Customer Experience (CX) is changing fast – and, as we move through 2025, leaders need to focus on continuous improvement across their contact centres, rethinking how they will interact better with their customers, streamline processes, and empower their agents.
Don’t know where to start?
In a recent Call Centre Helper webinar Reimagining CX in 2025 and Beyond, industry experts Nerys Corfield from Injection Consulting and Steve Blood from Five9 shared key trends, challenges, and opportunities shaping the future of CX.
Here are the biggest takeaways and what they mean for you…
The 3 Lenses: Customer Experience, Operational Experience, and Employee Experience
Throughout the webinar, Nerys stressed the importance of focusing on the 3 lenses: customer experience, operational experience, and employee experience.
She emphasized the need to eliminate outdated practices, such as the reliance on Excel spreadsheets, and to adopt AI-driven solutions to enhance efficiency and improve customer interactions.
Here are some of her highlights:
Focus on the 3 Key Areas
To build a truly great contact centre, you’ve got to nail the sweet spot between happy customers, smooth operations, and happy employees – they’re all connected. If customers are having a bad time, it’ll put a strain on your team and they’ll be unhappy.
If your systems are clunky or your team’s not happy, the same goes – and that will show in how they deal with customers. Focus on all three and you’ll have a winning contact centre that’s built to last and gives amazing service.
A great place to start is identifying broken processes. If you want to find out what you should be looking for, read our article: Key Signs of Broken Processes (and How to Fix Them)
Bid Farewell to Excel
There is an outdated reliance on Excel spreadsheets within contact centre operations, and a need to leverage AI technology to replace Excel, as these modern solutions can provide better operational efficiency.
Leverage AI for “Smart” Interactions
AI is evolving beyond simple automation. Generative and agentic AI can now assist in real time, offering customers immediate support while allowing agents to focus on more strategic tasks.
Consistency Is Non-Negotiable
Customers expect a smooth, uniform experience across all channels. Contact centres should aim for the same level of consistency that top global brands achieve.
“I really hope that consistency becomes the imagined vision for contact centres in 2025 and beyond, because you just need to be consistent.
There needs to be that expectation management of customers. Just like as a consumer, you know what you’re going to get when you go to a McDonald’s or a Premier Inn anywhere across the world, your service needs to be the same – it shouldn’t deviate depending on the time of day you call or depending on the advisor that is answering your call.”
Equip Agents With the Right Knowledge
Agents perform better when they have easy access to information. Real-time insights and training can make them more confident and effective in customer interactions.
For examples of how AI is making it quicker and easier for agents to find the information they need, when they need it, read our article: Is AI Really a Game-Changer in Knowledge Management?
It’s Important to Keep Up With Evolving Customer Expectations
Steve reinforced Nerys’s points, discussing the increasing acceptance and utility of AI in customer service.
He explained how important it is for contact centres to keep up with evolving customer expectations, and how these days, people really want personalized and seamless experiences.
Here are some of his highlights:
Better CX = Higher Revenue
Even small improvements in customer experience can drive higher sales and customer loyalty. Meeting expectations isn’t enough – exceed them!
Self-Service Needs Continuous Improvement
Lots of self-service systems just aren’t that great because contact centres don’t really focus on them. If they actually kept them updated and tweaked them regularly, they’d be way more helpful and take a load off the live agents. Leadership is also important in this space.
“Gartner recently highlighted that service and support leaders are prioritizing technology literacy in 2025. In a recent survey, published as a press release, they found that service leaders are responsible for identifying new AI opportunities, shaping the roadmap for its evolution, and driving adoption.
As a result, their role is becoming increasingly important. We were discussing earlier who drives AI initiatives, and it’s clear that while it’s a combination of factors, service leaders will play a crucial role, especially throughout this year.”
There Is a Greater Acceptance of AI
“Despite the cynicism, there is now a greater acceptance of AI.”
Steve’s theory is that AI should enhance the employee experience, not diminish it – particularly by automating mundane tasks, allowing agents to focus on more complex interactions, while still keeping human interaction at the core.
For examples of how AI is transforming the role of agents to deliver exceptional customer experiences, read our article: The Superhuman Touch – How to Blend Agents and AI for Maximum Impact
The Role of Contact Centre Agents Is Evolving
Agents are no longer just problem-solvers; they’re brand ambassadors. With the right tools, they can provide personalized recommendations and strengthen customer relationships.
“Here in Spain, standalone bots have been outlawed – you can’t have just a chatbot. If a customer requests to speak with a human, that option must be made available.
This was a major source of frustration for customers, as identified by Forrester. Ensuring a seamless, continuous journey is definitely something to keep on the radar.”
