Artificial intelligence (AI) remains the most talked-about topic in customer experience. But behind the excitement, something has changed. Customer experience (CX) leaders aren’t asking whether AI matters anymore. They’re asking whether a specific investment will produce measurable business results.
That distinction is important for every business partner. Organizations are still investing in AI, but they’re becoming far more selective about where those dollars go and what evidence they expect before approving another initiative.
Our latest research, The ROI Imperative: Building the Business Case for Exceptional CX, found that 65% of CX leaders expect AI and automation to receive the largest share of new CX investment over the next 12 to 24 months, while 75% believe those investments have the greatest potential to deliver ROI. At the same time, 86% say demonstrating ROI is now extremely or very important when proposing any new CX initiative.
Those numbers tell an interesting story. AI budgets aren’t disappearing. They’re becoming harder to earn. Buyers are investing in AI that solves measurable business problems. The organizations moving forward with AI aren’t buying platforms because they’re innovative. They’re investing in use cases tied directly to operational outcomes.
The strongest business cases connect AI to metrics executives already care about:
- Lower cost per contact
- Faster resolution times
- Reduced handle time
- Higher retention
- Revenue protection
- Better operational consistency
One example highlighted in the research came from Michael Kors, where agent-facing AI was implemented to improve decisions around lost eCommerce orders. Rather than automatically issuing refunds, AI helps agents identify replacement inventory, recognize repeat claims, and resolve issues faster. The result wasn’t simply a better customer experience. It reduced unnecessary refund costs while protecting customer lifetime value.
That’s the pattern appearing across many organizations. The most compelling AI investments solve an expensive operational problem first, while improving customer experience as a result.
Process Improvement Still Beats Shiny Technology
One of the more surprising findings in the research should give every technology provider pause. When asked which investments have historically produced the strongest ROI, process improvement ranked ahead of AI and automation. Process improvement was selected by 58% of respondents, compared with 54% for AI and automation.
That doesn’t mean AI is losing momentum. It means buyers increasingly understand that technology rarely fixes broken processes by itself. Many organizations are looking for partners who can identify friction, redesign workflows, and then determine where AI belongs, not the other way around.
If your conversation begins with product capabilities instead of business problems, you might already be behind.
Where Skepticism is Growing
The research also highlights where CX leaders remain cautious. Many organizations believe AI can deliver value. Fewer believe every implementation will.
Several themes surfaced repeatedly:
- Difficulty measuring business impact
- Internal adoption challenges
- Revenue expectations that don’t materialize
- Weak post-implementation measurement
- Generic ROI assumptions that don’t reflect their business
In fact, internal adoption and revenue growth were the areas where CX investments most frequently fell short of expectations. The skepticism isn’t about AI itself. It’s about whether vendors can demonstrate that this implementation will deliver measurable outcomes within their organization.
What CX Leaders Are Asking Business Partners to Do Differently
One of the clearest messages from the research wasn’t directed at AI. It was directed at vendors.
CX leaders repeatedly asked for:
- Organization-specific ROI models instead of generic calculators
- Benchmarks based on similar operating environments
- Pilot programs using their own data
- Practical implementation roadmaps
- Continued measurement after deployment
One respondent summarized it well: “Use our own data to make the ROI calculations ‘real’ and not hypothetical.” Another noted that the best vendors arrive with the business case already built, not simply a product demonstration.
That should reshape how business partners think about the sales process. Today’s buyers increasingly expect strategic advisors who can help secure internal funding, not just solution providers.
The Opportunity for Business Partners
The AI market isn’t slowing down. It’s the buying process that is becoming more disciplined. The organizations winning investment are those that can clearly answer four questions before implementation begins:
- What business problems are we solving?
- How will success be measured?
- What operational metrics will improve?
- What financial outcome should we expect?
The business partners who can help answer those questions will stand out in an increasingly crowded AI market. Because in today’s CX environment, buyers aren’t looking for the most impressive AI demonstration. They’re looking for the investment they can defend in the boardroom.
If these findings reflect the conversations you’re having with customers, there’s value in staying connected with the practitioners shaping those conversations. Execs In The Know’s research, events, and leadership community, business partners gain direct access to the CX leaders defining tomorrow’s investment priorities.
To learn more, connect with Scott Moberly, Vice President of Partner Advocacy, at [email protected] or download our 2026 Media Kits to discover upcoming partnership opportunities.
