THEAIAGENT

HANDBOOK

Yourguidetothe

currentandfuturestateofAIAgentsforCX

TheageoftheAIagentishere.

Itisnosecretthatorganizationsworldwidearefocusedon

howAIcanhelpshapeanewrealityintheworldofcustomerexperience(CX).

AI-poweredagentsarewhatchatbotsnevercouldbe.Unlike

traditionalAIsystems,whichrelyonpredefinedrulesorscriptedresponses,thisnewgenerationofAIagentsarecapableof

understandinghumanspeechinbothvoiceandtext,respondingwithpersonallytailoredresponsesand,morecommonly,are

capableoftakingactionsjustlikehumanagentsinordertofullycompletecustomerneedsandsuccessfullyresolveinteractions.

AutonomousAIagentsmightseemlikethestuffofthefuture,buttherealityisthatwehavealreadyachievedhugesuccesses–andtheseagentsarepoweringcomplexinteractionsglobally.While

we’reonlybeginningtotapintothepotentialofagenticAI,this

technologybringsanewopportunitytoreimaginewhat’spossibleanddrivebetteroutcomesforbothbusinessesandcustomers.

AgenticMeets

AIAgentsatNICE

NICEisattheforefrontoftheagenticAImovement,pioneeringsolutionsthatmergecutting-edgeAItechnologywithyearsofcustomer

experienceexpertise.Byofferingpurpose-builtAIcapabilitiestailoredtotheuniquechallengesofcustomerservice,NICEisdrivinginnovationinthisspace.ThepotentialofagenticAI,coupledwiththeearlysuccessofnext-generationAIagents,canunlocksignificantimprovements

throughouttheorganization.

Keyinitiativesinclude:

CXoneMpowerPlatform

AI-DrivenInnovation

HybridAIStrategies

End-to-EndIntegration

Aunifiedplatformdesignedtoorchestrate

workflows,agents,andknowledgeseamlessly,

enablingbusinessestodeployAgenticAIatscale.

NICEcombinesAIcopilotswithproactive

engagementtoolstoempoweragents,enhancedecision-making,andoptimizecustomer

interactions.

Recognizingthediverseneedsoforganizations,NICEemploysamixofprompt-basedandintent-drivenAIsystemstoaddressbothdynamicand

regulatedCXscenarios.

Withafocusonopennessandflexibility,NICE

ensuresthatitsAIsystemsintegrateeffortlessly

withexistingtools,creatingacohesiveecosystemthatsupportscontinuouslearningandadaptation.

ReaderTakeaway

Inthishandbook,wewillexplorethefullpotentialofAIagentsandhow

agenticAInow,andinthefuture,candrivebetterCXoutcomes.From

automatingrepetitivetaskstoorchestratingcomplexcustomerjourneys,wewillillustratehowbusinessescanuseAIagentstodrivemeaningful

outcomes.You’llgaininsightintothetechnologypoweringthesesystems,learnactionablestepsforintegratingthemintoyourCXstrategy,and

discoverhowtoevaluatetheirimpactonyourorganization.

Whetheryou’retakingyourfirststepswithAIorrefininganexisting

strategy,thisguideprovidesthefoundationtoharnessAIagents

fortransformativeresultsinCX.Let’sexplorehowyoucanunlock

efficiency,deliverhyper-personalizedexperiences,andstayaheadinacompetitivemarket.

WhatisanAIAgent?

Broadlyspeaking,anAIagentin

customerserviceisdefinedas

anintelligentsystemdesignedtointeractwithcustomers,answer

inquiries,andresolveissues

independentlyorassisthuman

agents.Itleveragesnatural

languageprocessing(NLP),

machinelearning,andautomationtoprovidefast,accurate,and

personalizedresponsesacross

variouscommunicationchannels.Theseagentsenhanceefficiency,

reducewaittimes,andimprove

bothemployeeandcustomer

satisfactionbyoffering24/7

supportanddata-driveninsights.

Bycomparison,agenticAIhas

autonomytomakedecisionsandtakeactionswithoutpre-plannedguidanceorhumanintervention.

InarecentForresterreport,With

AgenticAI,GenerativeAIIsEvolvingFromWordsToActions,agenticAIwasdescribedas:

“[Astageinwhich]AIsystemswill

transitionfrompassivetoolsto

autonomousagentscapableof

perceivingtheirenvironment,making

decisions,andtakingactionstoachievespecificgoals.Usingagenticworkflows,thesemultiagentsystemsmanageandexecutecomplextasksautonomously

incoordinationwithotheragentswhileadaptingtodynamicconditions.Thisenablessophisticatedtaskexecution,decision-making,andcollaboration.

