Why AI Plays a Central Role in CX

Digital assistants, recommendation engines, and chatbots are no longer the future—they’re here now. According to a study by SAP and IDC from February 2024, over 40% of companies are already actively deploying AI across their front-office functions. AI is no longer limited to automation—it’s transforming the quality of customer experience across marketing, service, and sales.

Three Faces of AI in Customer Experience

AI in CX takes many forms. Most commonly, it can be categorized into three types that complement one another:

• Analytical AI processes customer data, detects behavioral patterns, and predicts what a customer is likely to want or do next. It supports segmentation, satisfaction tracking, churn modeling, and campaign performance analysis.
• Automated AI replaces manual, repetitive tasks. It powers real-time chatbot responses, recommendation engines, and auto-completed forms—saving time and resources.
• Generative AI creates personalized content—emails, ads, meeting summaries, or product descriptions—at scale. In marketing and sales, it drives real-time creativity.

Analytical AI: Better Decisions Through Data

Analytical AI starts with quality data—structured, timely, and relevant. It enables organizations to build precise customer segments, measure sentiment from reviews and social media, and plan demand with greater accuracy.

One key benefit is more reliable forecasting—for example, AI can assess the health of sales opportunities and their likelihood to close, allowing teams to better plan resources, inventory, and revenue.

Automation: Fewer Errors, More Time for Relationships

Automated AI is ideal for reducing human error and speeding up repetitive tasks. Whether it’s automated replies in customer support, managing product catalogs, or real-time dynamic pricing, AI improves consistency and response times.

The true value lies in freeing up teams to focus on more complex and meaningful work—building relationships, solving critical issues, and improving the customer journey.

Four Real-World Use Cases of AI in CX

1. Product Catalog Management – Consistency Across All Channels

Maintaining rich, accurate product catalogs is time-consuming and prone to errors. AI helps automate the generation of product descriptions, attribute completion, image suggestions, and language consistency across sales channels. This leads to improved product relevance, higher conversion rates, and fewer return customers get the right information wherever they shop.

2. Customer Service – Empowered Agents, Happier Customers

Support agents often struggle with repetitive inquiries and complex systems. AI acts as a smart assistant, offering suggested replies, surfacing similar cases, and streamlining navigation across knowledge bases. Sometimes AI handles queries entirely on its own; in other cases, it accelerates escalation. The result: higher customer satisfaction, reduced agent churn, and better service outcomes—across all channels.

3. Marketing – Hyperpersonalization in Real Time

In a content-saturated world, grabbing a customer’s attention in the first seconds is crucial. Generative AI enables personalized campaign content creation—from email subject lines and page text to dynamic ad elements. When connected to real-time analytics, campaigns automatically adapt to customer behavior.

4. Sales – Smarter Guidance at Every Step

Sales teams need more than a CRM—they need AI that helps them prioritize and act. SAP Business AI analyzes customer behavior, order history, and engagement signals to prioritize leads, recommends next best actions, and drive cross-sell and upsell opportunities. It also drafts meeting notes, follow-up emails, and contact summaries—reducing administrative tasks and allowing reps to focus on closing deals.

The Future of CX Is Intelligent—Not Impersonal

Ultimately, AI in CX isn’t about replacing human interaction—it’s about making it better, smarter, and scalable. Companies that implement AI thoughtfully gain not only efficiency but also the ability to build lasting relationships and loyalty.

Source: The IT Leader’s Handbook: Four CX Trends Tech Leaders Need to Know,
SAP SE, 2024