AI in contact centres: optimising employee and customer experience

Contact centres are under pressure. Rising costs, increased competition, and shifting customer expectations mean teams are being asked to do more with less. The challenge? Making decisions based on incomplete data or small samples that don't represent the full picture.

In our recent webinar, we explored how conversation analytics helps contact centres move beyond guesswork and make data-driven decisions that improve performance, reduce costs, and deliver better customer experiences.

Four Forces Reshaping Contact Strategies

Contact centres face a perfect storm of challenges:

Rising costs and increasing competition
The barrier to entry has lowered across most sectors, meaning competition can move with agility and quickly challenge established players. Every interaction is getting more expensive, whilst high attrition rates mean teams are working harder just to stand still.

Stagnating effectiveness
Sales conversions and first call resolutions are trending downwards for many businesses. Conversations are becoming more complex and harder to resolve on the first attempt.

Growing commercial risk of poor CX
Customers switch providers faster when service falls short. There's no loyalty in those first few minutes of an interaction. Many organisations struggle to route customers accurately, creating inconsistency and avoidable friction for both consumers and agents.

Shifting consumer behaviour
AI call screening, digital buying journeys, and social search are making people harder to reach and changing where and how they want to engage with organisations.

t's not just one challenge – it's the combination of these forces that means traditional contact strategies need to evolve.

What the Data Tells Us

Our 2024 Contact Centre Benchmark Report surveyed 300 contact centre leaders across the UK. The findings are clear: contact centre teams are being asked to do more with the same level of resource, or less.

Key statistics:

• 52% of contact centres report increased agent workloads this year – a 10-point rise since last year‍
• Average agent churn rate sits at 31% – a costly cycle of recruitment and retraining
• Agents are handling more conversations with more complexity and pressure than before

This level of attrition creates both financial costs and operational challenges, impacting team performance and customer experience.

The Sampling Problem

Many contact centres still rely on sampling to understand what's happening in their conversations. The traditional approach might involve listening to 2-3 calls per agent per month – a tiny fraction of overall activity.

When you're handling thousands or tens of thousands of conversations, sampling simply doesn't give you the full picture. You might miss critical trends, coaching opportunities, or compliance issues that only become visible when you analyse conversations at scale.

How Conversation Analytics Works

MaxContact's conversation analytics platform uses AI to analyse 100% of your conversations, not just a sample. Here's what that makes possible:

AI-powered call summaries
Every conversation is automatically summarised, capturing key points, outcomes, and next steps. This saves hours of manual note-taking and makes it easy to understand what happened on any call at a glance.

Sentiment analysis
Track customer and agent sentiment throughout conversations. Identify where interactions go well and where frustration builds, helping you understand the emotional journey of your customers.

Objection tracking
Automatically identify common objections across all conversations. See which objections come up most frequently, how often they're successfully handled, and spot patterns that point to process improvements or product issues.

Custom saved views
Create filtered views that surface the conversations that matter most to your team. Whether you're looking for calls with specific outcomes, objections, sentiment patterns, or compliance markers, saved views let you quickly find what you need without manually searching through thousands of recordings.

AI assistant prompts
Ask questions of your conversation data in natural language. For example, "Show me calls where customers mentioned pricing concerns" or "Find conversations where agents successfully overcame objections." The AI assistant helps you explore your data and uncover insights without needing technical skills.

Real-World Use Cases

Coaching and development
Identify specific coaching opportunities by finding conversations where agents struggle with particular objections or where sentiment deteriorates. Move from generic training to targeted coaching based on actual performance data.

Process improvements
When you see patterns across hundreds of conversations – repeated objections, common confusion points, or friction in specific processes – you have clear evidence to drive process changes and improvements.

Compliance monitoring
Analyse 100% of calls for compliance markers, not just a small sample. Identify potential issues quickly and address them before they become serious problems.

Understanding what drives success
Compare conversations that result in positive outcomes with those that don't. What do successful agents do differently? What patterns emerge in conversations that lead to sales, resolved issues, or satisfied customers?

From Reactive to Proactive

The shift from sampling to comprehensive analysis changes how contact centres operate. Instead of reacting to issues after they've escalated or basing decisions on limited data, conversation analytics gives you:

• Complete visibility into what's happening across all conversations
• Early warning signals when trends start to emerge
• Evidence-based decisions supported by comprehensive data
• Measurable improvements that you can track over time
  

Getting Started with Conversation Analytics

Implementation includes working with MaxContact's product team to define success criteria and create custom views that align with your specific goals. Many organisations start with core use cases – coaching, compliance, objection handling – and then expand as they see the value and discover new applications for the platform.

