I had an opportunity to speak and moderate a discussion this week (15^th Oct 2024) at the Bytes & Brews event in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, organized by Genesys. During the event, we surveyed the audience of over 60 CX professionals across different industries on AI adoption in Malaysia. These industries included Banking, Insurance, Telecom, Public Services, Retail/eCommerce, BPOs, and others. Here are some results and insights from the survey and discussions with CX professionals in Malaysia.  

Personal Adoption Outpaces Organizational Implementation of AI

Our survey reveals a stark contrast between individual and organizational AI adoption:

• Almost 80% of CX professionals use Generative AI tools like large language models (LLMs) regularly in their personal lives, with over 40% using them daily and over 30% weekly.

• However, only 30% of organizations are currently leveraging AI in their operations, while 40% are still in the exploration phase.

As more employees leverage and appreciate the benefits of AI, the likelihood of organization-wide deployment of AI tools can be expected in the future. However, the stark disparity also suggests that organizations are struggling to build the case for implementing AI, even though the teams are using tools at an individual level in their personal & daily lives. There is an opportunity for CX leaders to better articulate the benefits and build a clear business case for implementing AI in their organization.  

Barriers to Adoption: Cost, ROI, and Data Readiness

Generally, there is acceptance of the potential benefits of AI in a CX context and the ability of AI to

1. Predict customer behavior, and intent and optimize routing

2. Automate customer transactions via self-service or operational tasks such as call summaries and quality monitoring  

3. Augment agent capabilities by providing real-time guidance and access to the right information  

The CX professionals in Malaysia appreciate the benefits that tools such as Agent Assist, Predictive Routing or AI Chatbot/Voicebot bring to the table. When asked how they would use AI in a CX context, the audience selected fairly even across the different use cases, showcasing their understanding of the benefits of AI.  

Despite the potential benefits, organizations face several hurdles in AI adoption:

1. Cost and ROI concerns (40% of respondents) – Many CX leaders shared that the upfront cost of implementing AI is a significant challenge for AI adoption. The actual cost of the AI solutions was mentioned as a key concern. While there are productivity, effectiveness, and quality benefits, there was little data or existing information to help translate that into actual savings.  

2. Security and privacy issues (26%) – The impact of the initial failures of AI implementations continues to haunt organizations as there is a fear and general mistrust around data security and ownership when using AI tools.  

3. Data readiness challenges (20%) – For organizations getting the data ready for AI tools to use and providing the right insights requires work integrating of systems or preparing the data for AI use.  

These findings highlight the need for a strategic approach to AI implementation that addresses these concerns head-on.

Implications for CX Leaders

1. Leverage existing knowledge: Tap into employees' personal experiences with AI to drive organizational adoption and innovation.

2. Focus on the Business Outcome to build an ROI: Start with the business outcome, evaluate where AI can play a role, and then develop clear use cases and metrics to demonstrate the value of AI investments in CX.

3. Start small, scale fast: Begin with pilot projects demonstrating quick wins and building momentum for larger AI initiatives.

Looking Ahead

The gap between personal and organizational AI adoption in Malaysia's CX landscape presents both a challenge and an opportunity. Organizations that can effectively harness their employees' AI familiarity, address key adoption barriers, and implement strategic AI initiatives will likely see significant improvements in customer experience outcomes.

As the AI landscape continues to evolve, staying attuned to these trends and adapting will be crucial for CX leaders looking to drive innovation and maintain a competitive edge in the Malaysian market and beyond.

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