TLDR: Cisco is embedding agentic artificial intelligence across the entire customer journey to deliver proactive, personalized, and predictive support, with a new global research report indicating that 68% of customer service interactions with technology vendors will be handled by agentic AI by 2028. The company emphasizes a holistic approach, integrating AI into infrastructure and critical applications, and balancing AI automation with human expertise.
Cisco is making significant strides in transforming customer experience (CX) by embedding agentic artificial intelligence (AI) throughout the customer journey. This strategic move aims to provide more proactive, personalized, and predictive support, fundamentally reshaping how technology vendors interact with their clients.
A recent global research report from Cisco, titled ‘The Race to an Agentic Future: How Agentic AI Will Transform Customer Experience,’ highlights the profound impact of this technology. The survey, which gathered insights from 7,950 business and technical decision-makers across 30 countries, reveals an overwhelming demand and positive outlook for agentic AI. A striking 68% of all customer service and support interactions with technology vendors are expected to be handled by agentic AI by 2028. Furthermore, the research indicates an even faster transition, predicting that 56% of customer interactions will be managed by agentic AI within the next 12 months.
Organizations are increasingly recognizing the criticality of robust support, with 92% stating that the services they receive are more important than ever due to growing IT complexity. The transformational benefits of AI are widely acknowledged, as 93% of respondents anticipate that agentic AI will enable more personalized, proactive, and predictive services. Confidence in this shift is high, with 88% of decision-makers believing that agentic AI-led CX will help their organizations achieve goals such as improved IT efficiency, resilience, and security, as well as accelerated strategic IT projects.
Cisco’s approach to agentic AI is holistic, integrating it into the very fabric of product development, starting with infrastructure and observability, and extending to mission-critical applications. This contrasts with viewing AI as merely a bolt-on feature. Key offerings in this strategy include the Webex AI Agent, which is designed to handle bidirectional, human-like conversations. This agent can connect to back-end systems, trigger workflows, and autonomously resolve actions like appointment reschedules or refund requests, significantly reducing the need for human intervention. Additionally, the AI Assistant supports human agents by providing suggested responses, thereby reducing average handling time and improving first contact resolution, allowing agents to focus on complex customer needs.
Despite the rapid advancement of AI, the importance of human connection remains paramount. The report found that 89% of customers emphasize the need to combine human expertise with AI efficiency to optimize experiences. This underscores the necessity of balancing AI automation with human oversight, especially for complex customer needs. Moreover, ethical considerations are a top priority, with 99% of respondents citing a need for solid governance in AI deployments. Cisco’s Chief Product Officer, Jeetu Patel, has articulated a pragmatic approach focusing on AI-ready data centers, future-proofed workplaces, and digital resilience through infused security controls.
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- Salesforce Report Highlights AI Agents as Pivotal for Enhanced Security and Business Growth
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This pervasive integration of agentic AI is set to revolutionize customer support, enabling businesses to proactively address issues and deliver highly tailored experiences, while still valuing the irreplaceable element of human interaction and ethical deployment.
