CX Network：用AI提升客戶體驗 ADVANCING THE CUSTOMER EXPERIENCE WITH AI

ADVANCINGTHECUSTOMEREXPERIENCEWITHAI

Exploringtheuseofartificialintelligenceforcustomerdata,contactcentermanagementandoperationalefficiency

RESEARCHREPORT

INSIDE

HowAI-poweredexperiencesarebeingusedtoturnloyaltyintofandom.

Broughttoyouinassociationwith

WhysomeorganizationsarechoosingtohireaC-suitelevelexecutivededicatedtoAI.HowAIandgenerativeAIaredeliveringbenefitsfororganizationsintheAPACregion.

DISCLAIMER:Theinformationinthispiecedoesnotconstituteaslegaladviceandsoshouldnotberegardedassuch.

Foreword

Artificialintelligence(AI)powershundredsofenterprisetoolsandprocessesthatallowforfasterdecisions

andsmarterprogresstowardsorganizationaltargets.

Whilethishasdrivenfinancialandoperationalbenefits,ithasalsofacilitatedanumberofdistinctcustomer

benefits,fromautomatedchatandself-service,tomorepersonalizedandintuitivesalesjourneys.

AI,however,doesnotstandstillandasitscapabilitiescontinuetoevolveatanever-fasterpace,the

experiencefeaturesthatarenowpossiblearedirectly

drivingcustomerengagement,retentionandloyalty.Insomeindustries,theseexperiencesaretransformingloyalcustomersintobrandfans,withunbreakableemotionalconnectionstothebrandinquestion.

Inlightofthispotential,organizationsarenolongertakingapiecemealapproachtotheirAIstrategy

Contents2

Foreword

page2

AI,analyticsandfosteringunbreakableloyalty

page3

TransformingthecontactcenterwithAI

page5

UsingAItodriveresultsacrosstheenterprise

page8

Conclusion

page10

AboutNICE

page11

AboutCXNetwork

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anddeployments.Infact,someareevenappointingachiefAIofficertooverseeeverythingfromAI

strategytoethics.

AdvancingthecustomerexperiencewithAIreflectsonthemajordevelopmentsaroundtheuseand

developmentofAIinCX,withfocusonhowearly

adoptersareembracinggenerativeAIandusingnewtoolstodeepenengagementandfosterloyaltywiththeircustomers.

Featuringreal-worldusecasesandinsightsfromVodafoneIdea,Mastercard,ToyotaFinanceNewZealand,ActivisionBlizzard,TorrensUniversity,

WodongaTAFEandNICE,thisreportexplainshowandwhereAIisbeingdeployedandtheCX–andfinancialreturnsthatorganizationsareachievingasaresult.

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AI,analyticsandfosteringunbreakableloyalty

Artificialintelligence(AI)makessenseofhugevolumesofdatabyanalyzingandrecognizingpatterns,then

makingpredictionsinwaysthathumanscannot.Whenappliedtocustomerdata,AI-poweredtoolscan

deliverefficient,hyper-personalizedexperiencesthatarecapableoffosteringloyalty,andthesetoolsare

becomingincreasinglyaccurateandsophisticatedhowtheyachievethis.

Forexample,AI-poweredsentimentanalysiscanbe

deployedtoestablishcustomersentimentonkeymarkettrendsornewserviceandexperiencefeatures,givingabusinessthedata-basedevidenceitneedstoidentifyandaddressissueswithoutwaitingforsurveydata,

marketresearchorworse,acustomercomplaint.

SpeakingabouthowthisworksatToyotaFinanceNew

Zealand,creditoperationsmanagerLauretteLanesays:“AItoolsarecriticaltocustomerloyalty,becauseweare

abletoseemorethanwehaveeverbeenabletosee,aswellasgainingadeeperunderstandingofourcustomers.”

ToyotaFinanceNewZealanddeployedsentiment

analyticsinitscontactcentertotrackagentand

customersentimentinrealtime.Sincedeployment,

theorganizationhasseenfirstcontactresolution(FCR)improvefromeightpercenttomorethan90percent.

