IT leaders are betting on AI to improve employee and customer experiences

11/11/2023
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Zendesk data shows AI has become a primary focus, with 84 percent of IT leaders emphasizing its increased importance.

IT leaders are shifting their priorities significantly, according to the Zendesk Global IT Report. They are shifting their investments toward implementing AI to improve both the employee and customer experience, and prioritizing data privacy and security. Strong competitive pressures, rising customer expectations and new AI tools are all contributing to changing priorities. IT teams are also being asked to deliver more with fewer resources.

Key findings from Zendesk's Global IT Report :

AI will transform CX, but also brings challenges
IT leaders recognize that we are in the midst of an AI revolution that will bring about major changes everywhere, especially in the customer experience (CX) sector. The report shows that 80 percent plan to increase their budgets for AI within a year, and 89 percent think it is important to use AI throughout the customer journey.

But implementing AI will present challenges. While AI is useful in the workplace, especially for customer service, IT leaders agree that there are major gaps in its implementation. In fact, nearly 60 percent say they worry about keeping up with the rapidly changing AI landscape.

Data from Zendesk also show that AI will primarily function alongside people, so it is essential that employees adapt to working with AI. Developing AI knowledge will be paramount for companies, especially those looking to stay competitive, increase productivity and avoid equity shortages.

IT leans heavily on CX and EX
The report reveals the factors driving IT leaders to rethink their priorities. Specifically, 70 percent say there is high pressure from other teams to make choices that will improve the experience for customers. Moreover, 57 percent say that improving employee experiences is of great importance in the next 12 months. Modern companies are investing a larger portion of their budgets in generative AI tools that create efficient employee processes and deliver measurable results.

Cybersecurity and data privacy are high priorities
Also at the top of IT's priority list are data privacy and security. The vast majority (87 percent) of IT leaders surveyed indicated that their attention in this area has increased over the past three years. Companies are changing their approach to data privacy and security for several reasons, including a higher risk of cyberattacks, increasing customer demands and new stringent data privacy laws.

As these pressures increase, IT leaders are looking for more support. Seventy-nine percent also said their current CX software could do more to address cybersecurity. Policies and tools that promote customer and employee trust are critical, along with systems that secure the growing amounts of data being stored as a result of increased personalization.

A more comprehensive understanding of these challenges is in the full Global IT Report.

Methodology
The methodology of this report was based on a global quantitative survey of 1,200 IT leaders and in-depth interviews. Survey participants were professionals with VP- or C-level titles at large companies with more than 1,000 employees. In-depth interviews were conducted in May 2023.


About Zendesk
Zendesk's mission is to simplify the complexity of doing business and make it easy for companies and customers to make connections. Our customer experience software unlocks the power of billions of interactions, enabling companies to build rich, meaningful relationships with their customers. Zendesk was founded in Copenhagen, Denmark and today operates in more than 20 countries around the world. For more information, visit www.zendesk.com.

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