The real role of AI in Contact Centres

 

AI isn’t coming to the Contact Centre, it’s already here. From real-time call summarisation and intelligent routing to predictive analytics and proactive outreach, AI is redefining what “great customer service” looks like.

But here’s the catch: AI doesn’t work in silos. And it doesn’t work well in on-premise Contact Centres.

As highlighted in the latest Cavell whitepaper, the limitations of legacy platforms are quickly turning from a technical inconvenience into a strategic liability. In 2025, staying on-prem doesn’t just slow you down, it locks you out of the next generation of customer experience.

 

Why on prem systems are falling behind

AI thrives on data: real-time, integrated, high-volume data. While many on‑premise systems are integrated with WFM tools and often with CRM systems, these integrations are typically more complex, costly, and resource‑intensive to maintain compared to cloud-native environments. Increasingly, it’s also harder to find skilled specialists who can build and support them. On‑premise platforms are often:

• Challenging and expensive to integrate with modern, cloud-native AI services
• Constrained by manual update cycles and hardware limitations
• Dependent on limited technical expertise for ongoing maintenance and optimisation

In short, AI can’t do its job without a modern digital foundation.

As Cavell points out:

“These AI systems are overwhelmingly cloud-based and data hungry, so integrating them with other cloud-based systems is necessary to achieve the best that AI can offer.”

That’s why companies still relying on on-premise infrastructure are missing out on the very tools their competitors are using to reduce costs, scale service, and increase customer satisfaction.

 

AI-driven experiences start in the cloud

Here’s what AI can do when it’s running on the right platform:

• Automated Quality Monitoring
  Analyse every customer interaction, not just 2% of calls
• Real-Time Summarisation
  Free agents from note-taking and speed up post-call wrap-ups
• Intelligent Routing
  Match customers with the right resource, instantly, based on sentiment, history, and behaviour
• Proactive Service
  Predict issues before they arise using trends across your entire dataset

These aren’t “nice-to-haves.” They’re rapidly becoming the baseline.

 

Key AI capabilities you can unlock in the cloud

To unlock these benefits, businesses need more than just a cloud badge, they need a Contact Centre platform that’s built for AI from the ground up.

That means:

• Native integration with AI services
• Open APIs for seamless data flow
• Built-in tools for orchestration, personalisation, and automation
• Frequent feature releases, not annual patch cycles

Platforms like Genesys Cloud and alternatives such as our own ElasticCX are designed to support this kind of intelligent service delivery. They’re not simply replacing your legacy Contact Centre; they’re reimagining what it can do.

 

The cost of doing nothing

Cavell’s latest research shows that 63% of companies with on-prem Contact Centres plan to migrate to the cloud within the next 2 years.

The longer you stay on-prem:

• The harder it becomes to integrate with modern tools
• The more expensive it becomes to maintain support
• The further behind you fall in AI capability

And for many vendors, including some of the biggest names, support for mid-sized on-prem customers is already winding down.

 

Modernisation without disruption

Migrating to a cloud-native Contact Centre doesn’t mean ripping everything up overnight. With the right strategy and partner, it’s possible to:

• Phase migration by team, region, or channel
• Protect critical data and workflows
• Upskill agents gradually
• Deliver better outcomes….fast

Whether you choose Genesys, ElasticCX, or another AI-ready CCaaS platform, the message is clear: if you want the benefits of AI, you have to meet it in the cloud.

 

Final thought: AI can’t live on-prem

AI is not just a future trend, it’s today’s competitive advantage. But it can’t live on-prem. If you want to automate, personalise, and scale the way your customers now expect, you need a platform that’s built for it.

 

Ready to see what’s possible beyond legacy limits?
Let’s talk about how we can help you migrate, smarter, not just faster.