Cisco has unveiled its vision for agentic artificial intelligence (AI) collaboration, along with new AI-powered collaboration solutions designed to create what the company claims will be future-proofed experiences for customers, employees and IT teams.
Strategically, Cisco said that it is driving toward a future where AI anticipates customer and employee needs, addresses challenges, fulfils intent and further enhances productivity for all.
It noted that in the current digital era, employees expect intelligent and efficient collaboration experiences, and that AI-powered solutions can boost collaboration and bolster productivity for employees, end users and IT professionals who ensure smooth operations.
New AI functionality is seen as key to delivering increases in productivity, with workflow automation that streamlines routine tasks as well as customising and managing AI capabilities and insights.
The first tangible steps in this mission will see the launch of “agentic AI innovations”, including the general availability of the Webex AI Agent, first announced in October 2024, which aims to offer enhanced customer experience for those using the core collaboration platform
Additional solutions announced across collaboration devices and the Webex Suite include new workflows in AI Assistant for Webex Suite to streamline employee experiences, Webex Calling Customer Assist and AirPlay on Cisco Devices for Microsoft Teams Rooms.
Commenting on the rationale for the launch, Jeetu Patel, executive vice-president and chief product officer, said the time was now right for businesses to realise agentic AI’s potential: “Agentic AI is reinventing what it means for people and technology to work together across the physical and digital worlds. Our customers love how Webex AI is built seamlessly into the way you work. Working alongside employees increasing efficiency, improving employee sentiment and enhancing overall customer experiences.”
One of the key business areas in which the new agentic AI will see use will be in contact centres, an area which has seen traditional setups, primarily reactive in addressing customer inquiries, now evolving into experience hubs where every interaction can be regarded as offering an opportunity to provide enhanced interactions with customers.
Cisco believes that it is making this possible with the Webex Customer Experience portfolio through tools such as AI Agent and AI Assistant for Contact Centre that answer customers’ questions and integrate with back-office systems for automated intent fulfilment.
Planned for general availability on 31 March 2025, the enhanced Webex AI Agent is described by its developer as a self-service solution with “natural, human-like” interactions. It is designed to work alongside human agents to answer routine and high-volume customer questions, and executes actions to fulfil customer requests while eliminating the need for queues or wait times. It integrates with Webex Contact Centre and combines “natural-sounding” conversational intelligence with real-time automation for customers to resolve issues and queries as if they were speaking or messaging with a human.
To improve agent and customer service experiences, the Cisco AI Assistant for Webex Contact Centre solution will have new features planned for Q2 2025, including suggested responses and real-time transcription for agents. These will join previously available features including context transfer summaries, dropped call summaries, Agent Wellbeing, topic analytics and automatic customer satisfaction scores (Auto CSAT).
Other key features include improved workflow automation in Cisco AI Assistant for Webex, beefed-up AI capabilities in Webex Control Hub, and a “reimagined” Webex Calling Customer Assist. Native Epic integration for Webex Contact Centre is expected to be in beta by the end of March 2025.
In addition, Cisco revealed collaboration with CE ginat Apple. AirPlay on Cisco Devices will be available soon for Microsoft Teams Rooms, enabling instant wireless content sharing from iPhone, iPad or Mac to Cisco devices, while Cisco Spatial Meetings now allow users to turn any space equipped with a Cisco Room Bar Pro into an immersive studio with Webex for Apple Vision Pro.
