Voice will become the fastest-growing customer service channel over the next three years, driven by a fundamental human preference. "We speak 150 words per minute, but only type 40," says Sabio CIO Stuart Dorman.

 

As AI breaks down traditional channel boundaries, customers will naturally gravitate toward voice interactions. The future isn't about replacing phone support, but about making every digital touchpoint conversational.

Voice can be given free rein if “organizations no longer try to prevent customers from communicating with them by hiding phone numbers and enforcing the use of poorly implemented chatbots,” according to DolmanThe CIO made his comments during the CCMA UK National Contact Center Conference in London on September 30.

What is bigger: demand or supply?

Dorman also noted that the cost of AI technology is plummeting. ChatGPT tokens, for example, have become 1000 times cheaper in just three years. The expertise to leverage this technology is hard to find, "because demand exceeds supply." This is especially challenging in contact centers, where organizations struggle to find the skilled employees needed to bring AI to life within a CX transformation. Recently, Gartner, in fact, revealed that the supply of AI services and solutions far exceeds demand.

Dorman also notes that most AI implementations are focused internally on "knowledge agents." He believes these are great as a starting point, but they only scratch the surface of what AI can do. "There are many exciting potential use cases where AI is externally focused, and that's where the real potential of AI technology lies. That's something we're actively discussing with our customers right now."

“What happens to your business if you can provide better experiences at 10 times the cost?” Dorman said.

(Sabio)

Knowledge partners, Technology Wise