Laneadds:“AIiscriticalgoingforwardandasitgets

morepowerful,Ibelieveitisgoingtoreallyempower

ourcontactcentersandenableouragentstohave

accesstoinformationthattheyotherwisewouldnot

haveorbeabletorespondto.Wewillbeableto

deliverbetterservice,andallofthosethingscontributetocustomerloyalty.”

Themostloyalcustomerpersonaisthebrandfan.Rareinretailbuteverywhereintheworldsofautomotive,

sport,entertainmentandgaming,brandfansare

enthusiastsandadvocateswithoftenunbreakable

emotionalconnectionstothebrandinquestion;asaresult,theycarryhighexpectationsforhowthatbrandengageswiththem.

“Anticipatingcustomerneedsandpre-emptivelyengagingthemwithrelevantofferingsisthefuturetrajectoryofAI.”

JamesCalder

DirectorofAI,analytics,anddigitalatNICEforAsiaPacific,JapanandMiddleEast

AdvancingthecustomerexperiencewithAI

MaxMétral,

go-to-marketanalyticsdirectorforglobalgamingcompanyActivisionBlizzardsays:“Afanis

someonewho’senthusiasticaboutyourbrand.Obviouslyingamingandsportsitiseasiertogetthatenthusiasmandthatlove,butlotsofbrandshavethem.”

Thecorporateworldispayingattentiontothispersona,withmanynowtakingtheexperiencestheyofferto

thenextlevelthroughmorepersonalization,more

meaningfulengagementwithcontent,ordelivering

additionalexperienceswithouttheexpectationofa

sale,sometimessupportedbymetaverseorvirtualreality(VR)technologies.

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AI,analyticsandfosteringunbreakableloyalty4

Data,andtheAIthatextractsitsvalue,areessential

bothinmeetingtheneedsofthispersonaandcreatingmorecustomersthatmatchit.Métralsays:“It’sabout

tryingtounderstandwhatmakesthepersonbecomeafanofyourbrand,understandingthevaluetheybringtoyouandthevalueyoucanbringtothem.”

AddressingthewhyforAI

TosecurebudgetfortheAI-poweredtoolsthatcan

nurtureloyaltytosuchalevel,customersatisfaction

gainsmustalsotranslateintooperationalandfinancialgains.AccordingtoJamesCalder,directorofAI,

analytics,anddigitalatNICEforAsiaPacific,JapanandMiddleEast,inthisprocess,itisessentialtoprecisely

defineobjectivesbeforecommittingsignificantcapitaltoanAIinvestment.Notonlydoesthisapproachallowanorganizationtotargettheattainmentofspecific

objectives,italsohelpsinmeasuringthem.

CommentingonAI’spotential,Caldersays:“Particularlyintherealmofcontactcenters,AIshouldprioritize

enhancingcustomerinteractionsandbolsteringbrandvalue.Forinstance,theyoungerdemographicseeks

swift,meaningfulanddirectengagementwithbrandstofosterstrongerconnections.”

ThismeanstheAItoolmustbeabletotailorresponsestoindividualcustomers,resolvequeriesandproactively

presenttailoredsolutionsorproducts.“Anticipating

customerneedsandpre-emptivelyengagingthem

withrelevantofferingsisthefuturetrajectoryofAI,”

Caldersays.“Asthemarketplacegrowsincreasingly

competitiveandsophisticated,leveragingAItopredictandaddresscustomerneedspromptlyandeffectivelybecomesimperativeforbrandstocultivatesatisfactionandloyalty.”

Forcustomers,however,someapplicationsofAI

canbeapointofcontention.Aconsumersurvey

conductedby

ForbesAdvisor

in2023found35

percentofconsumersare“veryconcerned”about

theuseofAIforpersonalizationand27percentareapprehensiveaboutAIbeingusedformusic,filmandTVshowrecommendations.

Explaininghowapersonalizationprojectmaybe

affectedbysuchsentiment,Métralsaysthereare

additionalquestionsthatcanbeconsideredwhenaddressingthe‘why’:Whatistheorganizationtryingtodoandhowthatwillsupportitsgoals?