Forinstance,genAI-basedapplications

willautonomouslyhandlecomplex

taskslikeplanningintricatetravel

itinerariesorresolvingcustomerservicerequestswithouthumaninterventionor

supervision.AgenticAIisasignificant

leapforwardingenAIcapabilities,pavingthewayformoreadvancedandversatilegeneral-purposeAI-basedappsinfieldslikeautomation,personalizedservices,

andintelligentsystems.AgentsystemsalreadysignificantlyoutperformsimplerLLMpromptstrategies.”

ThePromiseofAgenticAI

AgenticAImightnotbereadyforfulldeploymentyet,butwe’regettingclose.AtNICE,wedeployagenticAIthroughoutoursolutionsfor

specificusecases,butthepromiseofwhatcomesnextisnothingshortofrevolutionaryintermsofhowemployeesandconsumersalikewill

conducttheirday-to-daylives.

Afuture-lookingagenticAIagentwouldgobeyondsimplescripted

responsesbyautonomouslyanalyzingcustomerintent,accessing

real-timedata,andexecutingpersonalizedsolutions,navigatingan

organization’scomplexworkflowsandsystemswithoutassistanceandmakingdecisionsinreal-timeonhowtorespondandtakeactionuntilaresolutionisachieved.Forexample,inaretailbank’smobileapp,a

customermightaskwhytheircreditcardtransactionwasdeclined.

TheagenticAIagentwouldinstantlyverifythecustomer’sidentity,

retrievetransactiondetails,checkforfraudalerts,andanalyzeaccountbalancesorspendinglimits.Iftheissuewereinsufficientfunds,a

possibilitythatmightstymiepast-generationsofAI-poweredassistants,theagenticAIagentcouldproactivelyoffersolutionslikeinitiatingan

instanttransferfromasavingsaccountorapplyingatemporarycreditlimitincreasebasedonthecustomer’sfinancialhistory.

Toachievethis,theagenticAIagentwouldintegratewiththebank’s

CRM,frauddetectionsystems,transactiondatabases,andpolicy

engineswhileusingadvancednaturallanguageprocessing(NLP)to

engageconversationally.Itwouldalsoleveragereinforcement,learningtorefineitsdecision-makingbasedonpastresolutionsandcustomer

satisfactionfeedback.ThislevelofautonomyallowstheAIAgentto

providehighlypersonalized,context-awareassistancewithoutrequiringhumaninterventionforroutinecases,significantlyenhancingthe

customerexperience,makingsignificantimpactonthebusiness’core

goals,andimprovingemployeeexperiencebyshiftingroutine,mundane,andtime-consumingtaskstoAIagents.

WhyisAgentic

AIImportant?

Customerexpectationscontinuetoevolverapidly,withdemandsforimmediacy,personalization,andconsistencyreachingnewheights.Meetingtheseexpectationsrequiresinnovation,andthepromiseofagenticAIdeliveringthiswillbeenabledby:

Proactive

Engagement

Complete

Automation

PersonalizedInteractions

Predictingandaddressingcustomerneedsbeforetheysurface,anticipatingchallengesbeforetheyarise.

Streamliningworkflowsandeliminatinginefficienciesacrossthecustomerjourney,providinga“cleanslate”

foroperationalexcellence.

Leveragingdatatotailorexperiencestoindividual

preferences,creatingmomentsofdelightandloyaltythatresonatewellbeyondasingleinteraction.

AgenticAIpromisesnotonlyenhancedcustomersatisfactionbutalso

significantoperationalbenefits,suchasreducedcosts,improvedagentproductivity,andfastertime-to-resolution.Whileweaccomplishsomeofthisnow,thescope,scale,andcomplexityoffutureusecaseswill

expandsignificantlyasagenticAIdevelops.

Lookingahead,withoptimismandafocusongrowth,agenticAIoffersthetoolsthatwillbetransformativeforcustomerexperience—turningresolutionsintomeasurable,impactfulresults.

AIAgentsToday

Simplyput,AIagentsaretasksolversforbusinessesandcustomersalike.Effective,interconnectedAIagentswithinanorganizationhaveaccesstoknowledge,tools,andsystems,enablingthemtomakenecessary

decisionstoreachoptimaloutcomes.Theresultofdoingthisright?

Customerserviceautomation

.

