Transforming the Contact Center with Generative AI: Insights from Five9's Jonathan Rosenberg

In an era where AI is reshaping every industry, one sector that stands to gain profoundly is customer service, particularly within the contact center. Today, I had the pleasure of sitting with Jonathan Rosenberg , the CTO and head of AI at Five9 Five9, a leading cloud contact center software provider. With a career that spans co-inventing SIP, leading the collaboration business at Cisco, and serving as the chief technologist at Skype, Jonathan has seen the evolution of AI firsthand. His insights at Five9 are pushing the boundaries of what's possible in customer experience, emphasizing a practical and transformative vision.

Bridging the Gap: Five9's Mission to Bring Joy to the Contact Center Experience

It might sound almost paradoxical when you think of "joy" and "contact center" in the same sentence. But, as Jonathan explains, "Our vision is to bring joy to customer experience." This isn't just a lofty goal—it's a realistic aim that Five9 is determined to achieve with generative AI. Jonathan elaborates on the vision, noting that people want "to connect to a contact center, to connect to their brands, and it's an experience they love." He aims to create a seamless, personalized experience where customers are recognized immediately, information isn't repeated, and the overall interaction is smooth, friendly, and problem-solving.

Generative AI has closed the gap between this vision and reality. Contact centers have always been a fertile ground for AI. Still, Jonathan points out that generative AI represents a "massive weapon in our disposal…allowing us to bridge the gap and deliver on that type of experience." Five9 has leveraged AI for years, but the new capabilities are accelerating the journey to a joyous customer experience like never before.

Contextual Data: The Secret Sauce of Effective AI

At the heart of AI-driven customer experience lies one essential ingredient: data. But, as Jonathan underscores, it's not just any data—it's contextual data. He shares a technical insight, explaining how contextual data elevates the AI experience: "All this input that we can put into the large language model is going to help it personalize the experience, know you, know your data, and be able to answer questions for you."

In contact centers, contextual data takes personalization to a new level. Imagine an AI assistant that knows a customer's purchase history, past interactions, and even previous issues. Jonathan envisions the platform as a "contextual data security platform," securely managing what information is shared with the language model to ensure maximum accuracy, relevance, and privacy.

This capability means that customers can avoid lengthy explanations and multiple hand-offs. The AI has context at its fingertips, bringing everything together in real-time. This contextual richness is invaluable for human agents, equipping them with the data they need to serve customers efficiently, accurately, and empathetically.

AI and Human Agents: A Partnership for Seamless Service

In today's age of automation, there's a pervasive fear that AI will replace humans. However, Jonathan has a more balanced view, advocating a model where AI and human agents work in tandem. "There's something about human touch and empathy and relationship that matters," he says, adding that the role of AI is not to eliminate human agents but to empower them.

AI functions as a co-pilot, assisting agents in delivering faster, more informed responses. Jonathan describes the scenario: "If the AI were sitting there as a co-pilot facilitating or helping the agent, the AI could do those things for the agent…[making] the agent just be there, you know, communicating with you, gathering information, providing assurance and empathy, and you would never need to go on hold."

This approach is nothing short of transformative. Jonathan envisions a future where customers won't experience "hold" times at all. Instead, with AI handling information-gathering and routine tasks, agents can focus on what they do best: interacting with customers in real-time, with full context, ensuring a more connected and satisfying experience.

Security and Compliance: Protecting Contextual Data in the AI Era

The rise of AI in contact centers also brings pressing questions about data security. Five9 works with global giants in healthcare, finance, and other sectors where data privacy is paramount. Jonathan acknowledges these concerns and outlines the company's multi-layered approach to protecting customer data.

He explains that Five9's role is like a "middleware that sits between the consumer, the brand, and the generative AI model." By tightly managing what information is shared with the large language models, Five9 ensures that only necessary and relevant data is used, preventing any data spillage. Moreover, they enforce contractual and technical controls with vendors to ensure that data isn't stored, shared, or used for training purposes, making security a cornerstone of their AI-enabled contact center platform.

Real-World Applications: AI in Action at the Five9 CX Summit

One of the year's highlights is the annual Five9 CX Summit, where industry leaders and Five9's team discuss and demonstrate AI-driven innovations in the contact center space. This year's summit promises to reveal even more groundbreaking features and products that Five9 has been developing. Jonathan hinted at "some announcements and new innovations" aligned with their mission of achieving "joy for customer experience."

For customer experience professionals, the summit is a chance to witness these AI advancements firsthand, see how generative AI applications are transforming the industry, and discover actionable ways to bring them into their own businesses.