Heexplains:“Itisaboutbuildingabusinesscase,

whatyou’retryingtoachieveandhowithelpsyou.Ifitisobviouslyverynecessary,youseetheROIinthebusinesscase,andyoudoA/Btestingandseethatit’sworkingbetter,[thenpersonalizationisright].”

AlthoughActivisionBlizzardleansheavilyon

personalizationforitsgamerexperiences,Métralsays

that,likemanyAI-poweredexperiencefeatures,itisnotrightforeverybusinessorcustomer.“Idonotbelieve

personalizationshouldbedoneforthesakeofit.Ithinkitshouldbedonebecauseyoubelieveinit,andyouknowwhyyouaredoingit.”

ThenextsectionofthisreportexplainshowtheCXusecasesforAIinthecontactcenterarenowaboutmorethancustomercommunications,withfocusonhow

AI-poweredtoolsaresupportingleaneroperationsthatfacilitatemoreefficientprocessesforcustomers,employeesandbusinessleaders.

“AItoolsarecriticaltocustomerloyalty,becauseweareable

toseemorethanwehaveeverbeenabletosee,aswellas

gainingadeeperunderstandingofourcustomers.”

LauretteLane

CreditoperationsmanagerforToyotaFinanceNewZealand

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TransformingthecontactcenterwithAI

Inthecontactcenter,AIhaslongbeenappliedtogathercustomerdataandusedtoautomatecommunications.Someorganizations,however,arenowdeployingAI-

poweredcontactcentersuitestounifysystemsandbringnewefficienciestobusinessoperations.

UsingtheinsightsdeliveredbyCXone,theteamat

TorrensUniversityhastherequiredoversightintoinquirytypesandintent,aswellascustomerbehaviorsand

sentiment.ItsnewchatcapabilitieswerecombinedwithCXone’soutbounddialertorespondtomultiple

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studentinquiriesatonce.Previously,agentswerelimitedtomanagingone-to-oneinteractionsviaphoneor

email,butthroughlivechat,agentscannowoperateasone-to-many,resultinginefficiencygainsoftwotothreetimesitspreviouscapabilities.

TorrensUniversityisAustralia’sfastest-growingprivate

universitywithmorethan24,000studentsacross10

campusesinAustralia,NewZealandandChina.Asa

business,ithasgrownsignificantlyinrecentyearsthroughaseriesofacquisitions,however,acquiringabusiness

alsomeansacquiringitstechnology.ThissawTorrens

Universityoperatingaseriesofdisparate,on-premise

technologyplatformsthatwereunabletomeetitsneedsfromtheoperationalorstudentsatisfactionperspectives.

Aswellasvisibilityintoitsoperations,theinstitution

neededdeeperinsightsintostudentinteractionsandtheabilitytoupgradeitsconversationalAIbotwithlivechat.Italsohadnewstudentneedstomeetaround

channelpreferencesforcommunicationsandonlinelearning,andneededasolutionthatwouldintegratewithitsCRMplatform.

TorrensdeployedNICECXoneandquicklynoted

significantimprovementsacrossitsoperations,includingmoreefficientworkflowsamongcontactcenterteamsandsimplerprocessesforstudentsseekingsupport,

whichalsosimplifiedback-endworkflows.

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TransformingthecontactcenterwithAI6

Todelivertheproject,TorrensUniversitypartnered

withNICEandNEC.Caldersaysofthisapproach:

“Organizationsmustengageingenuinepartnershipswithsolutionproviderstoidentifythestrategic

operationalgains.Subsequently,theyshouldassessandtrialavailablesolutionstoensuretheyderiveoptimal

valuefromtheirinvestments.”

AccordingtoCalder,itisvitalfororganizationstobroadentheirbusinesscasesbeyondtheconfinesofthecontactcenterandleveragetheirbroaderstakeholderecosystem.Thisisbecausealmosteveryfacetofthecontactcenterlandscapenowoffersopportunitiesforoperational

enhancementsthroughtheautomationoftechnologyandprocesses.Caldersaysthebenefitsoftheseoperationalenhancementscanberealizedacrosstheorganization.

