The Next Act for WEM

By Donna Fluss, DMG Consulting

The artificial intelligence (AI) buzz continues as these technologies enhance an expanding number of applications, increasing both their value and the benefits they deliver. Workforce engagement management (WEM) solutions are an excellent example of where AI is already making significant contributions, and there are many more to come.

Here are some trends driving today’s WEM market:

  • A growing number of contact centers plan to purchase WEM capabilities directly from their contact center infrastructure vendor. In a recent study of enterprise buying needs, DMG found a total of 47.6% of organizations want to purchase WEM solutions from their ACD vendor; 39.5% anticipate buying this functionality from a contact center as a service (CCaaS) provider, and the remaining 8.1% expect to turn to their premise-based vendor.
  • AI and generative AI (GenAI) are being leveraged to enhance all WEM applications, boosting their contributions to enterprises and their customers and employees.
  • Conversation analytics, also known as speech and text analytics, has become an essential WEM solution due to its ability to uncover customer insights in all channels. Additionally, this technology has evolved into a foundational building block for several WEM applications including transcription, real-time guidance/next-best-action, automated post-interaction summarization, and automated quality management (AQM).
  • Automated post-interaction summarization is the fastest-growing WEM solution in the market. Enabled by GenAI, this functionality can be implemented in 3 – 6 weeks and reduces after-interaction wrap-up time by approximately 40% – 60%. As importantly, it improves both the customer and employee experience (CX/EX).
  • Enhanced by GenAI, AQM is gaining momentum and making inroads into replacing traditional/manual QM in contact centers.
  • Providers are enhancing workforce management (WFM) solutions to enable them to better address the unique characteristics of digital, asynchronous, concurrent, and multimodal interactions.
  • Knowledge management (KM) has become an important data source for contact center and enterprise-wide AI initiatives, which is driving its adoption and innovation.
  • WEM providers are updating their user interfaces (UIs) for agents, supervisors, and administrators to improve effectiveness and ease of use.

WEM providers are making significant investments to incorporate AI/GenAI throughout their platforms and expand the capabilities and ease of use of their solutions. While it’s still the early days of AI/GenAI utilization in WEM applications, these technologies are driving innovations that deliver significant enterprise benefits, positioning them to enhance productivity as well as the CX and EX. It’s a great time for companies to take a look at the newer generation of WEM applications to learn how these solutions can improve their operating environment.

Donna Fluss, Founder and President of DMG Consulting LLC, provides a unique and unparalleled understanding of the people, processes and technology that drive the strategic direction of the dynamic and rapidly transforming contact center and back-office markets. As the foremost analyst and visionary dedicated to the contact center and back-office markets, Donna has provided expert guidance for over 30 years to technology leaders as well as disruptive newcomers, investors, and enterprises that want to build next-generation AI-enabled contact centers. She can be reached at Donna.Fluss@dmgconsult.com. Go to www.dmgconsult.com for more information.