2025 will be a period of significant change for the contact center industry. From the rapid adoption of Gen AI, the rise of self-service, to the re-emergence of the human touch amidst automation, all these developments indicate that the contact center industry is entering a crucial transformational phase.
While contact centers were once often viewed as cost centers, their role has now shifted to become strategic growth engines. Contact centers have become hubs for service quality, customer insight, and the foundation for long-term loyalty.
Self-Service Surge in Early 2025
Deloitte research in the first quarter of 2025 showed that nine out of ten global contact centers planned to increase investment in self-service features such as chatbots, intelligent IVRs, and interactive FAQs. The goal is to reduce the burden on human agents, speed up service, and improve operational efficiency.
Companies that successfully optimize self-service channels have proven to be able to reduce operational costs while providing a faster and more convenient experience to customers.
AI Generation Adoption Takes a Leading Role
Gartner notes that 80% of customer service organizations have implemented Gen AI in their contact centers. This technology is used to support conversation automation, customer behavior analytics, and provide real-time recommendations to agents.
Gen AI gives companies the ability to respond more quickly and consistently, while making it easier for agents to handle more complex cases.
Contact Center Agents Continue to Grow
Despite the rise in automation, the number of contact center agents worldwide continues to rise. Gartner reports that there will be approximately 17 million active agents globally by the third quarter of 2025, primarily in the healthcare sector.
This data shows that humans still play a vital role. Interactions like health consultations, sensitive issues, or conversations requiring empathy still require a human touch that AI cannot replace.
Human Touch is increasingly necessary
Calabrio's report shows that 98% of organizations have adopted AI. However, at the same time, new challenges are emerging: the need for empathy and quality communication is increasing. Customers can easily detect the difference between a scripted conversation and the natural conversation of a trained agent.
Therefore, the company is now strengthening soft skills training such as communication, empathy, and problem solving to ensure the service provided to customers remains superior.
Welcoming 2026 with a Smarter Strategy
Trends throughout 2025 show that contact center transformation cannot be delayed. AI, cloud, omnichannel, and real-time analytics are now the foundations of modern operations.
In 2026, companies will be required to:
- Combining AI with human agents more effectively
- Optimizing the omnichannel experience
- Leveraging data and analytics for rapid decision making
- Improve operational efficiency without sacrificing quality
KPSG is here to help organizations in Indonesia develop targeted and measurable transformation strategies, from planning to end-to-end implementation. The year 2026 offers significant opportunities for companies ready to move faster.
It's time to strengthen your contact center foundation and lead change!
