2025 was a real turning point for contact centres. Behind the scenes, AI improved operations with intelligent agent assistance, advanced analytics and powerful knowledge bases. Self-service chatbots and 24/7 support raised the bar for what customers expect across every interaction.
In 2026, the change will be more visible. Customers will expect AI to understand what they mean, not just what they say, take action where possible and bring in a human when it can’t. What felt impressive last year will quickly feel like the standard.
Below are five key ways AI is set to shape customer experience in the year ahead, and what this means for contact centres and the people working within them.
Conversational AI
Conversational AI is one of the biggest shifts we’re seeing. Leading technology providers like our partners at NiCE Cognigy and boost.ai have developed intelligent AI agents, capable of holding human-like conversation over voice and chat.
Customers no longer need to carefully plan how they phrase a request. They can explain issues in their own words, reference earlier interactions, and change direction mid-conversation. On voice, AI can handle pauses and interruptions without losing context.
A key part of this progress is sentiment awareness. Conversational AI can detect frustration or urgency and adjust responses, whether that means slowing down, asking clearer questions, or escalating to a human agent.
The result is automation that feels far less robotic. Customers feel supported, while contact centres gain consistency and give agents more time to focus on complex or high-value conversations.
Hyperpersonalisation
In 2026, personalisation will be less about who the customer is and more about what they’re trying to achieve. AI can combine previous interactions, recent activity, and customer feedback to guide responses and routing based on intent.
This reduces repetition and makes self-service more effective. It also supports proactive communication, helping resolve issues earlier and reduce avoidable contact.
Personalisation only works when it genuinely helps. When it’s inaccurate or overused, it can feel intrusive and undermine trust.
Done well, better context upfront benefits everyone. Agents spend less time searching for information, and organisations deliver smoother, more relevant experiences that help build stronger customer relationships.
Agentic support
Another clear shift is that AI is starting to complete tasks, not just explain them.
Agentic AI can carry out end-to-end actions across systems, handling several steps in one flow rather than stopping partway through. This removes many of the dead ends customers hit when progress stalls in a channel.
This creates more reliable journeys, with the same rules applied every time. When something genuinely can’t be done, the AI can explain why and guide the customer to the right next step.
For contact centres, this leads to faster resolution and efficiency gains, particularly for repeatable, multi-step work, as long as the right integrations are in place. As this capability develops, the agent role shifts towards handling exceptions, supporting complex situations, and overseeing how automated journeys perform.
Self-service as the first interaction
Self-service will continue to be the starting point for many customer journeys in 2026, but expectations around quality will keep rising.
AI-powered chatbots already deliver faster, more accurate responses across channels, with round-the-clock availability becoming the norm rather than a differentiator.
The most effective self-service is designed with clear boundaries. It handles straightforward requests confidently, while making it easy for customers to reach a human when a situation becomes more complex or sensitive.
Strong handovers are critical here. When agents can see what the customer has already tried and understand the context of the request, conversations move forward more quickly and with far less frustration.
Improved knowledge and service consistency
All of these changes rely on strong knowledge bases. AI can learn from real interactions, highlight gaps, and flag outdated or conflicting information. This helps keep guidance aligned across teams and channels.
For customers, it means getting the same clear answer whether they reach out via chat, messaging, or phone calls. For contact centres, it reduces repeat contact, complaints, and escalations caused by mixed messages.
For agents, consistent knowledge removes guesswork and reduces moments where the system contradicts what they’ve been told. That builds confidence and speeds up resolution.
Making sense of what comes next
The challenge for contact centres is no longer whether to adopt AI, but how to apply it in ways that genuinely improve outcomes.
The organisations seeing the most success focus on joined-up journeys rather than individual features. Conversational AI, personalisation, automation, self-service, and knowledge all need to work together, supported by the right data and integrations.
We work with contact centres to understand what they need, based on their customers, their teams, and their operational reality. That means cutting through the noise, choosing the right technologies, and designing service journeys that are practical, sustainable, and ready to scale.
If you’d like to chat about what’s coming next for your contact centre, get in touch with our team today.
