CX expert Blair Pleasant calls for a more realistic view of the impact of AI in customer contact. She warns against exaggerated expectations.

 

Pleasant emphasized in an article on No Jitter (It's Time to be Realistic About AI's Impact on CX) that AI is not a panacea that will solve all customer contact challenges. She argues that organizations should not get carried away by the hype, but should take a critical look at where AI actually adds value. She also expresses a frequently heard position, namely that it is essential to view AI as a tool that, if used properly, can contribute to a better customer experience. However, human involvement and strategic insight remain indispensable; AI should not be seen as a replacement for human interaction.

Hype vs reality

In the article, she points to reports that make promising projections: Calabrio states that 98% of contact centers are already using AI in some way; Gartner predicted in 2023 that 80% of companies would be using or plan to use AI-powered chatbots by 2025; Zendesk reports that 64% of CX leaders plan to invest further in chatbot development in the coming year. And according to Master of Code (January 2025), 52% of contact centers have invested in conversational AI and 44% plan to do so.

She contrasts this with quotes from her peers, of which “there are many Proof of Concept implementations, but fewer real-world implementations” and “AI is now part of every conversation, but especially for future planning.”

She also points out that suppliers indicate in personal conversations that the adoption of AI is slower than expected.

Still, Pleasant’s position that AI is not here to replace humans is noteworthy. When deploying AI-based chatbots, the use of human customer service agents is not a given. That use is ‘plan B’ when escalating the dialogue from chatbot to agent is necessary. (No Jitter)

Opinions, Technology