Many contact centres have spent years adding new technologies to solve specific service problems.

A chatbot to reduce simple enquiries. A knowledge base to support agents. A reporting dashboard for managers. A messaging channel for customers. An AI assistant to help with summaries or recommendations.

Each tool may have been introduced for a sensible reason. Over time, though, the environment can become difficult to manage: agents move between systems, knowledge lives in multiple places, customer context is split across channels and reporting shows fragments of the experience.

The problem is rarely a lack of technology. In many contact centres, the larger challenge is coordination.

At a glance

• Many contact centres are dealing with technology sprawl, fragmented data and disconnected workflows
• Adding another point solution can solve a narrow problem while making the broader environment more complex
• Orchestration connects channels, systems, knowledge, AI and human agents around customer outcomes
• AI agents need orchestration to act safely and usefully across the service ecosystem
• Knowledge management becomes more valuable when it is connected to workflows and frontline decision-making
• The strongest service models are designed around context, continuity and measurable resolution

The contact centre has become more complex

The modern service environment is no longer a single queue.

Customers now engage through phone, email, chat, messaging, apps, portals and social channels, often moving between self-service and assisted service before an issue is resolved.

From the customer’s perspective, this should feel like one continuous interaction. Inside the organisation, customer information may sit in one system, case notes in another and knowledge articles somewhere else. Escalations can depend on manual handover or local workarounds.

Proof point: ServiceNow reported that Australians spent 123 million hours on hold in 2024, with almost eight in ten considering taking their business elsewhere after a poor service experience.

Long wait times often reflect a wider operating challenge: disconnected channels, inefficient workflows, incomplete context and systems that do not work together as well as customers expect them to.

Point solutions can create hidden complexity

A narrow fix can become another layer of work.

Point solutions are attractive because they are targeted. They promise to solve a defined problem quickly: automate a process, add a channel, improve reporting, introduce AI or reduce manual handling.

When each solution operates on its own, a new tool may improve one part of the experience while adding another login, data source, reporting view or handover point. Agents may copy information between systems, and customers may receive different answers depending on the channel.

Proof point: HubSpot’s 2025 data research found that only 31% of organisations believe their data is ready for AI integration, while just 9% trust their data enough for accurate reporting.

When the service environment is fragmented, AI can amplify the problem by surfacing inconsistent information faster or automating incomplete processes.

Orchestration changes the operating model

The focus shifts from individual tools to connected outcomes.

Orchestration connects systems, data, workflows, knowledge, AI and human teams so they work together around a defined service outcome.

In a contact centre, orchestration helps answer practical questions: what does the customer need, what context already exists, which workflow should be triggered and when should a human agent take over?

Customer service is a sequence of connected events. An enquiry may involve authentication, intent recognition, knowledge retrieval, workflow execution, escalation and follow-up. If those steps are disconnected, the customer feels the gaps.

Point solution thinking versus orchestration thinking

The difference becomes clearer at scale. A single new tool may improve one metric. A well-orchestrated service model can improve the way the whole contact centre operates.

AI agents need orchestration to deliver real value

AI becomes more useful when it can act within a connected service environment.

AI adoption in service is accelerating. Salesforce reported that AI is expected to handle half of customer service cases by 2027, up from 31% today.

To resolve more complex issues, an AI agent needs access to the right systems, knowledge, customer history, workflows and escalation pathways.

Proof point: Gartner’s 2025 customer service technology research identifies digital-first service delivery, analytics value and agent enablement as major themes shaping service and support technology.

Digital service needs connected channels. Analytics needs reliable data. Agent enablement depends on timely knowledge and context. AI needs all of these foundations to work safely and effectively.

Knowledge and agent experience are part of the same challenge

Connected knowledge supports better decisions.

Knowledge management is often treated as a content problem: write the article, approve the answer, publish the guidance and keep it updated. In an AI-enabled service environment, knowledge must be connected to action.

It needs to support customers in self-service, AI agents during automated interactions and human agents during complex conversations. It should also inform workflows, escalation rules and quality management.

Disconnected systems make difficult work harder for agents. Orchestration can reduce that burden by making AI, knowledge and workflow support available inside the flow of service.

The business case goes beyond efficiency

Better coordination can improve service quality, not just cost.

Cost reduction has long been a driver for contact centre transformation. Yet orchestration supports a broader set of outcomes.

• first-contact resolution
• customer satisfaction
• employee confidence
• compliance and consistency
• speed to resolution
• visibility across journeys
• AI governance and control

Proof point: Zendesk’s 2025 CX Trends research found that organisations leading in human-centric AI are significantly more likely to report high ROI from AI.

For service leaders, the business case should look beyond individual tool performance and consider how connected service design improves outcomes across the whole operation.

Questions organisations should ask now

1. Where does customer context get lost today?
2. Which systems do agents need to access during a typical interaction?
3. Are knowledge sources consistent across self-service, AI and human support?
4. Which workflows still rely on manual effort or informal workarounds?
5. Can AI agents take action safely across the systems they need?
6. Which metrics show the end-to-end customer journey, rather than one part of it?
7. Who owns orchestration across technology, process, knowledge and people?

The future is connected service

Contact centres do not need more complexity. They need better coordination. Point solutions will continue to have a role, but they should not operate in isolation.

As AI agents become more capable, orchestration will become more important. AI needs trusted knowledge, customer context, workflow access, human oversight and clear escalation pathways.

The strongest contact centres will connect people, data, knowledge, AI and workflows around the customer’s need. The next phase of service transformation will be won by making the right capabilities work together.

Connect the service experience

Great customer service depends on how well channels, knowledge, workflows, AI and people work together. Explore NEC’s approach to Contact Centre and CX, and how we help organisations reduce friction, improve coordination and deliver more responsive customer experiences.

Design a more connected service experience