The contact center industry is entering its most transformational phase in the past decade. Throughout 2025, companies across industries—particularly BFSI, telecommunications, e-commerce, and utilities—have faced a sharp rise in customer expectations. Customers now demand services that are fast, personalized, and available on the channels of their choice.
As we move into 2026, organizations must accelerate. Contact center transformation is no longer just about improving efficiency—it has become a strategic foundation for retaining customer loyalty, reducing operational costs, and winning market competition.
KPSG has identified three key trends that will shape the future of customer service in 2026.
1. WABA as a Core Contact Center Strategy
WhatsApp Business API (WABA) has become a strategic channel in contact centers—not only for chat, but also for voice calls, document sharing, and richer two-way communication.
Key advantages of WABA API include:
- Automation and fast response
- Seamless integration with other systems
- More advanced and versatile features
- Analytics and reporting capabilities
- Scalability to support high message volumes
With these strengths, WABA API offers a far more comprehensive and efficient communication solution compared to standard WhatsApp Business.
2. The Rise of the Agentic AI Era
Agentic AI enables systems to operate autonomously without repeated instructions—automating complex workflows and handling repetitive tasks with minimal manual intervention. As operational workloads shift to AI, live agents can focus on more strategic, emotional, and high-value cases.
Control remains firmly in human hands through a human-in-the-loop approach, ensuring that critical decisions are still made by people. The result is an ideal collaboration: Agentic AI delivers technological efficiency, while human agents provide empathy, judgment, and contextual understanding.
3. Proactive & Predictive CX Replacing Reactive Service
Contact centers are no longer waiting for customers to complain. With predictive analytics, AI can anticipate issues before they occur. This major shift introduces the concept of zero-latency support, where problems are resolved automatically before customers even notice them.
AI-driven contact centers enable:
- Intelligent routing to minimize wait times
- Early issue detection
- Automated notifications to prevent complaints
This transformation drives the evolution of CX from reactive, to proactive, and ultimately to predictive.
Prepare Your Contact Center for 2026!
Companies that move faster today will become market leaders tomorrow. Whether you aim to build an AI-driven strategy, implement omnichannel capabilities, or elevate operational excellence, KPSG is ready to be your transformation partner.
With more than 35 years of experience in CXaaS, BPaaS, and contact center technology, KPSG delivers end-to-end solutions—from strategy and implementation to ongoing operations.
Contact us and begin your transformation journey toward a more optimized contact center in 2026.