Improving efficiency and customer service were of equal importance to the most effective and efficient organizations, according to the “2024 Global Contact Center Survey” by advisory firm Deloitte Digital.

Insights from 600 senior contact center leaders across the U.S., Australia, Canada, Japan and the UK highlight how service innovators outperform less-advanced organizations in areas like connecting experiences across channels, effectively deploying self-service tools and the use of generative AI to maximize efficiency.

“Improving efficiency has never been more important for Contact Center leaders,” said Tim McDougal, service excellence lead, Deloitte Digital. “Service innovators stand to gain the most in this evolving landscape. While customer service remains near the top of leaders’ priorities, the organizations who are best positioned to succeed will likely be those who embrace the power of generative AI, collaborate across the business, and those who can provide value enterprise-wide.”

Who Are Service Innovators?

Service Innovators (SIs) are organizations that set the standard with “sophisticated capabilities in their service delivery, quality assurance automation, personalization and employee retention,” the report outlined.

These leaders in innovation achieved 57 percent more of their service strategies in 2023 versus other survey respondents and were much more likely to report excellent customer satisfaction (4.6x more likely) and excellent employee satisfaction (2.5x more likely), the survey found.

GenAI-powered tools and the growing need to effectively manage costs are transforming the contact center landscape

SIs implementing robust omni-channel orchestration to connect experiences across channels, according to respondents.

Four in 5 SI companies have activated a channel steering strategy that deliberately guides customers to the most effective channel for their inquiry.

One in 3 SI companies has implemented omni-channel integration tools, resulting in a 9 percent lower cost per assisted contact.

They are also using advanced analytics and streamlining collaboration across teams to improve self-service tools and resources.

Twenty-six percent of companies have a well-defined cross-functional strategy to improve self-service capabilities.

Twenty percent are currently investing in better self-service capabilities, with an additional 30 percent planning to invest by the end of 2024.

Service innovators were found to be 2.7x more likely to invest in analytics compared to organizations with less advanced capabilities.

Service innovators are 8x as likely to have deployed GenAI when compared to organizations with less advanced service capabilities, according to the survey findings.

GenAI’s early adopters are experiencing a greater impact, outperforming future adopters’ expectations in all areas (improved customer service scores, higher agent productivity, improved deflection to self-service, and improved agent occupancy rate).

Companies currently deploying GenAI are 35 percent less likely to report agents are overwhelmed by information they’re working with during calls.

“When paired with other performance enablers, generative AI can help strengthen contact center performance. Those who have adopted the technology are seeing improvements across the board, including in productivity and increased customer satisfaction,” said Jaden Herrin, contact center leader, Deloitte Digital. “While GenAI can help boost efficiency, contact centers understand that their most critical interactions will still require human-to-human communication. Excellence isn’t optional and companies who are seeing the greatest success are the ones effectively melding technology and talent.”