PALO ALTO, Calif. — On March 13, 2025, multiple companies unveiled new AI-driven solutions aimed at transforming customer experience. Talkdesk®, Inc. launched Talkdesk After Hours, enabling businesses to extend sales and service beyond traditional hours, addressing the widening gap between customer expectations and operational limitations. Research indicates 52% of consumers desire instant service; nonetheless, 73% of businesses still operate within limited schedules, leaving many customers without the support they need.
Talkdesk After Hours is crafted to leverage AI technology to provide real-time assistance when human agents are unavailable. This innovative service can manage various customer inquiries, including orders, returns, and billing, with natural conversational responses. Howard Rubin, chief information officer at Evara Health, remarked, “AI-powered self-service ensures patients no longer wait on hold—they can get help anytime, whether it’s 8:00 a.m. or 8:00 p.m. when our contact center is closed. Today, 45% of our calls are handled by virtual agents, improving efficiency with enhanced access and convenience.”
Aside from enhancing customer experiences, Talkdesk After Hours aims to mitigate agent stress by managing their workload during off-hours. Tiago Paiva, the CEO and founder of Talkdesk, emphasized the importance of this shift, stating, “We’ve all needed immediate support or had a pressing question about a purchase, only to realize we missed the company’s business hours … Talkdesk After Hours gives companies a new service model to deliver high-quality and hyper-personalized experiences whenever customers need it most.” The response is expected to yield heightened customer satisfaction rates and potentially generate more revenues for the companies involved.
Meanwhile, industry peers are not lagging behind. Five9’s Steve Blood spoke on the changing dynamics of the contact center agent role, exclaiming, “Agents will soon be rebranded as brand ambassadors, blending customer service with proactive engagement.” This shift is due to the growing automation across the sector and changing consumer expectations, prompting the need for agents to focus on complex inquiries rather than routine tasks, which AI can efficiently handle.
Blood advocates for adopting new metrics emphasizing quality engagement over the duration of calls. According to him, creating meaningful career development paths can significantly reduce turnover rates within the sector. This outlook foretells enhanced customer experiences, supportive working environments for employees, and — potentially — increased salaries for brand ambassadors who excel within this revamped framework.
Across the globe, ServiceNow launched its Yokohama platform, which introduces strong AI agent capabilities across various departments, from CRM to HR. By utilizing the newly developed AI agent lifecycle tools, businesses can work toward swift deployment and increased productivity. Amit Zavery, president and COO at ServiceNow, declared, “Agentic AI is the new frontier. Enterprise leaders are no longer just experimenting with AI agents; they’re demanding AI solutions…” Zavery believes this new generation of AI tools can improve accountability and performance within enterprises.
Gartner’s predictions hold significance too; by 2028, 40% of CIOs will insist on 'Guardian Agents' capable of autonomously monitoring AI agent actions, highlighting the rising need for coordinated AI deployment across enterprises. Zavery notes, “With the combination of agentic AI, data fabric, and workflow automation all on one platform, we're making it easier for organizations to embed connected AI where work occurs.” These agents come with built-in governance to enable businesses to proceed with innovation faster without compromising compliance or trust.
Providing examples of successful implementations, Zavery stated, “With the Yokohama release and the integration of AI agents... clients can now operate their agents virtually effortlessly with connected data, driving productivity and ROI across their entire business.” Cognizant's Jason Wojahn echoed such sentiments, adding, “At Cognizant, we are helping companies…” signaling his organization's commitment to assisting firms as they transition toward more automated operational models.
Each of these technological advancements presents organizations with the opportunity to revisit outdated operating structures and create strategic innovations catered to customer satisfaction and employee retention alike. Through AI's implementation, the shift promises groundbreaking transformations to customer service.
Studies show substantial improvements achieved by companies implementing AI technology, like Talkdesk’s Evara Health significantly slashing wait times by 98%, leading to efficient resolution rates and enhanced self-service capabilities. With anticipated developments across the board, customer interactions may soon be entirely transformed by AI innovations, creating lasting impacts on the business world.