Chicago - Finding Your AI Fit: Where to Start in the Contact Center

Description

Most CX and contact center leaders are still in the early stages of their AI journey — and that’s completely normal. Before choosing a vendor or designing a roadmap, it’s essential to understand where AI fits and what’s possible in today’s contact centers. 

This session provides a practical, non-technical foundation to help leaders move from curiosity to action. We’ll explore real examples of AI transforming customer experience, uncover early opportunities for measurable impact, and outline the key steps for getting started with confidence. 

Key Takeaways: 

• Understand the current landscape of AI in the contact center and what’s driving real ROI 
• Learn how to identify “low-hanging fruit” that delivers impact without disruption 
• Discover how to gain alignment across leadership, IT, and operations before you implement 
• Leave with a simple framework to evaluate where to begin your AI journey 

Discussion Topics: 

1. The AI Landscape: What’s Working Today 

• Auto QA – Automate call scoring and compliance to unlock real-time insights 
• Accent Neutralization – Improve agent clarity and customer satisfaction 
• Training Simulations – Use AI to onboard and coach agents at scale
• Conversational AI Agents (Voice & Digital) – Scale outreach, scheduling, and customer engagement
• What differentiates “AI that works” from “AI that sounds good on paper” 

2. Identifying the Right Entry Point: What does ‘AI’ mean to your business?

• How to assess your operation for the best first use case (inbound, outbound, QA, or coaching) 
• Common pain points that signal readiness for AI — high handle times, low answer rates, agent turnover
• How to quantify quick wins: where small automation can have immediate financial or CX impact 

3. Laying the Groundwork for Success: Next Steps

• Clean data and well-defined processes
• Clear metrics for success (cost savings, conversion lift, or CSAT improvement) 
• Executive buy-in and cross-department alignment 
• Common pitfalls to avoid early (chasing “cool tech” vs. solving core problems) 
• When to build vs. when to buy — and how to evaluate the risk/reward Interactive 

Breakout: Walk through an RFI/RFP for AI- how ready is your team? Have every ‘group’ come up with a few business case questions for their RFP