AI adoption on the rise, transforming customer-company interactions

AI is taking over the space where customers engage with companies and organisations to seek clarifications and get things done. According to the latest study by Kore.ai, the gap between automated and live agent performance is closing.

‘In the US, there is only a 4 per cent gap between the rating of intelligent virtual assistants (IVAs) versus the expectations for live agents (72% vs 76%) respectively. In the APAC (Asia Pacific) region, there is no difference in performance ratings, hinting that automated tools are gaining currency.

Kore.ai commissioned the research to study the impact of IVAs and contact centre AI solutions on customer interactions and agent job satisfaction. Kore.ai and its research partner, Farrell Insights, surveyed 1,200 customers and 600 agents across multiple regions, including the Americas, the UK, Germany, India, Japan, the Philippines, and Australia.

As it engulfs every sector, artificial intelligence is also disrupting the space where customers and companies interact with one another. Interestingly, AI is impacting both sides – while customers are found to prioritise accuracy and efficiency over live agent access, customer service agents are expecting organisations to provide them with advanced AI technology and automated tools over competitive salaries and a fair work environment.

“Additionally, 68 per cent of customers believe that AI assistants’ ability to seamlessly carry and continue conversations across channels is important when it comes to great customer service Interactions,” a study commissioned by AI solutions company Kore.ai said.

“About 72% of agents express a strong desire for intelligent virtual assistants (IVAs), but it is observed that contact centers are lagging in implementation. Sixty-two per cent of agents reporting a lack of AI use cases,” it said.

“Outdated systems also hinder productivity, with 91% of agents reporting technology-related frustrations,” the annual Agent Experience (AX) and Customer Experience (CX) Benchmark Reports said.

IVA advantage

A key factor in this shift is the IVAs’ ability to offer round-the-clock assistance and smoothly transition between tasks without requiring repetitive information, which significantly enhances consumer satisfaction and comfort levels.

The study found that the agents trained in AI skills report 92 per cent job satisfaction and engagement levels compared to their non-trained counterparts (73 p.c.).

“About 71 per cent of customer service agents view increased automated assistant usage for assessing and routing customer needs as mutually beneficial for both consumers and agents,” it said.

“Comfort with IVAs is growing across most sectors (travel, banking, retail, cable/telco/ISP) while healthcare sees direct human contact as crucial. Retail emerges as a standout sector with universal approval for AI-assisted customer service, especially in areas like product search (75% of respondents reported interest)

“To improve customer experience, increase agent satisfaction, and optimize contact center performance, leveraging AI-powered solutions is essential for businesses to stay ahead of the curve. Our latest research shows increased engagement and satisfaction with AI solutions among agents and consumers,” Raj Koneru, CEO of Kore.ai, said.