Whyeverybodyismigratingtothecloud

EvenorganizationsthatalreadyoperatetheircontactcenterfromasingleplatformcanrealizefurtherEX,CXandoperationalbenefitsfrommigratingtoacloud-

basedsolution.

BasedinVictoria,Australia,WodongaTAFEhas

undergoneabroadscalecloudtransformationjourneytoimprovethequalityofservicethatcurrentand

prospectivestudentsreceive.Althoughtheinstitution

AdvancingthecustomerexperiencewithAI

“Almosteveryfacetofthecontactcenterlandscapenowoffers

opportunitiesforoperationalenhancementsthroughtheautomationoftechnologyandprocesses.”

JamesCalder

DirectorofAI,analytics,anddigitalatNICEforAsiaPacific,JapanandMiddleEast

alreadyhadasingleplatformforcallsandcontact

center,CXonewasdeployedtoexpandomnichannelcapabilitiesandmeettheneedforgreatervisibilityintoincomingcallsandCXreporting.

TheprojectsawWodongaTAFEworkwithNICEand

itspartnerGeneration-e,torolloutanomnichannel

platformwithinteractivevoiceresponse(IVR)andthe

real-timereportingrequiredtoachieveitsobjectives.

Inadditiontomeetingtheimmediateneedsaround

visibilityandreporting,theprojectallowedWodonga

TAFEaccesstodispositionswithintheCXonesolution,

thereforeimprovingoverallreportingonsuchmandatoryrequirementsasthenumberofcallsforskillsandjob

centerenquiries.

CXonesolutionwasinitiallydeployedacrossthe

customerexperienceandstudentadministrativeteams,butwithitsimprovedreportingcapabilities,Wodonga

TAFEhasalsoimprovedworkforcemanagementfor

agents,leveraginginsightsintopeakcallvolumetimesformoreeffectiveresourcing.

WodongaTAFEisplanningtoexpanditsuseofCXoneacrossmoredepartmentsandteamsthroughouttheorganization.WodongaTAFEalsoplanstobuildon

itscurrentNICEdeploymentbyintegratingitwiththecustomerrelationshipmanagement(CRM)platformtoprovideasingle,holisticviewofthecustomer.

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TransformingthecontactcenterwithAI

IsgenerativeAIrightforyourcontactcenter?

Overthelast12months,thebiggestAIdevelopmenthasbeenthewidespreadavailabilityofgenerativeAI.

GenerativeAIandlargelanguagemodels(LLMs)

arebeingusedformarketing,hyper-personalization,

operationalassistanceandcontentgeneration.However,thishasgeneratedalevelofhypethatcanmakeit

difficultforCXpractitionerstoassessthesuitabilityofgenerativeAIsolutionsfortheircontactcenter.

Sharingheradviceforhowpractitionerscanselect

suitablesolutionproviders,Lanesaysthekeyquestionstoaskconcerndatastorage,securityandfuture

proofing.Shesays:“Ifyoujustrelyonasalespitch,

everyonesoundsamazing,butyoudonotknowiftheywillactuallydeliver.”

OnhowtonavigatethehypethatoftensurroundsAIinallitsforms,Caldermaintainsthatpractitioners

shouldbeginbyclearlydefiningtheirobjectives,

educatingstakeholdersandevaluatingsolutions.Fromthereitispossibletotestinreal-worldscenariosandcomparealternatives.

Onthekeyconsiderationstokeepinmindduringthesestagesoftheproject,Caldersaysthere

areseveraladditionalfactorsapractitioner

shouldconsider:

Understanddataandbias:Inquireabout

thetrainingdatausedandhowbiasis

addressedtoensurefairnessandinclusivityinCXapplications.

Assesscustomization:Evaluatethelevelof

customizationandadaptabilityofferedby

generativeAItomeetspecificCXrequirements.

Considerethicalimplications:Ensure

alignmentwithorganizationalvaluesandcompliancewithregulations.

Evaluateintegration:AssesstheeaseofintegratinggenerativeAIwithexistingCXsystemsandplatforms.

Considermaintenance:Understand

ongoingrequirementsandupdateprocessestoensureeffectivenessandcompliancewithevolvingCXneedsandstandards.

