It’s that time of the year again. The time to look at the upcoming trends that will shape our industry. So, without further ado, let’s dive into the Unified Communications (UC) and Contact Centre (CC) trends to watch out for in 2025.
1) AI adoption to increase, but ROI needs careful calculation
In 2024, AI went from being a novelty to getting embedded in nearly every UC & CC application we know of. However, the pace of adoption may have struggled to keep up previously with the hype.
At our ‘Future of Communications in Hospitality’ event last year, Dom Black, Director of Research Services at Cavell, observed that despite the market perception, the AI adoption journey is still not as advanced as many might believe. Research also suggested AI adoption slowed down in the UK during the latter half of 2024.
Mid-sized enterprises began experimenting with AI features like sentiment analysis and customer data platform integrations last year. A few companies explored advanced automated chat and voice interactions for customer service. However, these were not widely deployed as the capabilities had not matured enough.
Meanwhile, many small businesses lagged behind last year, struggling to implement even the basic features such as integrating UC and CC platforms with CRM systems and other tools, creating omnichannel experiences, and effectively using self-service options.
Looking ahead, AI is not going anywhere, and we expect higher AI adoption across businesses of all sizes as they do not want to be left behind as the times evolve. Companies will start using advanced AI features to customise and personalise customer journeys and quickly resolve their queries.
However, this comes with some cost challenges, too.
According to Cavell, only 17% of providers will offer AI as a free add-on, so to embrace AI effectively, businesses must carefully evaluate ROI and develop solid business cases.
2) The rise of Agentic AI
In 2025, we will also see more Agentic AI that can perform tasks autonomously without human involvement. This is expected to be the next big step in AI technology. Technology giants like Microsoft and Salesforce and many CX vendors have agentic AI updates planned in their product roadmaps.
While this technology is still in its early stages, it represents the next big leap in AI evolution. Adoption may take time, but the groundwork laid in 2025 will set the stage for future advancements. As technology advances, it will be adopted more, but it is definitely one to watch out for.
3) UCaaS/CCaaS convergence will accelerate
This has been happening for many years, but 2025 will accelerate UC and CC convergence, especially among small to mid-sized customers who want everything under a single umbrella.
The convergence trend is accelerated by the increasing overlap of capabilities the vendors offer. Primarily, Unified Communications providers Zoom and Microsoft launched Zoom Contact Centre in early 2022 and Microsoft Dynamics 365 Contact Centre in 2024. Conversely, CCaaS specialists like NICE have also introduced their own UCaaS offerings. What would have previously been delivered by different providers can be offered by one and is seen as a better choice by many customers.
Cavell’s 2024 service provider survey found that 92% of sales deals involve solutions that combine at least two previously siloed areas of technology. Customers will increasingly prefer providers that offer the broadest and most seamlessly integrated portfolios, which can deliver better efficiency, simplify management, and enhance collaboration.
4) Voice still reins
The rise of AI often gives the impression that non-voice communication channels are taking centre stage. While the uptake for other mediums may increase thanks to gen AI, industry leaders at our event unanimously thought voice isn’t dead and will never be replaced.
While the introduction of Gen AI saw a wider adoption of virtual agents and chatbots, customers still value human interaction. Cavell’s research says 49% of customers believed they must speak to a human agent to resolve their issues.
Chatbots might be cheaper and may be a cost-effective option for many businesses. But particularly those industries rooted in personal relationships will see voice channels thrive. Personal interactions may evolve into a critical differentiator for companies seeking to stand out in such sectors.
That doesn’t mean human agents will remain unaffected. As AI options become more expensive and require a clear ROI justification, there will inevitably be some reduction in headcount.
We’ve seen businesses choose not to replace agents who decide to leave, instead using AI tools to fill the gap. However, while AI may streamline operations and support cost-saving strategies, it will never completely replace voice communication.
5) Customer and employee experience still a top priority
Improving customer and employee experiences has been a challenge and priority for many years. In 2025, organisations will look at AI as a solution to tackle these challenges. We will see many companies using AI-powered features to create personalised journeys and respond to queries faster, improving customer and agent satisfaction.
Meanwhile, agents will also benefit from this by offloading mundane tasks such as searching multiple systems for relevant answers, summarising call notes, and automating follow-up actions. This will lead to better productivity, more time to create value for customers, less burnout, and, ultimately, happier customers and agents. Win-win for both.
So there you have it – our UCaaS and CCaaS predictions for 2025.
As the year unfolds, it will be interesting to see how these predictions play out. Will AI adoption accelerate as expected? Will voice continue to hold its ground despite the rise of digital channels? Let’s revisit this in 2026 and see how many of these trends became reality!