The platform includes templates to get started quickly, but the real power comes from tailoring the analysis to your specific needs and challenges.

The Bottom Line

Contact centres can't afford to make decisions based on guesswork or small samples. When you're handling thousands of conversations, you need to understand what's happening at scale.

Conversation analytics removes the guesswork, giving you the insights you need to improve coaching, enhance processes, ensure compliance, and ultimately deliver better outcomes for both your team and your customers.

Want to see how conversation analytics could work for your contact centre? Get in touch with our team to arrange a demonstration.

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Budget 2025 - What Contact Centres Need to Know

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The 2025 UK Budget brings a series of labour-market, tax and business-rate shifts that directly affect contact centres - a sector powered by people and tight margins. Rising wage floors, frozen employer NIC thresholds, and new skills programmes will reshape workforce planning.

Meanwhile, changes to business rates and investment incentives could reduce cost pressures for some operators.

For contact centres, the challenge is clear: absorb higher employment costs while accelerating efficiency, automation and employee development.

MaxContact’s view? This Budget reinforces what we already know - the most resilient contact centres will be those that invest in workforce experience, smarter technology, and data-led decision-making.

What the Budget Means for Contact Centres

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If contact centres feel like they’re being asked to do more with less, Budget 2025 cements that reality. While many measures aim to ‘make work pay’, several place direct cost pressure on people-intensive industries - including ours. But with the right technology and operating model, these shifts can be turned into opportunities.

1. Wage Costs Are Rising - Again

From 1 April 2026, the National Living Wage (NLW) increases 4.1% to £12.71/hour (Budget clause - 4.22).

Minimum wage bands for younger workers rise even faster.

For contact centres - where large portions of the frontline workforce sit on or near the NLW - this is the single biggest cost impact.

What this means

• Expect a higher annual wage bill, particularly for large multi-site operations.
• Increased wage competition could make talent attraction harder.
• Inefficient processes will become more expensive every year.

What to do

• Use workforce optimisation and automation to reduce low-value tasks.
• Improve agent experience to protect retention (reducing recruitment cost spikes).
• Reforecast now - 2026 isn’t far away in budgeting terms.

2. Employer NIC Freeze = Higher Costs Hidden in Plain Sight

One detail in this year’s Budget that doesn’t make headlines - but really matters - is the freeze on the Employer National Insurance threshold until 2031 (Budget clause - 4.112)

 Here’s what that means in simple terms:

• The point at which employers start paying NIC for their staff will not increase for six years.
• But wages will increase - especially with the higher National Living Wage coming in 2026.
• So even though the NIC rate isn’t changing, employers will still pay more NIC each year as more of each salary is pushed above the frozen threshold.

For people-intensive sectors like contact centres, that’s a direct and unavoidable cost increase built into the system.

When labour costs rise automatically every year, efficiency becomes mission-critical.

Small improvements in forecasting, scheduling, and automation can deliver real financial impact at scale.

This is exactly where modern WFM, AI-assisted routing, and intelligent automation help organisations stay ahead of cost pressure.

3. Youth Guarantee Could Ease Recruitment Challenges

Government funding includes £1.5bn for skills and employment support, including paid six-month placements for 18–21-year-olds (Budget clause - 4.23–4.24 ).

Why it matters:

• Contact centres can tap into subsidised entry-level talent.
• It may become a strong pipeline for customer-facing roles with the right development pathways.

Build apprenticeship and early-careers programmes aligned to these schemes.

4. Business Rates Reset in 2026

Business rates multipliers drop in 2026-27 due to evaluation (Budget clause - 4.26 ). Transitional Relief and new multipliers offer further support.

For operators in office estates, this may bring modest cost relief - though location-specific impacts vary.

Review your estate profile. Many centres could achieve meaningful savings with the right appeals or optimisation.

5. Salary Sacrifice Tightening (from 2029)

NIC relief on pension-related salary sacrifice will be capped at £2,000 per year (Budget clause - 4.120).

For contact centres offering enhanced pension schemes, this could erode part of their employee-value proposition or increase employer costs.

6. Compliance and Employment Rights Focus Will Intensify

The Budget funds a new Fair Work Agency team targeting illegal working and employment-rights breaches from April 2026 (Budget clause - 4.103).

