Most contact center leaders will tell you that AI should be used to augment agents, not replace them.
In an ideal world, the agent of the future will handle complex conversations, build relationships, and exercise the kind of judgment no virtual agent can replicate.
The belief among leaders that this is the best use of AI seems genuine.
Indeed, a new report from Diabolocom and CCW Digital, based on interviews with 100 US CX leaders, finds that 89% expect humans to remain central to the support process. In contrast, just 11% believe AI agents will meaningfully replace human agents on the service frontline.
However, the same study reveals an industry that is investing in AI technology faster than it is preparing the people those tools are supposed to empower.
The gap between stated intention and operational reality is striking.
The Environment is the Problem
It would be convenient to frame this as a technology problem. If you buy the wrong tool and deploy it badly, then naturally, your agents will struggle.
But the report points to something more structural. 82% of leaders say their employees access multiple systems throughout a single workday.
74% require agents to switch between screens within a single live interaction, while only 24% of contact centers run on a fully integrated platform.
These are not AI failures; they are the consequence of introducing AI before fixing the underlying processes and systems.
Indeed, Frédéric Durand, CEO of Diabolocom, made this point in his recent manifesto:
"The breakdown appears in how the industry packages, positions, and deploys technology into live operations. The gap does not stem from a lack of AI power. It comes from a lack of discipline in how we apply it."
The consequences show up in the workforce readiness numbers. Despite two years of sustained AI investment and near-universal confidence in its potential, only 17% of leaders believe their employees are ready to handle what they describe as next-generation work.
That figure is almost identical to a 2024 CCW Digital finding, which means organizations have largely stood still on this while the technology has raced ahead.
Who is Making the Decisions
Part of the explanation for this breakdown lies in who is actually driving AI strategy.
61% of final automation decisions are made wholly outside the contact center function. The people who understand the operational reality – the agents, supervisors, and team managers dealing with fragmented systems and rising call complexity – are not at the table when the technology gets chosen.
Speaking in the report, Chris Dorn, Chief of Staff at Bison Wealth, said:
"You've got to be careful, because a lot of people use the term AI and don't really know what they're saying."
The result, predictably, is that employee experience gets deprioritized.