Seekfeedback:Engagewithpeersand

organizationsthathaveimplemented

generativeAItolearnfromtheirexperiencesandgaininsightsintopracticalimplications.

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Considerscalability:AssessthescalabilityofgenerativeAIsolutionstomeetfutureCX

demandsandorganizationalgrowth.

ThenextsectionofthisreportexploreshowtheuseofAIacrosstheenterprisecandeliverefficienciesthat

indirectlyenhanceCX.Itlooksattheemergingrole

ofthechiefAIofficer,andtheresponsibilitiestheyaretakingonwithintheorganization.

“Thedesignatedperson

needstobeabletohandlethiscomplexityandsteerclearofpossiblepitfallsin

AIdevelopmentsothatthe

companystaysontheforefrontofdevelopments.”

DebasmitaDas

ManageranddatascientistforMastercard

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UsingAItodriveresultsacrosstheenterprise

Asoutlinedinsectiontwo,AIiscapableofdriving

efficienciesacrossalmosteverybusinessprocessandthisindirectlybenefitsthecustomer’sexperience,

boostingnetpromoterscore(NPS),firstcontact

resolution(FCR),customereffortscores(CES)andCSAT.

ExplaininghowtheapplicationofAIforbackend

operationscandrivesuchCXmetrics,consultant,

advisorandauthorGuataamBorahsaysthatalthoughAIisstillatarelativelynascentstage,itisalreadyhavingafar-reachingimpactonCXmanagement.

“Improvingthespeedofresolutionsprovidesclear

operationalbenefitstoanorganizationanditsagents,andthiscanbedonethroughAI-poweredchatbotsandvirtualassistantsaswellasautomatedworkflowsand

approvalsthatexpediteprocesseslikeorderfulfilment,returnsandrefunds,leadingtofasterresolutionsandincreasedcustomersatisfaction.”

Bymonitoringsatisfactionscoresbefore,duringandafterachatbotorworkflowimprovementproject,

organizationscanconfirmiftheprojectismeetingits

AdvancingthecustomerexperiencewithAI

targets.ItisevenpossibletouseAItocollect,organizeandpresenttheresultingsentimentdata.

“However,organizationsneedtorememberthat

successfulAIimplementationrequirescarefulplanning,integrationwithexistingsystems,andafocusonethicalandresponsibleuse,”headds.

DoesyourorganizationneedachiefAIofficer?

AIisplayinganevermoreimportantrolein

organizations,withteamsandindividualsinalmost

everydepartmentusingAI-poweredtools.Inresponse,GovindaRajAvasarala,headofcustomerexperienceexcellence(CXX)forVodafoneIdea,saysallentities,

fromenterprisestogovernmentalbodies,areactivelyseekingoutchampionsforAI,justastheydidfor

digitaltransformation.

InsomeorganizationsthishasseentheintroductionofachiefAIofficer(CAIO):apersonappointedtounify

AIdeploymentstomeetmorebusinessneeds,while

collaboratingacrosstheorganizationtosetstandardsandguardrailsaroundAIuse.

“ThisstrategicdecisionstemsfromtherecognitionofAI’spotentialtorevolutionizebusinesslandscapesanddisrupttraditionalparadigms,”saysAvasarala.

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UsingAItodriveresultsacrosstheenterprise

“DespiteAI’sgrowingrelevance,comprehensive

understandingandadeptnavigationofitsintricaciesremainslimited.TheappointmentofachieforheadofAIservesasameasuretoensureorganizationsremainatthevanguardoftheirrespectivemarketsandavoidobsolescenceinthefaceofAI-driventransformations,”headds.

TheCAIOshouldersamultifacetedarrayof

responsibilities,demandingadiverseskillsetthat

Avasaralasaysencompassestechnologicalacumen,

proficiencyinLLMs,adeptnessinfosteringstrategic

businesspartnerships,visionaryforesightandexecutive-levelleadershipcapabilities.

DebasmitaDas,manageranddatascientistfor

Mastercard,saysaCAIOshouldberesponsiblefor

makingwell-informedchoicesaboutAIapplicationsandinvestments,maximizingreturnoninvestmentthroughtheidentificationofhigh-impactusecases,effectiveresourcemanagement,andsystemperformanceassessment.