This signals tougher scrutiny on employment practices and contractor models common in outsourced service environments.

Ensure scheduling accuracy, break compliance and HR documentation are watertight - technology can remove risk here.

Key Takeaways

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1. Cost pressures will rise - but predictable pressures are manageable.

Wage floors and frozen NIC thresholds mean labour cost inflation is here to stay. Smart forecasting, WFM, and automation will be essential.

2. Talent pipelines are evolving - seize the opportunity.

Government-backed youth placements and skills funding offer a low-cost hiring route if built into recruitment strategies early.

3. Compliance is tightening - operational visibility matters.

Clear audit trails, documented processes and accurate time-tracking will pay dividends as enforcement grows.

4. Estate costs may fall - review your footprint.

Business rates changes could offer relief for some operators, but only with proactive assessment.

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The Challenge: Are Connect Rates Under Pressure?

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Outbound contact teams are facing a new reality. The calls that used to connect are now being intercepted - not by answerphones, but by AI.

According to our latest research, 42.8% is the average connect rate for UK contact centres, with 38% of respondents reporting connect rates between 40-59% [Source: MaxContact KPI Benchmark Report 2025-26].

These numbers tell only part of the story. Behind them lies a fundamental shift in how customers interact with incoming calls, and outbound teams need to understand what's happening - and more importantly, how to adapt.

What Is AI Call Screening?

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AI call screening is smartphone technology that uses avirtual assistant to answer calls from unknown numbers. When an incoming call arrives, the AI asks the caller for their name and purpose, then transcribes the response in real-time on the user's screen. The user can then decide whether to answer, decline, send a text reply, or report the call as junk.

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How It Works for End Users

• ‍iOS Devices: When a call from an unknown number arrives, users see a "Screen Call" option. Tapping it triggers an automated voice that asks the caller for their name and reason for calling. The user doesn't hear the audio initially - instead, they see a live, on-screen transcript of the caller's response. Based on this transcript, they can accept, decline, reply via text, or report as junk. Users can configure their iPhone settings to automatically screen all unknown callers, send them directly to voicemail, or allow calls toring through normally. If they've spoken to that number before or have it saved, the call isn't classified as unknown and by passes.

• On Android (Google Pixel) Devices: Users can manually tap a "Screen call" button or set the feature to automatically screen calls from spam, first-time callers, or all unknown numbers. When automatic screening is enabled, the phone may not even ring - a transcript of the screened call appears later in the call history. The Google Assistant informs the caller they're using a screening service, asks for their name and purpose,and can even ask clarifying questions like "Is it urgent?" on the user's behalf.

The Impact on Outbound Contact Strategies

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Research on our customer base shows that currently, less than 0.37% of outbound calls are hitting iOS call screening services. While this figure suggests relatively low adoption now, industry analysts expect it to compound over time as the technology becomes embedded in everyday life.

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Answer Machine to Call Screen Detection.

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MaxContact use Answering Machine Detection (AMD) technology to identify when calls reach voicemail. AMD often identifies AI call screening as a standard answering machine.

When using automated dialling modes - predictive orprogressive dialling with AMD enabled - calls are flagged as "Answer Machine" and routed to the IVR plan for answering machines. If a contact answers the call while the IVR message is playing, they won't be connected to an agent. Instead, they'll see a transcript on their phone showing who called, as stated in the recorded message.

While AMD technology catches many screened calls, it isn't foolproof - a number of these calls may still get through to agents. If answer machine detection isn't enabled, agents will be connected to AI call screening when activated.

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What This Means for Your Connect Rates

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AI screening tools are acting as gatekeepers, allowing customers to decide whether calls are worth their time. For outbound teams, this might mean:

• Reduced agent connection rates – More calls being intercepted before reaching the intended person
• Wasted agent time – Agents speaking to AI screening services instead of real customers
• Missed opportunities – Prospects receiving incomplete messages or no context about why you're calling
• Brand perception risks – Silence, dropped calls, or robotic IVR messages creating negative first impressions

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According to our benchmark data, the average contact rate (percentage of connected calls that reach the intended person) is 43.2%,with 39% of respondents reporting rates between 40-59%. As AI call screening adoption grows, maintaining these rates will require strategic adaptation.

MaxContact's Solution

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At MaxContact, we're tackling AI call screening head-on with a comprehensive approach that combines smart automation with agent training. Our strategy ensures you maintain connect rates while delivering consistent, professional brand experiences.

