Cisco Global Contact Center Survey Reveals Major Cloud and AI Adoption

Cisco (News - Alert) has unveiled the results of its 2020 Global Contact Center Survey, including how the COVID-19 pandemic is influencing technology decisions. The survey, conducted in partnership with market research firm Dynata, reveals major adoption of cloud contact centers as well as AI and chatbots.

The survey queried 700 contact center decision makers in seven countries and more than 10 vertical industries. Cisco found that many customers were experiencing double or triple call volumes in recent months in light of the coronavirus crisis.

Of those surveyed, 62 percent said they plan to implement a cloud contact center within the next 18 months. Omar Tawakol, VP/GM Cisco Contact Center, said he believes that number will be even higher because of COVID-19.

"What the cloud does, is it gives people the opportunity to scale up or scale down as needed. This is super relevant," said Tawakol, referring to the fluctuating call volumes that have resulted from the pandemic. He added that Cisco has recently done a number of cloud migrations, getting corporate and government call centers up and running within two days.

Customer experience is another big factor driving decision making, according to the survey results. Cisco found that 93 percent of all leaders believe that agent technology is important for improving the overall customer experience. Half of all contact centers now report to a CX leader, and CX is widely credited with driving business direction and growth.

AI is also being widely adopted, according to the survey's findings. In fact, 80 percent of respondents said that AI, automation and chatbots are becoming critical functions for optimizing call center performance.

"AI is really key to augmenting the contact center's performance," said Tawakol. "AI is about turning agents into super agents. It's not about replacing them." He added that AI changes the profile of the human interaction, enabling agents to respond to queries better and more quickly. And that performance leads to better overall job satisfaction.

Seventy percent of survey respondents reported experiencing lower call volumes when chatbots were deployed at the top of the "self-service funnel" in contact centers. And particularly during COVID-19, call centers have found voicebots and chatbots extremely beneficial for paring down unprecedented call volumes without overwhelming human agents.

Finally, Cisco found that two-thirds of contact centers are integrating subject matter experts with their frontline agents to improve customer interactions. The process brings quicker and better issue resolution as well as much needed backup for busy agents.

"The contact center is really going through a renaissance," said Zack Taylor, director strategic communications, Cisco Contact Center. "It's the digital goal keeper. It's the last bastion of defense between you and a lost customer. And the last thing you want is someone who is unprepared or isolated, particularly during a time like this."

Edited by Maurice Nagle