The Power and Practicality of AI in Contact Centres
Attending CCW 2025 was an insightful experience, reinforcing just how transformative AI is for the contact centre industry. Whether we’re exploring Conversational AI with the use of bots or virtual assistants, to Generative AI in helping to create articles and reference material, it was clear that AI is no longer a futuristic concept, it is here, and it is starting to make a real impact.
Celebrating Success: Barmenia’s Award-Winning AI Agent
One of the standout moments of the event was celebrating with Damovo’s customer, Barmenia, for winning a prestigious European Customer Champion (EUROCC) award for their Parloa AI Agent, Nina. Damovo worked with Parloa and Barmenia to help deliver this remarkable AI automation solution that has reduced call volumes by 90% and saved over €100,000 annually, this is where when AI is done right, the benefits are huge.
Damovo’s Global Collaboration
Away from the sessions, I had the privilege of working closely with my German colleagues, exchanging insights and collaborating on how we can further enhance AI driven customer interactions. These conversations highlighted the importance of aligning strategies with local market needs, understand how the different countries describe and implement use cases and how we, Damovo, help them on their journey.
My key takeaways from CCW Berlin on correctly using AI in Contact Centres
As mentioned, AI in contact centres is evolving rapidly, but to be truly effective, it must be implemented with care and consideration and not just because you want to jump on the hype cycle. What I learned and want to share with you from CCW Berlin 2025 from either watching some of the amazing talks or interacting with the varying vendors is as follows:
1. AI Needs to Be Simple and Understandable
As with anything, AI is only as good as the data it is trained on. If the underlying information is inconsistent or incomplete, interactions will be unreliable, customers will get frustrated, and the system ultimately gets removed.
The use of good data will allow a business to provide seamless, high quality and consistent communication. Additionally, AI should also be used to improve CX through personalisation, tailoring responses based on customer history and preferences to create a more engaging, individual and efficient experience across all media channels.
2. AI Should Provide Real Value, Not Just Exist for the Sake of Innovation
The most successful AI implementations focus on “low-hanging fruit” those repetitive tasks that can be easily automated, with examples such as order tracking and account balance enquiries. Users appreciate AI when it simplifies their interactions rather than acting as a frustrating barrier. Practical, well executed AI builds trust and enhances the customer experience, rather than diminishing it and can lead to positive brand recognition.
These implementations also support your agents by removing the frustration of dealing with the boring, repetitive tasks that can drive high churn and cognitive burn. Allow the agents to deal with the more complex issues and ultimately reduce those wait time and improve your net promoter scores.
3. AI is a Partner, Not a Replacement for Humans
One of the biggest misconceptions about AI is that it is here to replace humans, or if the film industry is to be believed, take over the world. The reality is very different, AI is there to enhance human capabilities, not eliminate them.
As touched on in point 2, all customers still expect and where appropriate require human interaction, especially in complex or sensitive situations. The key is to create a seamless transition between AI and human agents, ensuring customers never feel abandoned in an automated system. Intelligent handovers between AI and agents can improve both efficiency and satisfaction for both customer and employee.
Some of the discussions on the stage stated that it also helped to improve first call resolution, FCR, as more information was available, the interaction was routed to the right place first time.
What does the future look like?
As AI technology continues to mature, businesses must focus on integrating it in ways that genuinely enhance customer service. CCW Berlin 2025 reaffirmed that the future of AI in contact centres is bright but only if it is implemented with a clear purpose and a commitment to improving the customer journey, not just because someone else is doing it. Lots of considerations need to be made to make sure it’s right for your customers. The Fear Of Missing Out, FOMO, is something we are all guilty of, but choosing the wrong AI or implementing it poorly, will ultimately cost you.
How Can We Help?
If you’d like to learn more about how Damovo can support you on your AI journey, identify the right solutions and optimise your contact centre operations, don’t hesitate to get in touch. Let’s explore how AI can work for your business, intelligently and effectively.
Lee Swire, Practice Lead Contact Centre at Damovo
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