Guest Post: The AI Revolution in Customer and Employee Experience

This week, we feature an article by Andy Watson, Senior Product Marketing Manager, Customer Experience at RingCentral. He shares how AI is transforming customer and employee experiences by enhancing efficiency, engagement, and satisfaction through generative AI, chatbots, and real-time support.

The AI revolution is here—and it’s transforming how businesses interact with customers and support their employees. A Metrigy report titled “How AI is Changing Employee & Customer Experiences” shows that companies embracing AI are seeing big wins, from happier customers to more engaged, productive employees. By strategically implementing AI, businesses can unlock efficiencies and address longstanding challenges in customer and employee experiences.

AI’s Impact on Customer and Employee Interactions

Nearly half of the 697 companies surveyed by Metrigy are already using AI to power customer and employee interactions, with those leading the charge reporting double the improvements in key customer experience (CX) metrics compared to others. Contact centers, a space often challenged by high turnover and burnout, are reaping notable benefits from AI’s capabilities.

Agent attrition jumped from 21.8% in 2022 to 28.1% in 2023, with a projected increase to 31.2% in 2024. However, AI is helping businesses counter this trend in a big way. Over 40% of businesses say AI reduces customer interactions needing live agents, shortens call durations, and cuts down after-call work time.

Efficiency Gains with AI

The time-saving impact of AI is substantial. On average, AI-powered tools shorten customer interactions by 39%. Certain industries, like hospitality, report even more impressive time savings, reaching as high as 54.1%. This efficiency extends to the agents themselves, who are now spending 5.8 fewer minutes per call—equivalent to a 35% reduction in time spent, allowing agents to focus more on high-value interactions.

Supervisors, too, are feeling the benefits, saving nearly two hours per week on tasks like agent scheduling and capacity planning. These gains collectively contribute to a more productive, satisfied workforce.

Enhancing Customer Engagement with Agent Assist and Bots

AI isn’t only improving internal processes; it’s also changing how businesses engage with customers. Real-time agent assist tools, which offer in-the-moment guidance and context to agents during calls, are becoming more popular. Currently, 34.3% of companies use these tools, with an additional 44.1% planning to implement them in 2024. The impact is clear—63% of businesses report higher engagement between agents and customers as a result.

Chatbots and voicebots are making a difference, too. Across all companies, AI resolves 41.1% of customer interactions without live support, climbing to 51.5% among the most successful organizations. The adoption rate is rapid: 80.4% of businesses are either using or planning to implement chatbots and voicebots to streamline interactions and enhance customer satisfaction.

Generative AI in Customer Experience

Generative AI is playing a major role in transforming customer experiences. Currently, 46.2% of companies actively use generative AI to interact with customers, with an additional 22% running pilot programs. The top use case? Content generation for customer self-service, with 51.7% of businesses already leveraging this capability and another 37.6% testing it.

As the adoption of generative AI rises, businesses are taking steps to implement these tools responsibly. A majority (81.2%) require human oversight for AI-generated content, even when using their own managed knowledge bases. Additionally, 46.9% of companies disclose AI use to customers, while 61.9% plan to implement service-level agreements to ensure quality.

A Strategic Path Forward for AI Adoption

For businesses looking to maximize the impact of AI, the Metrigy report offers clear guidance: prioritize customer experience enhancements, evaluate AI for both customer and employee interactions, use AI to address hiring challenges in contact centers, and explore AI-generated content with appropriate safeguards in place.

As businesses continue to navigate the AI landscape, it’s clear that those who thoughtfully implement these technologies stand to gain a competitive edge in both customer satisfaction and operational efficiency.

Unlock the future of customer and employee experience with RingCentral and AI! Discover how RingCentral’s AI-powered omnichannel contact center, RingCX, is transforming interactions, boosting productivity, and setting a new standard for customer experience.

Andy Watson is the Senior Product Marketing Manager, Customer Experience at RingCentral, a company that empowers businesses to communicate effortlessly with the help of AI technology.

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