The Superhuman Touch – How to Blend Agents and AI for Maximum Impact

As contact centres increasingly adopt AI, it doesn’t spell the end for human involvement. Instead, success will lie in balancing automation for efficiency with the human touch for empathy.

That’s why we asked our panel of technology experts for their best examples of where AI is transforming the role of agents to deliver exceptional customer experiences.

Here’s what they said…

Upskill Your Agents Into AI Prompt Engineers

CX professionals will be responsible for overseeing AI performance and ensuring seamless AI–human collaboration, as well as managing complex customer issues that require empathy.

This blend enhances human involvement, allowing CX professionals to focus on strategic roles that maintain service quality, build deeper customer relationships, and ensure the personal touch that customers demand, especially in emotionally charged situations.

In parallel, businesses will need to invest in reskilling their workforce, transforming traditional agents into AI prompt engineers and strategists.

This change will also impact learning at all levels. For example, school curricula and business learning programmes will need to adapt to equip people with the necessary skills for this new landscape.

Contributed by: Richard Bassett, VP Digital and Analytics, NICE International

Train Agents With Top-Notch Soft Skills (for Moments When AI Interactions Fail)

AI-based chatbots are increasingly taking care of regular, mundane interactions.

That’s great, but the calls that AI can’t handle are likely to be more nuanced, requiring proficient agents with multiple skills. They are likely to have a longer handling time.

And customers who have tried and failed to get their query resolved by the AI chatbot are likely to be frustrated, so agents need good soft skills, too.

Contributed by: Chris Dealy, WFM Evangelist, injixo

Pass Callers Over to AI When the Interaction Becomes Transactional

Blending AI with human agents is a very practical way to use AI at any stage of a call, not just “escalate to live agent”. For example, agents can pass a caller to an AI-driven virtual agent once an interaction becomes more transactional, allowing agents to focus on other customers who may need more complex support.

Provided we train our agents to introduce the handover properly, we can make the transition seamless and effective.

If agents prepare the customer by explaining that AI will handle the remaining transactional steps – like making a payment or booking a service – customers are less likely to feel confused or abandoned.

Contributed by: Shaun McCurdy, Product Manager, Enghouse Interactive

Explain to Agents How AI Will Enable Them – Not Replace Them

AI-powered technology like conversation intelligence can empower agents in two primary ways:

The first is by handling mundane, repetitive tasks – such as after-call notes – that sap agents’ time and impact their ability to do higher-level, more complex work.

Second, AI can support agents while calls are in progress with real-time guidance, such as providing potential responses to customer inquiries or links to knowledgebase documents. This AI assistance can help agents feel more confident in their roles and the outcomes they deliver to customers, increasing satisfaction across the board.

However, it’s important to remember that humans are crucial to maximizing AI’s potential. It should be seen as an enabler, rather than a replacer, where agents are fully trained and equipped with the tools needed to reap its full value.

Contributed by: Frank Sherlock, VP of International, CallMiner

Route Customers to the Correct Agent Based on Their Needs

Intelligent call routing through a contact centre is something that AI is well designed to do.

It can use data analytics to route customers to the correct agent based on their needs and also, in some cases, historical interaction data.

The win here for the customer is that they’ll spend less time on calls to the wrong agent. It also reduces the need for explaining the problem multiple times, so it’s a speedier resolution to their problem.

Contributed by: Chris Angus, Vice President for Contact Centre Engagement, 8×8

For top tips and advice to make sure every call transfer is handled as efficiently as possible without compromising CX, read our article: How to Stop Call Transfers Ruining Your CX

Stop Wasting Time Searching Through Multiple Systems for Information

AI’s ability to quickly analyse and present relevant customer data in real time is a game changer for contact centres.

AI tools can provide agents with suggestions for solutions, recommended next steps, and a customer’s interaction history – all within seconds.

This eliminates the need for agents to search through multiple systems for information, reducing average handle time (AHT) and improving customer satisfaction.

Contributed by: Tatiana Polyakova, COO, MiaRec

Eliminate Distractions to Help Agents to Focus on What Really Matters

Research from Jabra has found that 76% of interactions are negatively impacted by background noise.

This not only frustrates customers, but it also makes it harder for agents to focus on the conversation, impacting customer satisfaction and increasing average call handling time.

Noise-cancelling headsets eliminate background noise and distractions, allowing agents and customers to hear each other clearly and keep focused.

When combined with AI-powered solutions which enhance speech clarity and remove unwanted noise on the customer end of the call, this allows agents to focus on the customer conversation and what really matters.

Contributed by: Nigel Dunn, VP & MD, Jabra

Don’t Just Plug AI Into Your Contact Centre and Hope for the Best

You can’t just plug an AI into your contact centre and hope for the best. You have to be intentional about when to use AI, and when to apply the human touch.

There’s an art to this, and if you really want your AI–human contact centre to be more than the sum of its parts, you have to step into the shoes of an orchestral conductor.

