Top Tips For Using CX Automation to Deliver Better Business Outcomes

In 2025, one thing is for sure: the customer experience is evolving faster than ever.

Companies now turn to artificial intelligence and automation tools to stay ahead. These tools promise improved efficiency, higher agent productivity, and stronger customer satisfaction. However, the value lies in understanding how to apply them effectively within your organization’s CX strategy.

To uncover practical insights, we spoke with Edwin Margulies, Nextiva’s Chief Evangelist, and Sheila McGee-Smith, Founder and Principal Analyst at McGee-Smith Analytics. They shared their expertise on CX platforms, the vision for UCXM, and how AI can optimize real-world results in the contact center.

Explore their key takeaways and actionable strategies below. But first, let’s talk about what CX Automation is about.

What is CX Automation?

Customer Experience Automation (CXA) uses AI and technology to improve customer interactions. It automates routine tasks such as answering common inquiries or processing transactions, allowing human resources to focus on more complex and impactful activities.

CX automation platforms integrate with existing systems to create a unified view of customer interactions, ensuring every touchpoint is optimized for efficiency and customer support.

CX automation enhances customer satisfaction through personalized, timely, and efficient service. AI-powered agents provide 24/7 support and proactive updates, helping businesses manage higher support volumes effectively.

Automating repetitive tasks boosts operational efficiency and strengthens customer loyalty and engagement.

Key outcomes of implementing a CX platform

Implementing an omnichannel CX platform is the first step toward making the most of AI tools. A well-designed CX platform brings everything your business needs into one place, streamlining customer interactions, improving response times, and making data easily accessible.

Key benefits of a CX platform include:

• Centralized Customer Insights: Tracks all customer messages across channels and delivers data-backed insights directly to an agent’s dashboard.
• Fewer Vendors: Reduces the tools and vendors required to manage your business.
• Smarter Automation Opportunities: Identifies areas where automation and AI can improve productivity and efficiency.

“A good CX platform integrates all the information in one place, offering clear insights into when and where to automate effectively,” explains Sheila McGee-Smith, Founder and Principal Analyst at McGee-Smith Analytics.

For example, Nextiva’s Unified CXM platform unifies the entire customer journey, enabling businesses to deliver personalized experiences at scale using advanced AI and automation. 

Selecting the right CX platform will simplify your operations and directly impact your ability to implement AI effectively — leading to meaningful business growth and improved financial outcomes.

The Vision of Unified Customer Experience Management (UCXM)

Unified Customer Experience Management (UCXM) was developed to seamlessly connect companies with their customers, teammates, and real-time insights—all within a single platform.

With a centralized system, agents gain immediate access to a customer’s complete history, enabling them to deliver a better customer experience through personalized and efficient interactions.

Noteworthy benefits of UCXM

• Comprehensive customer view: Agents can access the entire customer journey, making it easier to understand customer behavior and provide tailored support.
• Enhanced collaboration: Team members can connect with supervisors or colleagues to quickly address customer needs.
• AI-driven customer engagement: Features like call transcription, conversation summaries, and sentiment analysis ensure smoother and more productive customer communication.

Nextiva, which started with voice services, has continued to innovate by adding capabilities to support the entire customer journey. This eliminates the need to switch between multiple apps or vendors, offering a more streamlined ecosystem.

“The vision has remained consistent from the start,” shares Edwin Margulies, Nextiva’s Chief Evangelist. “The idea is to solve as many customer problems as possible by putting ourselves at the center of interactions and ensuring we address the full spectrum of business needs.”

UCXM platforms like Nextiva unlock countless opportunities for AI and automation, making it easier than ever to deliver seamless, efficient customer experiences while boosting customer engagement and retention.

Practical Applications of AI in Customer Experience

AI redefines customer experience by streamlining processes, boosting efficiency, and improving service delivery. Here are three key ways businesses are putting AI to work:

1. Automated summarization

The easiest way to start seeing impressive outcomes with AI and automation is using AI summarization for calls. This built-in tool in Nextiva transcribes customer calls in real-time, displaying the conversation on-screen for agents and supervisors.

In industries like healthcare, this process automation is especially valuable, helping clinicians save time by automating detailed notes and reducing operational costs.

Edwin Margulies adds, “Depending on the type of transcription and summarization used, AI can also capture segmentation and sentiment. For instance, it can identify a shift in tone, such as a patient moving from frustration to satisfaction during a call. These insights, often missed with manual notes, are a clear advantage of AI.”

2. Agent assists with knowledge management

Nextiva’s AI tools, such as autonomous and agent assist bots, helped a satellite TV provider reduce call handling time by 50%. Autonomous bots handle tasks like conversational commerce or package purchases, while skills-based routing ensures customers are connected to the right agent when needed.

During the call, relevant knowledge base articles surfaced in real-time, allowing agents to deliver high-quality responses efficiently. “In this journey, the customer has taken, he has encountered two AI modalities. There could be more, but the mixing and matching these modalities is where it becomes an art form in true journey orchestration. And that’s where we’re having the most fun, which is the balance of those modalities,” explains Edwin Margulies.

3. Automated omnichannel outreach and payment portal

Why not meet your customers where they are for follow-ups like payment reminders?

• Send a snail mail reminder: Notify the customer about a payment due.
• Follow up with an automated text: Include a link to the payment portal.
• Route customer queries: Nextiva can intelligently route their messages to a support team for quick assistance if the customer responds.

They can do so effortlessly if the customer prefers to switch to a phone call to negotiate a payment plan or discuss additional concerns.

The agent will readily have their entire interaction history, ensuring a smooth and quick resolution. This marketing automation creates a seamless customer experience across the entire customer lifecycle.

AI & Automation Tips to Consider

When asked for their top advice on successfully leveraging AI, Sheila and Edwin shared valuable insights:

1. Start with knowledge management

“The first place to start is the data sources your agents and customers use today. Ensure they are up-to-date, consistent, and organized. Understand which parts of your documentation suit agents, engineers, or customers. This knowledge management job is an important step one,” advises Sheila McGee-Smith.

2. Focus on volume and complexity

Edwin Margulies recommends identifying high-impact areas: “When you’re thinking about, ‘How can I deploy automation or AI?’ Look at the intersection of volume and complexity first. For example, a credit line increase is highly complex, and the volume of such requests in financial institutions is very high. Anything with high volume and complexity is a strong candidate for automation.”

Putting AI and CX Automation to Work

AI and CX automation are now essential for improving customer expectations, increasing efficiency, and driving better results. Using automation at key points helps businesses streamline tasks, reduce response times, and improve customer retention.

CX automation affords the benefits of workflow automation, such as more personalized service and better handling of high-volume tasks. Businesses can better respond to customer feedback and meet customer expectations using generative AI.

Now is the time to assess your current systems, find areas for automation, and move toward a more efficient, customer-focused operation.

Watch the entire on-demand webinar to gain key insights from Edwin and Sheila, learn about Nextiva’s complete evolution to UCXM, and discover four additional AI use cases to help you excel in customer experience management.

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