“Theconstantadvancementoftechnologymakesit

difficulttokeepupwiththecompetition,necessitating

quickalignmentwithemergingAItrendsand

technologies,”shesays.“ThedesignatedpersonneedstobeabletohandlethiscomplexityandsteerclearofpossiblepitfallsinAIdevelopmentsothatthecompanystaysontheforefrontofdevelopments.”

DassaysadedicatedCAIOcanbringfurtherbenefitsfortalentretentionanddevelopment,aswellas

ensuringaseniorleaderisdedicatedtoethicsandriskmanagement.Shesays“Havingaseparate

headofAImakesiteasiertodrawinandkeeptopAItalentbecauseitcommunicatesthecompany’sAIcommitment.Thefinal,andperhapsmostcrucial,componentisethicalissueswhenimplementingAI-basedsolutions.Thisindividualwouldbeessentialincreatingmoralstandards,guaranteeingethicalAIdevelopmentandapplication,andreducingtheassociatedrisks.”

Atastrategiclevelandbeyondtheindividual

organization,aCAIOcanfosterstrategicbusinesspartnerships,butmusthavevisionaryforesightandexecutive-levelleadershipcapabilities.

Inlightofthiswiderangeofresponsibilities,Calder

says:“Appointingaheadofartificialintelligenceis

somethingeverycompanyshouldconsideratthis

juncture.Giventhecurrentlimitedknowledgeand

experienceinthisdomain,itrequiresfocusedexpertisetodiscerntheoptimalinvestmentpathsandstrategiesfortheyearsahead.”

Inadditiontoleadingdeployments,talent,ethicsandrisk,theCAIOisalsotheprocurementleadforAI-

poweredtools.DuringthecurrentAIhypecycle,Calder

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saysit’simperativeforthispersontobeabletodiscernthetruthandunderstandpreciselywhatavendorintheAIspacecandeliverforthem.

“WeareatapivotaljuncturewithAI-basedtechnology,wherecompaniesthattailortheirAIsolutionsto

specificcustomerneedswillleadthepack.AgenericAIapproachwillsoonproveoflimitedvalue;itisthespecializationandtargetedapplicationofAIthat

willyieldthegreatestbenefits.Therefore,havinga

dedicatedstaffmemberandstakeholderspecializinginthisfieldisindispensableforeverycompany,”hesays.

“ThisstrategicdecisionstemsfromtherecognitionofAI’s

potentialtorevolutionize

businesslandscapesand

disrupttraditionalparadigms.”

GovindaRajAvasarala

Headofcustomerexperienceexcellence(CXX)

forVodafoneIdea

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Conclusion:10

AIisthefoundationofmodernbusiness

Asoutlinedinthisreport,artificialintelligence(AI)iscapableofdrivingefficienciesacrossalmosteverybusinessprocess.AndintheworldofCX,ithas

poweredpersonalization,sentimentanalysis,

automationandchatbotprojectsthathavedrivennotablefinancialandcustomersatisfactiongainsforhundredsoforganizations.

Now,AIiscomingintoitsownand,coupledwiththe

widespreadavailabilityofgenerativeAIandLLMs,itis

possibletodesignever-moreimmersiveexperiences

thatgobeyondthetransactiontofostertrue,emotionalconnectionswithcustomers.In2024,thisishowAIshouldbeviewed:notasatechnologythatisaddedattheend

tomakethingssparkle,butasthenewfoundationuponwhicheverythingelseisbuilt.

Assuch,AIisnotaplugandplaytool:itis

dependentonacontinuousflowofaccurateand

well-structureddata.Caldersaysthereareseveral

practicalstepsanorganizationshouldtaketopreparedataforanAIdeployment,includingstructuring

informationwithinatechnologyrepositoryand

facilitatingefficientdataanalysis,updatesand

access.“WhenAIinteractswithunstructuredor

disorganizeddata,there’sariskthatitsoutputswill

mirrorthisdisorder,”hesays.“Thus,itiscrucialtofirstorganizeandmanagethedataenvironment,ensuring

accessibilityandregular