Qualtrics has announced that it will invest US$500 million in AI innovation over the next four years as part of the company’s launch for its fully AI enabled platform, XM/os2 – a new generation of the Qualtrics platform to help organisations create better experiences for their employees and customers.
To coincide with the launch of XM/os2, Qualtrics released new research with insights into how CX professionals feel about AI, with those in Australia more sceptical than their global peers. CX professionals say data security is the biggest concern they have about using AI, with the majority agreeing they have the necessary security measures in place.
Respondents believe the best way to address consumer concerns regarding security is to give them the option to opt out data being used (68%), share with customers how data will be used (51%), and publish a code of ethics (37%).
Rapid advancement of generative AI, such as ChatGPT, has accelerated expectations for AI to take on human-like capabilities, with the study revealing 39% of CX professionals feel under pressure to implement these types of tools into their business strategy.
While the competitive advantage enabled by AI is widely accepted by local CX leaders, with 41% agreeing with this sentiment, it’s not as strong as in other parts of the world specifically the UK, France, Germany, Mexico, and Brazil.
The main focus areas for CX professionals over the next year are improving customer satisfaction scores, enabling frontline employees, and employee retention – and leaders believe AI can directly address these priorities. Eight in 10 (81%) CX professionals in Australia believe AI will benefit their work, with the most commonly cited benefits reduced workload (38%), and helping frontline employees respond in the moment with customers and resolve issues faster (29%).
Qualtrics director of XM solutions and strategy for Asia Pacific & Japan, Vicky Katsabaris said, “AI is set to elevate customer service levels across Australia, and two key pillars ensuring this is achieved are having in place the right governance models and technologies and being focused on where to add value to customers.
“Encouragingly, CX professionals in Australia are thinking holistically about how to integrate AI into their operations from bringing a greater human element to engagements through to change management programs – and we should expect to see local innovations and use cases accelerate as brands begin to prove the business value it brings.”