How Trusted Advisors Can Lead AI-Driven Customer Experience Success in UCaaS and CCaaS

How Trusted Advisors Can Embrace AI for Customer Experience Success

Businesses are eager to improve customer experience (CX) by adopting AI, but they often need help with AI technical expertise, strategy, and implementation. Trusted advisors have a unique chance to guide companies through the AI landscape, helping them make smart solution choices that deliver real results over time.

According to IDC, global AI investments are expected to hit $632 billion by 2028, with the U.S. contributing $336 billion. One major area of investment is customer experience, highlighting a valuable opportunity for trusted advisors to support innovation in this space.

Businesses don’t just want AI tools—they want expert advice on choosing the right AI-enabled solutions. Trusted advisors bring decades of experience helping clients adapt to new technologies, and the channel's potential is huge. Canalys projects generative AI revenue for channel providers to reach $158.6 billion by 2028. Gartner also predicts that by 2025, 80% of customer service organizations will use generative AI to boost agent productivity and customer satisfaction.

UCaaS and CCaaS: Where AI Meets Customer Experience

Unified Communications (UC) combines voice, video, messaging, and file sharing to improve collaboration and reduce costs. With cloud computing, Unified Communications as a Service (UCaaS) delivers these tools via the internet, growing popular thanks to the rise of remote work. UCaaS platforms often include video and text features, and many now integrate with Contact Center as a Service (CCaaS) solutions, which connect deeply with CRM systems.

While UCaaS focuses broadly on communication and collaboration, CCaaS centers specifically on the customer journey. Many UCaaS providers are incorporating CCaaS capabilities to offer a fuller customer engagement solution. CCaaS platforms usually provide a wider range of AI features, enabling businesses to interact with customers across multiple channels and deliver personalized experiences.

Integrating UCaaS and CCaaS is more than a trend; it’s an effective way to improve customer communication and engagement. Combining the strengths of both platforms helps companies create seamless CX strategies that boost customer satisfaction and loyalty.

Transforming Customer Experience with Automation and Personalization

Businesses exploring AI in UCaaS and CCaaS often focus on automating internal processes. Automation and machine learning (ML) free up customer service teams by handling routine tasks, allowing agents to focus on complex issues.

AI also enables deeper personalization. By analyzing customer data, AI models can recommend products or services tailored to individual preferences. Sentiment analysis adds another layer by detecting customer emotions during interactions, helping businesses fine-tune responses for better CX.

IntelePeer’s Vision for AI-Driven CX

AI’s impact on customer experience is gaining momentum. Companies like IntelePeer are demonstrating how AI can automate communications while improving CX and reducing labor costs. Their Customer Interaction Intent Study used data analysis to find generative AI opportunities that deliver strong ROI.

These studies provide trusted advisors with valuable insights into customer preferences and behaviors, helping them guide clients toward AI solutions that meet real business needs. IntelePeer reports that these insights have led to increased contract values, showing clear demand for AI-powered CX improvements.

The Trusted Advisor’s Role in AI and CX

Post-pandemic, awareness of UCaaS and CCaaS has grown, but many companies are still exploring or considering these solutions. Avant Analytics found that 57% of respondents are “still learning” about UCaaS, while 31% are actively evaluating providers.

As AI becomes more embedded in these platforms, trusted advisors have a crucial role in helping clients sort through options. They can offer practical advice based on specific business needs and industries, helping companies choose the right AI-enabled CX solutions.

Advisors should also be familiar with emerging technologies like synthetic data, which can replace real customer data limited by privacy and other constraints. Gartner projects that by 2026, 75% of businesses will use generative AI to create synthetic customer data, up from less than 5% in 2023. Synthetic data supports customer segmentation, experience design, and product development.

When advising on UCaaS or CCaaS with AI, trusted advisors need to understand the client’s core business goals. Asking questions like:

• What problems are you trying to solve?
• Which areas need the most improvement?
• What are your future goals?
• How do you want things to look a year from now?

Clear answers help advisors match AI solutions to business needs. Using unbiased evaluation tools can also help compare different vendors and options effectively.

Opportunity for Trusted Advisors

There’s a misconception that AI spending takes away from budgets for security, data, or storage. In reality, AI can reduce operational costs and improve ROI by making business processes more efficient and delivering CX that customers expect.

Trusted advisors can leverage their experience and the wider channel ecosystem to support clients in adopting AI. Starting conversations about AI and helping clients build step-by-step plans positions advisors to capture a growing, promising market.

For those looking to strengthen AI skills relevant to customer support, exploring AI courses tailored for support professionals can provide practical knowledge and tools to stay ahead.