Andwhileorganizationscandothistoday,notallsolutionshavethesame

levelofqualityandsecuritythatcustomersdemand.AtNICE,weleverageourproprietary,purpose-builtAI,Enlighten,integratedacrossourAI-powered

hyperplatform,CXoneMpower.Thisenablesorganizationstodesign,build,

andmanageAIagentsthataresecure,accurate,andcapableofexecuting

complexworkflows,justlikehumanagents.Balancingaccuracy,security,andcostiscrucialinregardtothiscutting-edgetechnology:withintwoyears,wewillseemassiveadoptionofAIagentsusingagenticsystemsasthesefactors,particularlycostratio,decrease.Untilthen,organizationsfocusingoncrucialusecaseswhereAIagentscanprovidemassivevaluewillseeimmediateandsignificantimpacttotheirbusiness.

Intermsofagenticsystems,today’sapplicationsstretchbeyondtheconfinesofAIagents.CXoneMpowerActions,usingagenticAI,can

executecomplexdataanalysisandgenerateknowledgeforbusinessleaders,identifyingautomationopportunities,increasingdecision

velocity,andstreamliningwork.Actionsisnotfullyagentic,however:

ituseshuman-in-the-loopsystems,confiningtheextentofActions’

abilitytomakeitsowndecisionsandexecution,ensuringsecurity,

accuracy,andcostwhileunlockingtheabilitytoanalyzeandtakeactiononinsightsthat,withoutagenticsystems,wassimplynotpossible.

WithinacomprehensiveplatformlikeCXoneMpower,Actions’

agenticAIcapabilitiesextendintoAIagents,suchasCXoneMpowerAutopilot.Afterabusinessleaderhascreatedaplanfromthedata

withinActions,agenticsystemsoptimizeconversationalflowstobuildautomationquickly,usingdataanddecisioningbasedonhistorical

bestoutcomesfromtheorganizationsownrepositoryofknowledge

–beitpastinteractionsorotherbenchmarks.Oncethoseflowsare

builtandimplementedwithinAutopilot,theAIagentcanthenconverseandtakeactionwithintheorganizations’tools,withCXoneMpower

astheconnectionpointtoensuresuccessfulresolutionnomatterthecomplexityofthescenario.

AIAgentsarenotlimitedtoreactiveinteractions:Metrigy’s

researchstatesthatmostcompaniesbelievecustomerservicewillshiftfrominboundtoproactivewithinthreeyears,with

almost70%ofthemostsuccessfulcompaniesseeingthis

shifttakeplaceoverthenext12months.TheCXoneMpower

ProactiveAIAgentutilizesdatasystemstoautonomously

identifytasksandworkflows,enablingproactivecustomer

outreachbeforeneedsevenarise.ThisisachievedthroughAI-

powereddecision-makingandautomation,eliminatingtheneedforinboundcommunication.Furthermore,oftheseproactive

interactions,over90%ofthemaresuccessfullyautomated,

end-to-end,duetothedatasysteminputsthatenabletheAItodeterminethebestnextstep,andconversationalAIcapabilitiesthatallowforhuman-likeunderstandingandresponses.

Thebottomline:Organizationsshouldneversettlefor50%

accuracyorcontainmentwithAIagents,norshouldthey

implementusecasesthatarenotguaranteedtobemorecost-effectiveandimpactfulthanhumanagents.Whilewearenot

yetreadytodeployfullyagenticsystemsineverycustomer

servicescenario,thedataspeaksvolumes—newusecases

areemergingeveryday,andtheROIisundeniable.ThekeytosuccessliesinsettingaboldvisionandensuringthateveryAIagent—whetherpoweredbyagenticsystemsornot—hasa

proventrackrecord,makingittrulyfitforpurposeanddrivingreal,transformativeimpact.

AIAgentsin

theRealWorld

AIagentsarealreadydeliveringtremendousvalueforbusinesses

worldwide.Byclearlydefiningyourcoreobjectivesanddesired

outcomes,youcanbettersteeryourselftowardthemostsuccessful

andimpactfulinitialusecasefordeployinganAIagent—asmanyofourcustomershavedone.

ProactiveAIAgentsReduceCancellations

Aglobaltelecomcompanyrevolutionizeditscustomerexperienceand

reducedpre-installcancellationsbydeployingaProactiveAIAgent.ThisAIagentestablishedatwo-waylineofcommunicationwithcustomers,ensuringthateverystepoftheprocess—fromorderingtopost-

installation—wastailoredtomeeteachindividualcustomer’sneeds.

