At our recent CX Thought Leadership lunch, Five9’s VP EMEA, Thomas John shared compelling insights into how artificial intelligence is reshaping the future of CX.

Drawing on real-world use cases and industry evolution, Five9‘s Thomas John provided a practical perspective going beyond the hype, on AI’s impact as a driver of real business outcomes.

Turning AI tools into CX results

AI may dominate the innovation agenda, but Thomas John warned against getting lost in the jargon with terms like “hallucination detection” or “model supremacy” which fail to connect with CX leaders focused on outcomes, and whose priority is to drive measurable improvements in CX and operational efficiency.

Instead, the conversation around AI use should be about how it enables better business outcomes and solves real problems, like resolving customer issues faster, reducing agent effort and turnover, and raising satisfaction metrics like CSAT and NPS.

For CX leaders, the question isn’t “What can AI do?” but rather, “What can AI improve?” and how quickly those improvements can translate to performance gains across people, processes, and platforms.

"It's not about the size of a large language model, it's about how well the technology helps support contact centre objectives and solve real challenges.”

Thomas John

VP EMEA Partners - Five9

The shift from IVA to Agentic AI

Traditional interactive virtual agents (IVAs) were effective in automating simple tasks, like checking a delivery status or answering FAQs, but they lacked the sophistication to handle complex customer needs.

Enter agentic AI – a game-changer that can interpret queries, understand context, and most importantly, take action. These AI agents are no longer just assistants; they’re active participants in the customer journey.

Whether it’s rescheduling a delivery, modifying account information, or solving intricate issues, agentic AI introduces new levels of efficiency and autonomy, while still recognising the critical need for human intervention when required.

Building AI trust with governance and guardrails

With greater AI responsibility comes the necessity for robust governance, trust, and ethical oversight. Thomas shared a real-world example where an airline’s AI system was manipulated to grant elite status, highlighting how, without proper safeguards, automation can backfire.

“Hallucination detection” may sound technical, but at its core, it’s about ensuring AI doesn’t go rogue when entrusted with sensitive or complex tasks. It’s important for companies to invest not only in powerful AI, but also in the right guardrails to manage risk and maintain trust.

From Omni-Channel to Opti-Channel: CX for every generation

Contact centre strategies have evolved from multi-channel to omnichannel, and now to what Thomas called “opti-channel”, an experience optimised to the customer’s preferences, regardless of channel.

Gen Z may prefer WhatsApp or social DMs, while others might opt for a phone call. The winning formula is flexibility, empowering customers to choose their journey and enabling AI to support them seamlessly across platforms.

Where does AI deliver immediate ROI?

Thomas highlighted two powerful AI use cases delivering real value:

AI Agent Augmentation: AI now enhances live interactions by providing real-time transcription, summaries, and contextual suggestions. This reduces agent anxiety, improves responsiveness, and helps less-experienced agents handle complex scenarios confidently.
AI-powered wrap-up and summarisation: A consistent pain point for contact centre agents is post-call summarisation. By automating this tedious task using generative AI, organisations free up agent time, improve data accuracy, and reduce churn.

"Will AI radically change the world? Maybe not like the internet did. But will it make CX radically more efficient? Absolutely”

Thomas John

VP EMEA Partners - Five9

Solving agent churn through gamification

One of the most overlooked CX challenges is agent turnover. Thomas noted that many agents don’t view their role as a long-term career, and that isolation particularly with remote work exacerbates burnout.

AI-driven gamification introduces avatars, rewards, and performance-based incentives such as CSAT-linked points redeemable for prizes or even time off. Unsurprisingly, Thomas revealed that the most coveted reward for agents is a shorter working week and a longer weekend with Fridays off.

Gamification not only boosts motivation but also encourages product learning outside working hours, turning a disengaged workforce into a competitive, customer-focused team.

The future of AI in CX

While AI offers clear advantages, Thomas emphasised that its true potential in the contact centre is in combining human empathy with machine-driven efficiency. For CX leaders, the goal isn’t to replace people but to empower them. AI should enhance human performance, not eliminate it.

“Will AI radically change the world? Maybe not like the internet did. But will it make CX radically more efficient? Absolutely.” Thomas John

As Five9 and Opus continue to collaborate on bringing tailored AI strategies to businesses across sectors, the takeaway is clear: the future of CX isn’t about technology alone; it’s about using it intelligently and ethically to drive better outcomes for customers and teams alike.

Read our AI Driven Contact Centre Guide

This handy guide has been put together to showcase how combining the latest AI and innovative technology enables you to deliver next-level CX as well as cost reductions in your contact centre.

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