Automation is a key factor in the customer experience. AI-driven tools have become a part of nearly every interaction. From the chatbots which answer our questions to the recommendation systems which influence our choices, AI is now embedded in almost every interaction. But the latest wave in “agentic AI” – systems that can plan, adapt, and act toward a defined objective – promises to push automation further. Neeraj Verma, vice president of NICE’s product management, says
“Every single person that I’ve spoken to has at least spoken to some sort of GenAI bot on their phones. They expect experiences to be not scripted. It’s almost like we’re not improving customer experience, we’re getting to the point of what customers expect customer experience to be,” .
The potential for businesses is transformative. AI agents can handle complex service interaction, support employees in real-time, and scale seamlessly when customer demands change. The move from scripted and deterministic flows to nondeterministic, generative system brings new challenges. How can you test a system that doesn’t respond the same every time? How can you balance security and flexibility when allowing an AI system to access core infrastructure? How can you balance cost, transparency and ethical risk, while still pursuing meaningful results? These solutions will determine whether and how quickly companies adopt the next era in customer experience technology.
Verma claims that the story of automation of customer experience over the last decade is one of shifting expectations – from rigid, deterministic flow to flexible, generative system. Businesses have had to rethink their approach to risk mitigation, guardrails and measuring success. Verma says that the future belongs to organizations who focus on outcome-oriented designs: tools that are transparent, safe, and scaleable. Verma: “I think the big winners will be the use-case companies, the applied AI firms,” he says. Watch the webcast right now
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