AI adoption rises as Australian firms mine contact data

Is AI adoption a key priority for the upcoming 12 months? For many Australian enterprises, the answer is yes. As the technology continues to evolve and improve, businesses are increasingly focused on making sure they are not left behind.

Some 35 per cent of large businesses and 22 per cent of medium-sized ones are now using AI, according to the latest ABS Business Characteristics Survey, released in June 2026. Those figures are expected to increase over the next 12 months as more organisations move from a watch-and-wait approach to broader deployment.

But deciding to invest in AI and identifying innovative, commercially compelling use cases for it are two very different things.

For many organisations, the goal is to reduce repetitive manual tasks, automate processes and contain labour costs. AI can help achieve these outcomes, but its capabilities extend well beyond functional efficiency.

Used well, AI can help businesses improve customer experience and responsiveness, while also strengthening their competitive position.

A wealth of data awaiting exploration

That is where AI-powered knowledge and insights technology comes in. It can analyse large volumes of data to uncover customer signals, behaviour patterns and trends that might otherwise go unnoticed. It offers a practical way to surface hidden problems, including poor interactions and friction points that can gradually undermine customer satisfaction and loyalty.

The largest repository of this data? For many organisations, it is the contact centre. What was once a standalone operational function has become a critical service hub for businesses in Australia and around the world. In a digital-first era, it is often the main interface with customers and the source of thousands, and sometimes millions, of interactions each year.

Historically, analysing those interactions in granular detail has been physically and logistically impractical. Having a contact centre manager review a sample of recorded calls, run a post-call survey and produce a monthly report based on their observations was often as close as many businesses could get to best practice.

Deploy an AI-powered interaction insights engine and the picture changes significantly. Rather than relying on anecdotal evidence, businesses can analyse data at scale and in far greater depth, uncovering themes and trends that manual review would miss and producing detailed reporting as often as daily.

This technology represents a major shift in how customer insights are extracted and acted on. Businesses that adopt it have an opportunity to improve customer experience more quickly and consistently, while those that delay may find it harder to keep pace.

The value of professional support

Using AI to extract clear insights from a very large volume of raw data is not straightforward. For mid-sized enterprises that do not have specialist in-house capability, or the capacity to secure it, the challenge can be even greater.

Working with a well-credentialled consultancy that has the right people, methods and tools, and a strong track record in helping businesses improve their operations and customer experience, can be a practical way forward.

Choose to work with one that has supported other Australian enterprises to turn their contact centres into valuable sources of business intelligence, and you will give yourself a stronger chance of achieving measurable outcomes from your investment in AI-powered interaction insights technology.

Using AI to drive positive outcomes for your enterprise

Choosing not to engage with AI is becoming harder for Australian businesses that want to remain relevant and competitive in the long term. Those that do not identify and pursue use cases with clear business value may lose ground to faster-moving peers.

Use AI to analyse your contact centre data and uncover under-the-radar issues that are affecting your brand, operations and customer experience, and you will be better placed to make meaningful improvements across all three.

If stronger results and competitive advantage are your aim, this is a practical area in which to focus your efforts.