch.
In short, adopting AI early has already proven to be a valuable investment in numerous ways for many organizations.
On the other end of the spectrum are organizations that decided to wait and see how AI technology played out. These holdouts will be increasingly scrambling to play catch-up in the coming year. As AI tools continue to become more sophisticated and complex, more cautious firms are likely to face a higher cost of entry than those which hopped on the AI bandwagon early on. They will also have a shallower talent pool to draw from, as more job candidates are attracted to higher-tech organizations.
The organizations that waited to implement AI in their call centers will face the facts: They’re entering a Formula One race with a kit car, and the question is not if they will be lapped, but when. Each passing quarter will make it harder to close that expanding capability gap.
Core values as a competitive differentiator - Todd’s perspective
Now that AI is an expectation, the fundamental elements of your business will help you stand out from the crowd. AI is proliferating and increasingly creeping into nearly every aspect of life, and that will continue into 2025. As this technology makes our lives easier and more efficient by automating tedious tasks, interfaces will become more intuitive and universally accessible, and emerging regulatory frameworks and oversight will help guide responsible innovation.
AI will tackle more and more of society’s most pressing challenges, helping to create more equitable access to digital resources and strengthen community bonds. Yet in an era where AI capabilities become ubiquitous, a company's core values and principles will emerge as key differentiators. Organizations that build on their foundational strengths while thoughtfully embracing AI will find sustainable growth. Success will favor those who balance technological advancement with human-centered values, ethical practices and genuine social impact.
Voice is king - Nikola’s perspective
AI-powered voice assistants have made incredible advances in 2024, and they’re only going to continue to improve and proliferate in 2025 and beyond. Many people expected text-based chatbots to be the customer service channel of the future, but the future is now, and people still prefer voice channels.
Think about it: If a customer has a problem, they don’t want to spend time painstakingly typing out every detail of their issue — it’s so much easier to say it aloud to someone (or something) that understands their needs. Because AI-powered voice assistants have such sophisticated speech recognition capabilities, someone calling into the contact center can be understood by the AI even if there is background noise, or the person has an accent, or even if the caller repeatedly interrupts or pauses for long periods of time.
Spoken language understanding (SLU) technology will only continue to improve, leading to enhanced AI-powered interactions in the call center, and in turn, better customer experiences.
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As we look toward 2025, the widening gap between AI early adopters and holdouts will become increasingly apparent, while voice technology will continue to cement its position as the preferred channel for meaningful customer interactions. Organizations already embracing AI-powered solutions will be positioned to reap significant rewards in operational efficiency, customer satisfaction and employee engagement. However, the true differentiator won’t just be technological adoption — it will be how companies balance AI capabilities with their core values and human-centered approach.
Success will require more than implementing the latest AI tools. It will demand a thoughtful integration of technology with fundamental business strengths, ethical practices and a deep understanding of customer needs. As AI continues to spread, the organizations that thrive will be those that use technology to enhance rather than replace human connection, leveraging AI to create more meaningful, efficient and accessible customer experiences.
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