Talkdesk-commissioned paper highlights synergies between artificial intelligence solutions and skilled agents in contact centers
A new IDC InfoBrief commissioned by Talkdesk®, Inc., a global provider of artificial intelligence (AI)-powered customer experience (CX) technology that serves enterprises of all sizes, revealed that advanced technologies play a pivotal role in enhancing customer experience. However, many contact center interactions today still require high levels of agent support.
Talkdesk commissioned IDC to survey 417 United States contact centers to gather performance measurements. Wide variations were seen in many of the standard contact center metrics, reflecting the need for companies to move away from obsolete technology toward new ways of delivering customer experience with AI and automation.
According to survey respondents, the need for live agent interaction remains high, indicating that interactive voice response (IVR) systems continue to hinder customers' resolution of issues. Respondents said half (50%) of calls are resolved with an agent, compared to only 35% resolved with IVR. Customer issues navigating IVR systems result in 15% of calls going unresolved, increasing consumer frustration and decreasing happiness.
Hold times also pose a challenge for delivering exceptional customer experience. On average, hold time accounted for 11% of total call time, contributing to dissatisfaction and prolonged interactions. And, despite companies’ goals to resolve issues via self-service, customers often still need the assistance of a human agent to achieve resolution.
The survey also revealed that agents spend too much time on tedious work. Manual after-call work, like updating customer records, logging call details, and processing follow-up actions, remains a significant issue, with nearly 7 in 10 (68%) contact centers stating that their agents spend 10% to 29% of their time on these tasks. A similar issue persists during customer interactions. Half (50%) of contact centers strongly agree or agree that agents spend too much time looking for answers, increasing the time per call and reducing the number of customers they can engage. This is particularly true in healthcare (62%) and retail (59%).
“The findings from our research underscore the transformative potential of AI and automation in contact centers,” said Lou Reinemann, research director, Voice of the Customer and Customer Success, IDC. “By reducing manual workloads and enhancing first-call resolution rates, these technologies improve customer satisfaction and play a crucial role in retaining skilled agents.”
As the industry prioritizes self-service solutions, integrating these advanced tools will be essential for achieving operational efficiency and meeting evolving customer expectations.
Leveraging automation and AI to handle routine and predictable tasks is more than a cost-saving strategy; it helps transform contact centers into value drivers. The paper’s findings reveal that, on average, respondents set a self-service rate goal of 68% — the majority of customer inquiries are expected to be resolved without the need for live agents. Five percent (5%) of respondents even set their self-service targets as high as 90%, while others maintain lower thresholds, highlighting a wide variance in self-service adoption across the industry. AI-driven tools like an autopilot enable contact centers to offer 24/7 self-service support with minimal agent intervention. Other capabilities, such as agentic AI, can help anticipate customer needs and hyper-personalize service for each customer.
The research also guides organizations seeking to improve their contact center operations to:
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Have a customer-focused mindset: With the proper infrastructure and processes, companies can empower agents to take on responsibility for building customer relationships. This includes empowering digital and human agents alike to engage with customers in real-time in context-appropriate ways. AI tools can help analyze interactions for sentiment and provide suggestions on better engaging customers based on the tone used.
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Focus on self-help issue resolution: Systems that allow customers to find answers to their questions efficiently help them and help the contact center. Most customers prefer to help themselves, which can be faster than waiting to speak with an agent. Comprehensive knowledge bases can support self-help and first-contact resolution.
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Automate agent tasks: Simplifying agent tasks such as call summaries and writing messages saves time for every call; seconds saved per call quickly add up to a significant return on investment (ROI).
- Share data enterprise-wide: Data is the lifeblood of understanding the customer and employee experience. Collecting and analyzing this data is critical in enabling contact centers to measure performance and areas for growth and improvement. When shared across the enterprise — such as with sales and marketing — this information can help all customer-engaging teams to incorporate consumer feedback, improve customer engagement, and foster teamwork across the organization.
“Contact centers must evolve from handling inquiries to becoming key drivers of customer satisfaction and loyalty. A seamless and positive interaction can make the difference between a loyal customer and a lost opportunity. The most successful businesses prioritize and put the customer at the center of every decision, creating frictionless journeys that exceed expectations. By leveraging AI-powered solutions, Talkdesk empowers agents to deliver exceptional service, ensuring every customer interaction is meaningful and effective,” said Tiago Paiva, chief executive officer and founder of Talkdesk.
*Source: IDC InfoBrief, sponsored by Talkdesk, Contact Center Performance, doc #US53017524, February 2025
About Talkdesk
Talkdesk® is on a mission to rid the world of bad customer experience. With our cloud-native, generative AI-powered CX platform, purpose-built industry solutions, and extensible AI offerings, we empower enterprises in the cloud and on-premises to deliver exceptional customer experiences that make them more competitive, grow revenue, reduce costs, and provide operational efficiencies. With specialized workflows and integrations delivered out of the box for our Industry Experience Clouds, Talkdesk accelerates value for our customers faster and more simply than legacy or one-size-fits-all solutions.
Partnering with enterprises globally, we deliver continuous innovation and breakthrough results. Our commitment to reliability and security, paired with our track record of delivering on promises, sets us apart in the industry. Elevate customer experiences, streamline operations, and increase revenue with Talkdesk. Companies that love their customers use Talkdesk.
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