TheuseofNICE’sProactiveAIAgentresultedin:

85%

Engagement

amongallcustomerscontactedproactively

40%

Fewercancellations

50%

Callreduction

38%

NPSimprovement

AutopilotTransformedOpenNetworkExchange’sOperations

OpenNetworkExchange(ONE)deployedanAIagenttoimprovetheirholdtimes–whichboggeddownemployeesandcustomersforevensimple

issueslikemakingpayments.UsingagenticAItodetermineandimplement

themostimpactfulconversationalflowsforAutopilot,ONEwasableto

reduceinboundcalls,improvecontainment,andsaveemployeeshourseachweek.Theyexceededtheirsuccessmetricswithinoneyearandarestill

seeingbenefitsgrow.

ONEsaw:

76%

Post-purchase

transactionalcalls

handledbyAutopilot

(exceedingtarget

by50%)

20%

Decreaseincallescalations

4+

Hoursaweek

savedforsupervisor

workload

30%

Reductioninoverallcallvolume

TheFuture

ofAIAgents

ThefutureofAIagentsandagenticAIareinherently

connected,withagenticAIleadingthewayintransforminghowbusinessesengagewithcustomers.

WhattrulysetsagenticAIapartisitsabilitytonotonlyrespondtocustomer

needsbuttopredictandaddressthembeforetheyarise.Byanalyzingdatain

real-timeandidentifyingpatterns,itcantakeactionproactively,ensuringthatcustomersaresupportedateverystageoftheirjourney.Thisshiftfromreactivetoproactiveengagementispoisedtoredefinethecustomerexperience,

drivinghighersatisfaction,reducingfriction,andcreatingmorepersonalizedinteractions.AsbusinessesembracethisnextfrontierofAI,thepotentialfor

moreefficient,streamlined,andimpactfulcustomerservicebecomesclearer,settingthestageforaneweraofcustomerrelationshipmanagement.

ProactiveProblemSolving

AIsystemscandetectpotentialissues,suchasdelayedshipmentsorservice

disruptions,andtakeproactivestepstoaddressthem.Forexample,thesystemcannotifyacustomeraboutadelayandofferadiscountoralternativesolution—withoutthecustomerhavingtocontactsupport.

PredictivePersonalization

Byanalyzingbothhistoricalandreal-timedata,agenticAIcanpredictcustomerpreferencesandbehaviors,enablinghyper-personalized

experiences.Forinstance,itcansuggestproductsbasedonprevious

purchasesandcurrenttrends,tailoringrecommendationstoeachindividual.

AnticipatoryService

AIagentscancontinuouslymonitorcustomerjourneys,identifying

frictionpoints,suchasabandonedcarts,unresolvedqueries,or

delayedresponses.Byrecognizingthesemomentsinrealtime,theycanproactivelyengagewiththecustomer,offeringassistance,providing

solutions,orguidingthemtowardcompletion.Thisproactiveapproachnotonlyimprovescustomersatisfactionbutalsohelpsreducechurnandincreaseconversions.

Preparing

fortheFuture

AsagenticAIcontinuestoevolve,businessesmustpositionthemselvestocapitalizeonemergingtrends:

InvestinContinuousInnovation

DevelopAILiteracyAcrossTeams

AdoptaFlexibleAIStrategy

FocusonEthicalAIDevelopment

StayaheadbyexploringnewAIcapabilities,experimentingwithpilotprojects,andscalingsuccessfulinitiatives.

EnsureemployeesunderstandAI’spotentialandlimitationstofostercollaborationandinnovation.

Buildsystemsthatcanintegratewithfuturetechnologiesandadapttonewbusiness

requirements.

AsAIbecomesmoreautonomous,maintainingtransparency,fairness,andcompliancewill

becriticaltobuildingtrustwithcustomersandstakeholders.

AgenticAIissettorevolutionizethewaybusinessesoperateandengage

withcustomers.Byembracingproactivecapabilities,fosteringhuman-AI

collaboration,andintegratingemergingtechnologies,organizationscan

stayattheforefrontofinnovation.ThefutureofCXisintelligent,adaptive,

andhighlypersonalized—andagenticAIisthekeytounlockingthispotential.

NextSteps:

TurningVisionIntoAction

ToembarkonyourjourneywithAIagents,followtheseactionablesteps:

IdentifyaPilotUseCase

BeginwithaspecificchallengeoropportunityinyourCXstrategythatAIagentscanaddresseffectively–whetherproactivelyorreactively.For

instance,automatingroutinecustomerinquiries,optimizingsupplychain

workflows,orreachingouttocustomerstobooknecessaryappointments.

PartnerwithAIExperts

Collaboratewithexperiencedproviderstoselecttherighttools,design

robustworkflows,andensureseamlessintegrationwithyourexisting

systems.AIexpertisecanalsohelpnavigatepotentialrisksandacce