You can hire the finest musicians in the world and they’ll all play their own instruments beautifully – but it’s the conductor who coordinates the orchestra’s various sections to bring their chosen music to life.

Beautiful music and elegant user journeys both come from what we call orchestration: when people and systems are called upon for the right tasks, at the right time, and work together with well-designed harmony.

Contributed by: Pierce Buckley, CEO & Co-Founder, babelforce

To find out what the early adopters of AI have learnt so far and what their experiences can teach us to deploy AI successfully, read our article: All Aboard! Get Your AI Journey Off to the Best Start

Reduce Agent Burnout by Offloading Mundane Tasks

To prevent burnout and maintain performance, agents need consistent support from managers through mental health resources, regular feedback, and a positive work environment.

Technologies such as AI and machine learning also can automate routine tasks, reducing agent workload and allowing them to focus on more complex and rewarding customer interactions.

If there are effective plans in place (for training and resource planning) to support agents dealing with continual complex and emotive interaction, this can significantly improve job satisfaction and reduce their stress levels.

Contributed by: Dave Hoekstra, Product Evangelist, Calabrio

Instantly Alert Supervisors When a Situation Escalates

AI’s role in sentiment analysis is less about identifying emotions and more about triggering the right processes when issues arise. While AI can detect frustration or stress, agents often don’t need AI to tell them when a customer is upset.

However, AI can provide valuable support by automatically alerting supervisors when a situation escalates, ensuring backup is ready when needed.

During qualification or self-service interactions, AI can also identify patterns of frustration before agents are involved, allowing situations to be escalated and handled tactfully from the start.

Ultimately, AI flags emotional cues and suggests corrective actions, but it’s the agent who steps in to rebuild trust and defuse tension with the human touch.

Contributed by: Richard Gregory, Senior Sales Executive, Odigo

For advice on creating an escalation matrix, read our article: How to Design an Escalation Matrix for Call Centre Agents

Automate Routine Tasks (Like Answering FAQs)

AI excels at automating routine tasks like answering FAQs or gathering customer information, freeing human agents to focus on more complex and emotionally charged interactions.

AI’s real-time data analysis can also guide agents, helping them provide faster, more personalized service, while humans bring empathy and critical thinking to the table.

By blending AI’s efficiency with human agents’ emotional intelligence, contact centres can deliver customer support that’s both fast and meaningful, enhancing the overall customer experience.

Contributed by: Vikram Tiwari, Lead ML Engineer, Assembled

Anticipate Customer Needs With a Highly Personalized Service

AI can analyse customer data from previous interactions, purchase history, and preferences to provide agents with a full picture of who the customer is and what they value.

Armed with these insights, agents can offer highly personalized service that anticipates customer needs before they are even voiced.

Whether it’s offering tailored recommendations or recalling previous support cases, this level of personalization makes customers feel valued and understood.

When AI equips agents with such detailed context, every interaction becomes an opportunity to deepen customer loyalty and enhance their overall experience.

Contributed by: Tatiana Polyakova, COO, MiaRec

Catch Subtle Hints for Cross-Selling and Upselling

Customers are often willing to pay more for convenience, so catching subtle hints during a conversation can improve sales.

The challenge is spotting these opportunities while resolving the customer’s initial issue. AI can assist by providing real-time next-step suggestions, offering relevant products or services that fit the flow of the conversation.

By making these suggestions at the right moment, AI helps agents capitalize on convenience, allowing customers to handle everything in one call. This boosts both customer satisfaction and sales outcomes by combining problem-solving with a tailored, responsive offer.

Contributed by: Richard Gregory, Senior Sales Executive, Odigo

If you are looking for advice on how to take advantage of cross-selling opportunities, read our article: Kick-Start Cross-Selling in Your Contact Centre

Provide Agents With Chat Summaries and Reply Suggestions

AI should enhance the human touch, not reduce it. By automating routine tasks and providing agents with smart tools like chat summaries and reply suggestions, AI becomes a powerful partner.

It empowers agents to concentrate on high-value interactions that require creativity, problem-solving, and a personal connection. The key is to find the right balance between automation and human intervention.

Contributed by: Andreas Cronström, Product Owner, Puzzel

And… Always Make Sure the Right People Are Available at the Right Time!

Before agents can deliver an empathetic, personalized service, they need to be at their desks in the first place. Ironically, this is where AI comes to the rescue. The volume and handling time of calls that AI can’t handle are likely to be volatile.

AI-based forecasting does a great job of recognizing patterns and accurately predicting workload in such an environment. And AI-based scheduling does a great job of scheduling multiskilled agents.

Contributed by: Chris Dealy, WFM Evangelist, injixo

For more great insights and advice from our panel of experts, read these articles next:

• What Tech Should You Buy Next? Here’s How to Choose
• Next-Gen WFM: What Is Coming Down the Line?
• CCaaS Pulse Check – What’s Now Possible?

Author: Robyn Coppell
Reviewed by: Megan Jones