SAN FRANCISCO, Feb. 04, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Despite major investments in AI, many contact centers have yet to capitalize on its full potential. Crescendo, the first AI-native contact center, today released The AI Maturity Model for Contact Centers, providing a structured framework to help leaders move from fragmented automation to intelligent, self-optimizing CX operations.
The report addresses the “AI Performance Gap,’ the divide between the promise of automation and operational reality. While AI tools have advanced rapidly, organizations still struggle with siloed adoption, legacy infrastructure, and human-centered workflows that limit what AI can effectively deliver. Reports from consulting company BCG show that 74% of companies fail to scale AI effectively. Even more significantly, half of those pursuing “agentless” customer experiences are expected to abandon their efforts by 2027. If this trajectory continues, contact centers risk a massive missed opportunity: an industry uniquely positioned for AI transformation, yet currently stalled by fragmented tools and legacy infrastructure.
The Four Stages of AI in CX
To help leaders navigate these challenges, Crescendo has introduced the AI Maturity Model, which defines four levels of AI adoption in contact centers, each representing a distinct stage of operational maturity:
- Level 1: Workflow – Human-driven operations with minimal automation. AI exists only in small pilots, and improvements hinge on additional headcount rather than systemic change.
- Level 2: AI Bolt-On – Disconnected automation tools deliver localized efficiency but fail to integrate across channels, leaving operations fragmented and difficult to scale.
- Level 3: AI-Native – AI and human teams operate as a single system with shared context and continuous learning, enabling faster resolution of routine requests and more consistent service quality.
- Level 4: AI-Driven – Highly predictive and autonomous operations, where AI orchestrates workflows, forecasts demand, and enables humans to focus on strategy, governance, and high-value design and oversight.
At higher levels of maturity, contact centers transform from cost centers into drivers of competitive advantage. According to BCG, organizations that effectively prioritize CX have seen 50% higher revenue growth, 60% higher total shareholder returns, and 40% higher returns on invested capital.
“Many organizations are struggling to harness the potential of AI, not because the technology doesn’t work, but because they lack clarity about what AI maturity looks like and what it entails,” said Adrian Swinscoe, CX strategy expert, best-selling author, and host of the Punk CX podcast. “A clear framework like this offers a defined maturity roadmap that can help CX leaders differentiate between simple experimentation and scalable, impactful progress.”
Setting the Standard for AI Maturity in CX
In its evidence-based paper, Crescendo provides organizations with a structured framework to assess their own AI maturity across people, processes, and systems. By establishing a common lens for AI performance, the assessment aims to create a shared metric for CX excellence across industries.
“Contact centers have long been stuck in a reactive, human-scaled model. AI offers the opportunity for structural transformation, but only if organizations understand where they are and how to move forward,” said Matt Price, co-founder and CEO of Crescendo. “This framework provides a benchmark for leaders to assess progress, prioritize initiatives, and, most importantly, build adaptive, customer-centered contact centers that improve continuously over time.”
Read the full AI Maturity Model for Contact Centers report to assess where your organization stands today and how Crescendo can take you to the next level.
About Crescendo
Crescendo is the first AI-native contact center, built to deliver peak CX performance in the AI era. While others sell seats, licenses, or hype, we tie our success to business outcomes. Our platform combines the world’s smartest, auto-tuning AI with multilingual “superhuman” experts, ensuring every interaction is fast, accurate, and empathetic. Unlike legacy service providers or bolt-on AI, Crescendo delivers peak performance in weeks, not months. From rapid deployment to predictable outcome-based pricing, we help enterprises scale effortlessly while preserving quality. In a world of overpromise and under-delivery, Crescendo guarantees outcomes that others only talk about. Learn more at crescendo.ai.
Media Contacts:
Sylvie Tongco, Head of Communications, sylvie.tongco@crescendo.ai
LaunchSquad for Crescendo, crescendo@launchsquad.com
