06/09/2026
When organizations think about contact-center costs, they often focus on staffing levels.
What gets overlooked is the cost of friction.
Every minute spent on hold, every transfer, every authentication step, and every repeated explanation adds time, expense, and frustration to the customer journey.
The impact extends beyond customer satisfaction:
• Higher call abandonment rates
• Longer average handle times
• Increased agent workload
• Lower productivity
• Greater operational costs
Many CX AI initiatives are focused on reducing friction before a customer ever reaches a queue, helping customers get answers faster while allowing agents to focus on more complex interactions.
Small improvements at each step of the journey can create meaningful gains across the entire customer experience.
For a deeper look at the technologies and trends shaping customer experience, download our CX AI position paper: https://bit.ly/4ek62I4