AI is changing everything … except the need for managed services

I spend a lot of time talking with clients about the rapid evolution of AI in the contact center. The excitement is real and the potential is enormous.

But there’s a misconception I run into often: the idea that as the contact center becomes more AI-driven, the need for managed services fades away.

It’s actually the opposite. AI is changing everything, but it’s increasing the importance of managed services, not eliminating it. The work simply looks different now. And for CX leaders navigating all this change, understanding that difference is key.

AI can do a lot, but it can’t manage itself

There’s a big trust issue with AI right now. It might close over time, but today we’re nowhere near a world where AI can operate without oversight.

Even the best models hallucinate, which is a natural byproduct of systems that are designed to think. That means we still require human intelligence to separate fact from fiction.

The principle of “trust but verify” applies here. Sure, we may need to verify less often as tools mature, but the moment we stop verifying, our risk skyrockets. When we lean too heavily on something we don’t fully understand, we put both the business and the customer experience in jeopardy.

AI still needs humans to keep CX running smoothly

Even in AI-enabled contact centers, the need to understand what actually happened during a given customer interaction has never gone away. Modern platforms are powerful and intelligent, but when something goes wrong or seems off, someone has to investigate. Supervisors want clarity on calls, leaders need insight into customer experiences, and brands must know exactly what their systems are saying on their behalf.

AI can surface clues faster, but confirming the truth still requires a human. And as AI takes on more direct customer interactions, the stakes get higher. A bot that drifts off policy or hallucinates information can create real exposure before anyone notices.

AI-powered monitoring is especially good at spotting early patterns and identifying issues humans might miss, but it can’t always resolve the underlying problem. Someone still has to dig in, trace the cause, and remediate the issue.

The risks of skipping managed services

When organizations try to manage an AI-powered contact center or another large CX and AI initiative on their own, we tend to see the following problems show up:

• AI drift and hallucinations. Without active monitoring, bots may produce misinformation long before anyone reviews transcripts or notices the trend, creating risk for both customers and the business.
• Unexpected costs. Small configuration errors can have big financial consequences. Routing missteps or incorrect system logic may lead to billing issues or inefficient use of resources, and those costs can add up unnoticed.
• Asset junk. Flexible platforms make it easy for anyone to build new flows or features, but those updates are often only half tested before going live. Over time, this creates a cluttered environment full of abandoned configurations and inconsistent logic that becomes difficult to untangle.
• Increase in rework. AI accelerates early stages of development, which makes it easier for less experienced builders to produce more. But that speed results in more errors surfacing later, more time spent on regression testing, and more breakage that must be fixed manually.

Strong managed services can help prevent these problems before they snowball, ensuring platforms stay clean, costs are contained, and organizations can innovate without creating new risk.

How managed services helps clients keep up with AI innovation

The good news is that every risk outlined above can be contained. With a strong managed services model, like what we do with SurroundCX™, clients get structured support that keeps their platforms clean, aligned, and ready for safe AI innovation.

How managed services mitigates risks:

• Identifies issues early with AI-supported monitoring. AI-powered platform monitoring can flag patterns and anomalies faster than humans, but experts still verify and resolve issues AI can’t fix.
• Reduces cost risks. Managed services teams know how small configuration decisions affect usage and CX, and, in doing so, help clients avoid billing overages and system behaviors that come from misaligned systems or logic.
• Prevents asset junk through consistent governance. A structured approach to validating and deploying new features reduces clutter and prevents inconsistencies too often caused by ad hoc platform updates.
• Creates a safe space to test new AI capabilities. Platform adoption hours and sandbox environments let clients explore new features without risking production stability. This prevents late-stage rework.

With these supports in place, clients can adopt AI confidently. They get the benefit of innovation without the model drift, hidden costs, or technical complexity that often appear when teams try to keep up on their own.

What AI can’t replace

AI is reshaping the contact center and unlocking capabilities we didn’t have a few years ago. But as powerful as these tools are, they don’t replace the need for oversight. Managed services, like SurroundCX, ensure organizations get the best from their technology without overwhelming their teams.