Why CX, BPO & GBS organisations need people, not platforms, to unlock AI’s full value.

As organisations race to adopt AI, the customer experience landscape is shifting faster than ever. According to The State of Customer Experience report, AI is no longer a peripheral investment - it’s becoming central to CX strategies worldwide. CX leaders expect one-third of their CX budgets to go to AI in the next 12 months, and 42% already list increased AI adoption as a top priority.

But while AI investment is exploding, the report reveals a more fundamental truth:
AI is only as valuable as an organisation’s ability to understand and serve its customers.

Despite the hype, most companies are still struggling with the human and operational foundations needed to make AI work.

The CX Reality: Technology Isn’t the Main Barrier - Understanding Is

CX leaders aren’t held back by a lack of AI tools. Instead, they’re grappling with issues that predate AI - and will undermine it if left unresolved:

• 43% cite reducing data silos and achieving seamless journeys as a core priority
• 41% say the biggest challenge is simply keeping up with rising customer expectations
• 38% prioritise strengthening data capabilities for real-time insight and orchestration

In other words: AI isn’t the differentiator. Customer understanding is.

Companies are collecting more data than ever, yet only 16% provide fully integrated omnichannel CX with connected systems and seamless context flow from one channel to another.

This is the real transformation gap.

Consumers Want AI-Enabled Efficiency - But Not at the Expense of Empathy

While 64% of consumers believe AI will improve the speed and quality of CX over the next few years, their expectations around human interaction remain clear:

• 37% say empathy and knowledgeable support are essential
• 49% value first-interaction resolution above all else
• 37% find it deeply frustrating when they can't reach a human agent - and 22% say it makes them want to switch brands entirely

Consumers want AI to remove friction - not humanity.

The brands that win won’t be those that automate the most, but those that blend AI with exceptional human capability.

The Talent Gap: AI Demands New Skills, Structures and Leaders

The report makes something else clear: organisations are not yet ready, structurally or culturally, to operationalise AI at scale.

• 37% of CX leaders say keeping staff trained on new tech is a major challenge
• Many still rely on disconnected technology stacks that prevent them from getting real-time customer insight
• Internal silos and competing priorities slow down CX transformation more than any technology constraint

AI is accelerating - but people aren’t being enabled to keep up.

This is where CX transformation fails most often: not in the tech selection, but in the leadership, capability building and organisational orchestration behind it.

To thrive in an AI-first era, organisations need talent who can:

• Interpret data and orchestrate journeys
• Integrate digital and human channels
• Lead AI-driven operational change
• Build customer understanding into everyday decision-making
• Coach teams to work effectively with automation and insight tools

AI doesn’t remove the need for people. It elevates the need for the right people.

What This Means for CX, BPO & GBS Providers

Your clients don’t just need AI platforms. They need partners who can translate AI into outcomes: lower costs, stronger experiences, faster resolution and more personalised journeys.

This requires talent and leadership with strengths in:

• CX strategy and experience orchestration
• Data maturity and insights
• Omnichannel design
• AI-powered workforce models
• Change and transformation capability
• Human-centred service delivery

In short: AI creates the opportunity - people create the value.

How JMR Global Helps Build AI-Ready CX Organisations

At JMR, we support organisations across CX, BPO and GBS to build the human foundations required to unlock AI’s potential. We partner with businesses to:

• Recruit leaders who can operationalise AI, not just purchase it
• Build teams skilled in analytics, orchestration, digital CX and hybrid human-AI service models
• Strengthen organisational design and capability for omnichannel CX
• Identify gaps in customer understanding, insight and experience delivery
• Develop talent strategies that keep pace with rapid tech adoption

Our work is built around a simple truth: Technology doesn’t differentiate you. Your people do.

The Bottom Line

AI will transform customer experience - but only for organisations that close the gaps in understanding, data, skills, and leadership first. Those that do will orchestrate journeys effortlessly, personalise service at scale, and meet the ever-rising bar of customer expectations. Those that don’t will continue to invest heavily in AI… without seeing the return.

See the full State of CX report here.

If you're ready to build an AI-ready CX organisation - with the right leadership, structures and capabilities - we see you, we hear you, and we can help.

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