Contact center automation now has to produce results that businesses can measure.
Enterprises are moving past broad claims about AI and asking how deployments affect operating costs, employee performance and service quality. TheCUBE Research frames the Sept. 11 “AI ROI in Contact Centers Summit” around that shift, with analysts assessing whether the technology creates lasting economic value, according to Paul Nashawaty, principal analyst at theCUBE Research.
“AI in the contact center is moving from an innovation discussion to an accountability discussion. The question is no longer whether generative and agentic AI can automate interactions or assist agents; it is whether those capabilities translate into measurable improvements in cost-to-serve, agent productivity, resolution quality and customer experience,” Nashawaty said.
TheCUBE Research AppDev practice data shows that organizations investing in AI-enhanced development environments are seeing a 37% reduction in mean time to deploy and a 22% decrease in post-deployment incidents, reinforcing that AI value is increasingly tied to how effectively organizations operationalize and scale it.
Tune in to theCUBE, SiliconANGLE Media’s livestreaming studio, on Sept. 11, for exclusive coverage of “The AI ROI in Contact Center Summit,” where analysts Bob Laliberte and Zeus Kerravala talk with industry experts about how enterprises can measure whether contact center AI delivers genuine business value. (* Disclosure below.)
Contact center automation enters the accountability phase
Adoption is no longer the primary hurdle. Companies must connect each deployment to business metrics such as first-contact resolution, cost per interaction and customer satisfaction, while watching for false savings that may arise when automated interactions lead to repeat contacts, explained Sam Weston, industry analyst at theCUBE Research. The participation of summit sponsors Five9 Inc., Cisco Systems Inc. and Talkdesk Inc. reflects how broadly the ROI question now reaches across the contact center technology market.
“Our research shows that 92% of organizations now have AI integrated into at least one stage of their operations — up sharply from 71% in early 2024,” Weston said. “The pressure to demonstrate measurable business returns has never been greater.”
Productivity gains at the agent level are only the beginning. The more consequential test is whether those improvements allow a contact center to handle greater demand without comparable increases in staffing, while preserving resolution quality and customer experience, noted Krista Case, principal analyst at theCUBE Research.
“Contact center AI has already shown it can make an individual agent more productive,” Case said. “The next phase is proving those gains translate into operating leverage, with lower cost per resolution, faster outcomes and better customer experiences, without requiring labor to scale at the same rate as the business.”
Turning AI deployments into operating value
A successful deployment depends on the systems surrounding the model. Trusted data, connected workflows and production monitoring determine whether automation performs consistently or becomes another isolated tool that adds complexity without producing a defensible return, Nashawaty emphasized.
“From an application development perspective, realizing ROI requires more than deploying an AI model,” he said. “It requires integrating AI into enterprise workflows, connecting it to trusted data, reducing tool fragmentation, establishing governance and continuously observing performance in production. With 61% of developers still citing tool fragmentation as a productivity barrier, the ability to create integrated platforms and measurable feedback loops will be critical.”
That operational discipline also requires establishing specific measures before deployment. Cost per resolution, containment rates and time to proficiency can reveal progress, but organizations must evaluate them alongside recontact rates and customer satisfaction to understand whether reported savings reflect an actual service improvement, Nashawaty pointed out.
“The enterprises that succeed with contact center AI will be those that treat it as a production application and business capability, with clear KPIs and continuous optimization, not simply another technology experiment,” he said.
TheCUBE event livestream
Don’t miss theCUBE’s coverage of “The AI ROI in Contact Center Summit” on Sept. 11. Plus, you can watch theCUBE’s exclusive content on-demand after the live event.
How to watch theCUBE interviews
We offer various ways for you to watch theCUBE’s coverage of “The AI ROI in Contact Center Summit,” including theCUBE’s dedicated website and YouTube channel. You can also get all the coverage from this year’s events on SiliconANGLE.
TheCUBE podcasts
SiliconANGLE’s “theCUBE Pod” is available on Apple Podcasts, Spotify and YouTube, which you can enjoy while on the go. During each podcast, SiliconANGLE’s John Furrier and Dave Vellante unpack the biggest trends in enterprise tech — from AI and cloud to regulation and workplace culture — with exclusive context and analysis.
SiliconANGLE also produces our weekly “Breaking Analysis” program, where Dave Vellante examines the top stories in enterprise tech, combining insights from theCUBE with spending data from Enterprise Technology Research, available on Apple Podcasts, Spotify and YouTube.
Guests
During “The AI ROI in Contact Center Summit” on Sept. 11, theCUBE will focus on what separates productive contact center deployments from costly AI experiments. Analysts will speak with industry executives and enterprise practitioners from Five9, Cisco, Talkdesk, Zoom Communications Inc. and Converged Technology Professionals Inc. about controlling costs, improving agent productivity and delivering better customer outcomes.
(* Disclosure: TheCUBE is a paid media partner for “The AI ROI in Contact Center Summit.” Sponsors of theCUBE’s event coverage do not have editorial control over content on theCUBE or SiliconANGLE.)