Listen to Customers Beyond Surveys
It’s crucial to really hear what customers are saying, beyond just relying on surveys. Contact centres should become the go-to place for understanding how customers truly feel.
Instead of old-fashioned surveys, which don’t always give a true picture of customer sentiment, contact centres should focus on capturing feedback and interaction data in real time. That way, they can get a much clearer understanding of what customers actually need.
First-Hand Experience From the Audience
The webinar audience were also super-keen to share their insights on CX and what they had learned along their journeys.
Here are a few of their best tips for you:
Keep the Right End Goal in Mind
It’s easy to get lost in the weeds – to improve CX, you have to listen to the customer to find out what they want (CSAT/NPS surveys, complaints etc). Working backwards from there helps to keep the right end goal in mind.
Contributed by: Alex, a regular Call Centre Helper reader
Look After Your People
Employee Experience x Customer Experience loop is real.
Everyone talks about AI and how it will revolutionize business, but if you look after your people they’ll look after your customers. 2025 should be about building in AI to support your employees, not to replace them.
Contributed by: Sophie, a webinar attendee
Show Customers You’re Listening
If we’re to provide customers with a tailored experience, we need to not only listen but show them we’re listening.
Paraphrasing a customer’s query, and then advising what we’re going to do to resolve their specific enquiry, helps them to feel like an individual. They’ll also be more likely to trust us to get the job done right first time!
Contributed by: Beth, a Call Centre Helper reader
For advice on training active listening in the call centre, read our article: How to Train Active Listening in the Call Centre – With Exercises
Find the Golden Nuggets
Active listening is a huge skill! Listen for those golden nuggets the customer throws out during the conversation and use them to your advantage.
Contributed by: Nellie, who attended the latest webinar
Use AI for Real-Time Support
AI can provide a real-time transcription of customer conversations, highlighting key points or repeated concerns.
This ensures agents can focus fully on listening without worrying about missing details. AI can also prompt agents to confirm or summarize critical information, encouraging active engagement.
Contributed by: Darshana, a regular reader of Call Centre Helper magazine
Educate Customers on AI
Incorporating AI is key, but let’s not forget customer education on the same. We may have systems known to us but unfamiliar to the customer.
Contributed by: Loiserose, who attended the CX webinar
Invest in Your Frontline Employees
Invest in your frontline employees. Upskill, give more flex time to participate in meetings, consult them on ideas, include them in your VOC workstream.
Contributed by: Malaurie, a Call Centre Helper reader
Balance Technology With the Human Touch
Technology brings efficiency – personal touch brings effectiveness.
Contributed by: Molly, a regular webinar attendee
Key Learnings to Instil in Your Contact Centre Today
There’s certainly a lot to think about! So to help you prioritize your next steps, here’s a round-up of the latest ideas and thinking in CX:
- AI Is Here to Help, Not Replace – AI is revolutionizing contact centres, not by taking jobs, but by making them easier. Smart automation is freeing up agents to handle more complex, meaningful conversations with customers.
- Empowering Agents Is a Must – Happy, well-equipped employees deliver better customer experiences. Investing in tools and training that support advisors can dramatically improve service quality and job satisfaction.
- Data Is Your Superpower – The best companies aren’t just collecting data – they’re using it to make smarter decisions.
- Self-Service Isn’t Set-and-Forget – Self-service tools need constant tweaking to stay effective. Treat them as evolving products rather than one-time projects to ensure they genuinely help customers.
- Collaboration Across Departments Is Key – CX success requires teamwork. IT, customer service, marketing, and leadership all need to work together to create these new seamless and effective experiences.
- Proactive Customer Engagement Wins – Great CX is all about knowing what customers want before they even know it themselves. Smart use of data helps businesses avoid big problems and makes for a much smoother, happier experience.
The message is clear: Customer experience in 2025 is about smart technology, empowered employees, and proactive service. Contact centres that embrace AI without losing the human touch, prioritize employee wellbeing, and continuously refine their CX strategies will lead the way.
So now is the time to rethink how you engage with customers and optimize operations! What changes will you make to stay ahead?
If you are looking for more information on customer experience, read these articles next:
- 15 Hacks to Reduce Customer Uncertainty
- Fresh Ideas to Spark Customer Engagement
- How to Handle Customer Refunds Without Compromising CX
Author: Stephanie Lennox
Reviewed by: Megan Jones
Published On: 8th Apr 2025 - Last modified: 9th Apr 2025
Read more about - Hints and Tips, Artificial Intelligence, Automation, Customer Service, CX, Employee Engagement, Five9, Knowledge Management, Nerys Corfield, Stephanie Lennox, Steve Blood, Top Story, Trends
