Four Experts on How to Make AI Investments Truly Deliver Value

The promise often repeated about AI technology is that it can transform how customer service teams scale operations, boost employee productivity, and open access to data at unprecedented levels. However, Brian Cantor, Managing Director at CMP, points out that this is not always the case in reality. The benefits promised by vendors' AI solutions can fall short in unexpected ways or require more investment than initially anticipated.

"AI was supposed to enhance everything," Cantor said during a Customer Contact Week (CCW) panel discussion in Las Vegas last week. "It can, but only if we do it the right way. Unfortunately, sometimes we are being led in the wrong direction."

Experts believe companies can avoid disappointment through proper due diligence. Leaders need to restrain themselves from trying to implement too many features, understand the costs of new technology, and invest with a customer focus to find solutions and vendors that fit their needs. CX Dive spoke with several leaders at the CCW Las Vegas conference about strategies and challenges for cutting through the AI hype. Here are insights from four of those experts.

Don't be blinded by potential

Cantor said AI technology is highly flexible, with applications spanning nearly every role in the contact center. However, too much of a good thing can become a bad thing. Cantor noted that customer service teams can easily get caught up in the hype around a single feature while overlooking the long-term impact additional features may bring. At a certain point, new tools can shift from saving time to adding frustration.

"We have so many different features that make sense functionally, but if adding one feature adds three more steps for someone else or creates a new source of friction, we have to start considering that," Cantor said. "I think we really need to understand the true consequences and true costs of every investment."

Cantor believes the problem becomes even more pronounced when AI tools fail to deliver meaningful results. The more time wasted on technology that doesn't advance the customer service team's goals, the less flexibility the team may have in the future.

"You can't keep convincing budget owners to keep trying new AI platforms until you find one that works," Cantor said. "Every attempt puts your credibility and your team's buy-in at risk. This leads to more inertia, a greater tendency to stick with the current solution, even if the current solution ultimately creates more friction."

Scalability and cost

Marius Maree, Senior Vice President of Consumer Operations at UnitedHealth Group, said that when a company rolls out new technology, it's easy to get excited about early success—which can cause you to overlook future scalability and cost issues until it's too late. Maree noted that many companies don't ask whether the technology can scale well beyond the initial pilot or how much the full rollout will cost before committing to a new partnership. Yet it's crucial for both parties to align on the long-term investment.

"It's a tough conversation, but it's a partnership, so we try to compromise with each other," Maree said during the panel discussion. "I think that's important. It's a commitment, so where should we draw the line?"

Maree said the conversation can be even harder if the team moves forward without considering the full costs. In that case, both parties may need to meet after costs have already exceeded the original agreement. Although this can be daunting, Maree believes addressing issues early is usually not difficult. Every partner UnitedHealth Group works with has been willing to find a mutually acceptable compromise on scale and cost once the issue was raised.

Beyond the demo, focus on the long term

Anant Singh, Chief Sales Officer at AI real-time voice platform Sanas, said it's not hard to impress potential partners with a great initial demo—the real work lies in the long term. "Everyone can give a great demo," Singh said during the panel. "I don't think anyone has a bad demo or meeting. What matters is durability, repeatability, and consistency. You have to show up every time, for months or years."

Singh believes the real work in a good relationship begins after the vendor wins the customer's trust. That's not a moment to celebrate, but a moment to solidify the partnership by showing up every day and ensuring the customer gets the quality service they expect. This is especially true for large, complex enterprises, where technology investments may take years to yield returns. There, finding a partner who can remain reliable for years and support the company's overall vision matters more than having the hottest technology of the moment.

"The point isn't what's coolest today—there will be something else tomorrow," Singh said.

Investment starts with the customer

Melissa Solis, CEO of AI solutions provider Inbenta, said the rapid evolution of AI goes hand in hand with the rapid rise in customer expectations. Solutions that don't meet customer needs are doomed to fail. "Customers have become very smart—they know what a good experience looks like, so they demand it," Solis told CX Dive. "This forces companies to re-examine, even if they already have a solution, and ask: 'Okay, is this the right solution?'"

Solis noted that in some cases, less advanced chatbots can become a problem. ChatGPT and other major players have led customers to expect human-level conversations with AI, and if a solution can't deliver that capability, some callers will immediately ask to be transferred to a human agent—creating frustration for both the customer and the company. In other cases, companies need to slow down AI deployment and introduce it cautiously. For example, if the business audience is predominantly over 65, its customers may not be as ready to embrace AI agents as the general population.

Solis said companies should work with solution vendors to understand how businesses with similar customer bases meet their specific needs, including how to create experiences that customers are willing to engage with while maintaining appropriate human contact.