RAISE Paris 2025 was abuzz with ideas on the future of AI, and both our CEO Ping Wu and CMO Russell Banzon were in the mix to share their perspectives on stage. Ping’s presentation “The Path to 90% Service Automation,” not only posed the most provocative question in customer experience today, but also offered a blueprint for transformation.
Despite a world overflowing with AI breakthroughs and announcements, one question continues to puzzle industry leaders: Why, in 2025, hasn't customer service been automated like other domains?
Ping opened with this challenge, contrasting the explosion of AI in software development — where tools like Copilot have become second nature to engineers — with the stubborn complexity of automating customer service. Coding, after all, is structured, predictable, and technical. In stark contrast, the contact center is chaotic, tribal, emotional, and lived in real time.
Automation Alone Is Not the Answer
“Trying to automate the contact center without a system,” Ping said, “is like taking a shower with a raincoat on.” The contact center can’t be “solved” with a chatbot or static script. It requires a system that is dynamic, data-driven, and deeply human.
Ping shared Cresta’s proposed solution: a living loop, composed of three interlocking parts.
- Conversation Intelligence
- Human Augmentation
- AI Agent Automation
Together, these power what we call the “flywheel of automation,” where every conversation fuels insights, insights power better agents, both human and AI, and every interaction makes the system smarter.
Defining 90% Automation: A Spectrum, Not a Destination
Ping challenged the audience to reconsider what “90% automation” really means. Is it automating 90% of tasks in every conversation? Or is it letting AI handle 90% of conversations completely? The reality, as with many things, is somewhere in between in the gray area. And success lies in flexibly moving along this automation spectrum.
As companies progress, they must move from simplistic rule-based automation to a system that continuously learns, adapts, and collaborates.
Real-World Proof: United Airlines, Holiday Inn, and Snap Finance
Our vision isn’t theoretical; it’s already powering transformation at leading enterprises:
- United Airlines uses Cresta AI Analyst to mine customer calls for friction points and uncover automation opportunities. This real-time visibility enabled them to revamp routing logic and messaging around rescheduling, directly improving CSAT.
- Holiday Inn deployed real-time coaching to human agents and saw a 30% lift in conversions, a 50% drop in attrition, and a meaningful boost in employee satisfaction
- Snap Finance shows what’s possible at the cutting edge of AI innovation. Their AI Agents resolve complex issues, escalate intelligently, and learn from every interaction, resulting in a 450% increase in containment, 40% reduction in handle time, and 100% call monitoring in real time.
The Blueprint: Discover, Act, Learn, Optimize, Repeat
At the heart of Ping’s keynote was a clear roadmap for leaders navigating the AI-powered future. Rather than racing to replace humans, the most successful companies are building systems that:
- Discover what’s happening in every interaction
- Act with strategic, AI-powered assistance
- Learn from human and machine behavior
- Optimize across workflows
- Repeat, letting the system improve itself over time
From Cost Center to Intelligence Engine
In a powerful closing note, Ping reframed the contact center not as a problem to be automated away, but rather as the new intelligence layer of the enterprise. When AI and humans work in harmony, the contact center becomes a strategic asset, surfacing real-time market signals, influencing product decisions, and strengthening customer relationships.
The Future Lies in More CX, Not Less
What does 90% automation unlock? Not just efficiency. Not just cost reduction. It’s more customer experience, more proactive service, and more strategic insight. In Ping’s words: “Why wouldn’t a business want to talk to their customers more?”
Ping’s RAISE 2025 keynote made one thing clear: The companies that win in the age of AI won’t be the ones with the most bots. They’ll be the ones with the best systems: systems that learn, collaborate, and elevate every conversation into a competitive edge.
