Sprinklr, a leading unified customer experience management (Unified-CXM) platform, has released compelling research on the 2025 AI priorities for enterprise marketing and contact center leaders. This research, compiled in the sponsored IDC Report: AI Everywhere Drives Intelligent Experiences for the Contact Center and Marketing Functions, reveals a shift in traditional narratives surrounding AI usage in these domains.

Key Findings from the Research

• Marketing Leaders Focus on Efficiency: With predictions indicating tightening marketing budgets for 2025, marketing leaders are seeking efficiencies through AI to optimize their operations.

• Contact Center Leaders Emphasize Digitization: Contact center leaders prioritize modernizing their customer service technology to integrate seamlessly into the broader customer and brand experience.

• Skills Gap as a Barrier: Both marketing (44%) and contact center (42%) leaders identify the lack of skilled employees as the primary obstacle to effectively leveraging AI.

Insights from Sprinklr Leadership

"At Sprinklr, we understand that AI and generative AI are not merely technological advancements but strategic imperatives that will shape the future of customer experience," stated Amitabh Misra, CTO of Sprinklr. "Our research with IDC highlights the necessity for enterprises to adopt AI to foster intelligent and empathetic customer experiences that drive satisfaction and growth."

Key Findings from Contact Center Respondents

1. Autonomous Customer Support:

   • 73% believe that AI-driven predictive analytics will lead to impactful 24/7 autonomous customer service and support by 2025.

2. Contextualized Engagement:

   • 67% expect that generative AI will enable contextualized customer engagement during service interactions.

3. Skills Gap:

   • 42% cite a lack of skilled employees as a significant barrier to leveraging AI in customer service.

Key Findings from Marketing Respondents

1. Personalized Content Creation:

   • 76% believe that dynamic and personalized content creation will be the most significant outcome from advanced analytics.

2. Unified Voice of Customer Program:

   • 72% emphasize the need for a cohesive Voice of Customer program to enhance marketing effectiveness.

3. Skills Gap:

   • 44% report a lack of skilled employees as the main hurdle to adopting AI in marketing.

Insights from IDC

"AI and generative AI are transforming the value exchange between customers and brands, with the potential to significantly impact future customer experiences," said Sudhir Rajagopal, Research Director at IDC. "However, many enterprises are still in the early stages of AI adoption, focusing on efficiency rather than creating top-line value. To transition from AI experimentation to widespread adoption, leaders must tackle foundational challenges related to skills, costs, and customer trust."

Actionable Guidance for Enterprises

The whitepaper outlines key steps for enterprises to prepare for the era of AI Everywhere:

1. Prepare Customer and Operational Data:

   • Enhance data infrastructure and governance for effective AI utilization.

2. Develop a Unified Customer Insights Fabric:

   • Integrate customer data across functions to build comprehensive customer intelligence.

3. Establish CX-Specific AI Governance:

   • Implement governance practices to ensure ethical AI use and maintain customer trust.

4. Focus on Cost-Effective Experience Delivery:

   • Invest in AI solutions that yield tangible business outcomes and collaborate with providers offering flexible pricing.

5. Address Employee Skills and Training:

   • Tackle foundational challenges related to workforce skills to maximize AI investments.

As Sprinklr continues to evolve in the AI landscape, the insights gathered from this research will help enterprises navigate their priorities and drive meaningful customer experiences.