Majority of UK IT teams already implementing or planning for AI

UK IT teams are making headway in fully embracing AI’s potential, with 79% already rolling it out to some degree, or being in the advanced stages of planning for it, according to new research from Twilio. 

Surveying 250 IT decision makers on their attitude towards AI, what it could do for them, and the progress they’ve made on implementation so far, the research reveals that they overwhelmingly think it could help them get closer to their customers and their needs (86%). This closely follows being able to work more efficiently (93%) and being able to meet financial goals (87%). 

When it comes to how organisations are approaching their AI strategy, however, just 34% start with customer outcomes first before considering the technology required. Nearly half (44%) instead start with the technology first and look for ways to use it, suggesting that organisations need to take care to not lose sight of their overall goal to build long-term, valuable customer relationships. 

Commenting on the findings, Sam Richardson, CX Consultant at Twilio said: “Before delving straight into the technology implementation, businesses first need to ask themselves what it is they actually want to achieve. They must start by identifying the aspects of the customer journey that can be improved with AI. Collecting and analysing first party data, alongside ethnographic research, is vital here, and can help understand customer preferences, behaviours and pain points. This data should lay the foundations for any AI strategy.” 

The Benefits of AI

More promisingly, when asked about what’s driving the push for AI adoption and investment, nearly all respondents were split between a need for greater operational efficiency (57%) and organisational growth (56%). 

When asked how they thought AI could most benefit customers, IT decision-makers cited chatbots (54%) and hyper-personalised brand interactions (48%) as the two biggest benefits. Consumers who were surveyed by Twilio on the same topic were largely in agreement (40% and 32% respectively), suggesting that expectations amongst organisations and consumers alike are aligned on what AI could do for them. 

Barriers to AI Adoption

For the 20% of organisations that have not yet started implementing AI, scepticism around whether the technology was right for them emerged as the leading factor (31%) for this delay. This was closely followed by financial pressures (25%), and a lack of infrastructure and processes in place to support it (24%). 

As the majority of their competitors are already making progress with their AI implementation, however, they may find themselves under pressure to change their outlook in order to stay competitive. Consumers are also increasingly receptive to the idea of companies using AI to improve the experience they have with 49% of those sampled by Twilio in agreement. This rises to 58% of those aged 25-34.

Sam Richardson continues:

“When used to its full potential, AI allows brands to know every customer like they are the only customer they have. Organisations are already capturing huge amounts of data on buying patterns, preferences, as well as service questions and queries every day - but they’re often not putting all of these insights to best use. By bringing in AI to connect the dots across every interaction a customer might have with a brand, they can start to offer far better customer engagement at scale.

“At the same time, in the race to adopt rapidly evolving technologies like AI, organisations must not let themselves get distracted by the newness. They ultimately exist to solve a customer need, and while AI tools can be very powerful, organisations must not forget what and why they are making these investments and changes for. Ensuring the tech stack is designed to suit the needs of customers, will ultimately be what differentiates the winners in the race for AI adoption.”