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‍The Automated Strategy

(When AMD Detects the Screener)

For calls that are correctly identified as answering machines by the system, MaxContact enables you to:

Use IVR Routing for Answering Machines Set upspecific IVR routing that plays when the system detects an answering machine. Your IVR should deliver a clear, purposeful message that explains who iscalling, why, and how to get back in touch.

This approach ensures that even when your call hits AIscreening, the person receives a complete, professional message they can reviewin their call transcript. It's transparent, compliant, and positions your brandas respectful of their time.

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The Agent-Led Strategy

(When Screened Calls Reach Agents)

For calls that AMD doesn't catch - or if you don't use AMD - MaxContact recommends training agents to recognise and respond effectively:

Train Agents to Identify AI Screening Agents must be trained to recognise the distinct voice of an AI screening assistant, which sounds different from a genuine customer.

Deliver Personalised, Concise Messages When an agent identifies an AI screener, they shouldn't hang up. Instead, they should respond clearly and concisely with a personalised message. For example: "Hi, thisis Sarah from MaxContact. I'm calling for John regarding the information he requested on our website." If the person doesn't pick up, agents should leave details on how to get back in contact.

This gives the person screening the call the clear, concise information they need to decide to accept it.

How MaxContact's Platform Supports Your Outbound Strategy

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MaxContact provides the tools you need to implement theabove strategies effectively:

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Intelligent Dialling with AMD

Our automated dialling technology (predictive and progressive modes) includes industry-leading Answer Machine Detection. When AMD identifies a screened call, it's automatically routed to your configured IVR plan, ensuring consistent messaging.

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Flexible IVR Routing

MaxContact's IVR capabilities let you create specific routing plans for answering machines. You can craft messages that clearly identify your organisation, explain the reason for calling, and provide callback information - all essential for making a positive impression when calls are screened.

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Agent Coaching

Our Conversation Analytics features help management identify AI screening and uncover the openers that work best. Train agents on delivering clear, concise messages that maximise the chances of prospects accepting the call.

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Comprehensive Reporting

Track how often your calls are hitting answering machines (including AI screening), monitor connect rates and measure the effectiveness of your strategies with MaxContact's reporting suite.

Best Practices: Adapting Your Contact Strategy Today

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AI Call Screening is here, here's how to optimise your outbound strategy now:

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1. Audit Your IVR Messages

Review the messages played when AMD detects an answering machine. Ensure they clearly state:

• Who you are (company name, agent name if possible)
• Why you're calling (the value proposition or reason)
• How to get back in touch (phone number, website, email)

Keep messages concise—under 30 seconds—and professional.

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2. Train Your Agents

Conduct training sessions where agents learn to:

• Recognise the sound and cadence of AI screening assistants
• Deliver clear, personalised responses when they identify screening
• Leave complete information if the person doesn't pick up

Role-playing exercises can be particularly effective here.

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3. Leverage Branded Caller ID

Consider using branded caller ID services that display your company name on incoming calls. This transparency increases the likelihood that prospects will answer or trust the call even when screened.

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4. Optimise Contact Timing

Use MaxContact's intelligent targeting to call prospects attimes they're more likely to answer. Our platform allows you to build lists with differing contact windows, reducing the chances of hitting screening technology.

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5. Embrace Omnichannel

Don't rely solely on voice. Use MaxContact's omnichannel capabilities to follow up via SMS, WhatsApp, email, or web chat when calls don't connect. Multi-channel strategies significantly improve overall contactrates.

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6. Monitor and Measure

Track your connect rates, contact rates, and conversion rates over time. Use MaxContact's reporting suite to identify trends and measure the impact of your AI call screening strategies.

The Bottom Line: Stay Ahead of the Curve

AI call screening isn't going away—if anything, adoption will accelerate. But with the right strategy and technology, your outbound teams can not only maintain performance but improve it.

MaxContact's approach—combining intelligent automation with agent training—gives you the tools to adapt now.

Remember: Successful teams will adapt to AI call screening with transparency, branded caller IDs, and pre-call context, working with AI to increase responsiveness and to maximise every opportunity.

Ready to Future-Proof Your Contact Strategy?

If you're concerned about how AI call screening is affecting your connect rates get in touch with MaxContact today.

Our team of contact centre experts can audit your current strategy, identify opportunities for improvement, and show you how our platformhelps you stay ahead of emerging technologies.

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Request a Demo | Download Our Benchmark Report

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