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The Return of Voice: AI’s Unlikely Role in Shaping the Future of CX

18th of July 2025

Recent years have seen the customer experience (CX) landscape undergo a significant transformation. From chatbots to web-based self-service portals, organisations have embraced automation as a means to enhance efficiency, reduce operational costs and scale service delivery. However, despite this digital shift, one channel many had written off – the humble voice call – is making a comeback.

This resurgence isn’t nostalgia. It’s a recognition of something fundamental: when customers are facing complex, urgent, or emotionally charged issues, nothing replaces the immediacy and empathy of a conversation. Voice is reliable, human, and trusted. And in a CX environment, often accused of being impersonal or frustrating, enabling powerful voice communication will be what sets organisations apart.

AI is making voice work, not replacing it

Perhaps the most surprising driver behind voice’s revival is artificial intelligence. While AI has long been associated with digital-only solutions, it’s now powering a new era of intelligent voice experiences within the contact centre. Today, modern speech recognition and natural language processing (NLP) technologies enable businesses to build voice interfaces that feel natural, not robotic. In fact, the days of rigid, frustrating interactive voice response (IVR) systems are being replaced with context-aware, AI-enabled voice interactions that understand nuance and respond fluidly.

But this evolution isn’t about removing the human from the loop – it’s about elevating them.

“Yes, AI can automate routine tasks. But more importantly, it can sit alongside contact centre agents, listening in real-time, pulling relevant data, suggesting next-best actions and summarising calls as they happen. This augments human agents, helping them deliver faster, more accurate and more empathetic responses, without risking burnout.”

Lewis Gallagher

Senior Solutions Consultant, Netcall

Removing friction for smarter voice experiences

One of the most meaningful advancements AI brings to voice communication is its ability to overcome the rigidity of early automation. Legacy voice systems often required customers to repeat themselves or conform to narrow, unnatural scripts. Today’s AI systems, powered by advanced NLP, can understand intent and maintain continuity across conversations. That means no more “starting from scratch” each time a customer calls.

AI, however, isn’t just transforming customer-facing tools – it’s reshaping the agent experience, too. By handling routine queries like appointment confirmations, or FAQ responses, AI lightens the load for human agents. That frees them to focus on high-value, emotionally nuanced conversations, exactly where voice shines.

But that’s not all. With AI now capable of analysing thousands of conversations in real time, organisations can spot emerging trends and common customer frustrations. That enables proactive communication, solving issues before they become calls, and reducing demand on contact centres – all while improving CX.

Unlocking the full potential of voice AI

As AI continues to evolve, it’s making voice communication smarter, more intuitive, contextual and connected across the customer journey. But unlocking its full potential requires more than just new technology – organisations also need the right data strategies and system integrations in place.

The first priority is breaking down data silos. Voice AI is only as smart as the data it can access. If a virtual agent can’t tap into customer history, transaction records or preferences, it can’t offer the personalised experience customers now expect. Organisations must prioritise data integration and accessibility to unlock the full potential of AI-driven voice support.

Equally important is supporting channel fluidity. Today’s customers don’t think in channels – they think in outcomes. They may start with a web chat, switch to voice and then follow up via email. AI should enable that seamless movement, recognising customers across touchpoints and maintaining context. Doing so requires orchestration across systems, departments and teams.

Why voice still matters. And always will

Despite the proliferation of new channels, voice still accounts for the majority of customer service interactions – often 60–70% of volume. That’s not just habit; it’s preference. People reach for the phone when it matters. By integrating AI into voice, rather than trying to divert customers away from it, organisations can meet people where they are and offer smarter, more human service.

As the cost and complexity of speech automation continue to drop, and AI becomes more accessible, the door is wide open for companies to reimagine what voice can do.

The return of voice isn’t a retreat from digital transformation – it’s the next phase of it. With AI as an enabler, rather than a replacement, voice can be redefined for the modern era: intelligent, integrated, and deeply human. For CX leaders, this is a pivotal moment. The goal is no longer just to deflect calls or cut costs. It’s to deliver service that feels seamless, responsive, and deeply human. AI can’t replace that, but it can unlock it.

When customers reach for the phone, they’re not just looking for answers. They’re looking for empathy, speed and trust. Organisations that harness AI to elevate those moments will be the ones that lead in customer experience.

Article published in Contact Centres.