For decades, call centers have been viewed as cost centers. Essential for customer satisfaction, but rarely seen as revenue-generating engines. Most leaders measure their success by efficiency metrics like average handling time or resolution rates, not by how much value they deliver to the business. But with the rise of Generative AI (GenAI), that mindset is ripe for disruption. By rethinking call center roles and integrating AI-powered tools, businesses can turn every support interaction into a meaningful opportunity for cross-sell and up-sell without compromising customer service.
Despite growing interest in customer-centric growth strategies, many companies hesitate to convert their support operations into profit centers. Three key challenges often hold them back: outdated KPIs, lack of appropriate skill sets, and poor data quality. Traditional metrics reward volume and speed. Not outcomes. As long as call center agents are measured by how quickly they resolve tickets, they won’t be incentivized to spend time understanding customer needs or recommending additional products or services. The organizational mindset needs to shift before real change can happen.
It’s unrealistic to expect technical support staff to become expert sales reps overnight. And it’s equally true that many support professionals aren’t wired for selling. But that doesn’t mean they can’t play a pivotal role in driving growth. With minimal training and the right tools, agents can be guided toward smart, contextual offers. GenAI can provide recommended talking points, suggest next-best actions, and surface relevant product offers, all tailored to the customer’s unique profile. The result is a natural, consultative experience rather than a hard sell.
Historically, the biggest blocker to value-added selling during support calls has been lack of access to the right data. But GenAI changes that. For brands that already have a Customer Data Platform (CDP), AI can instantly analyze the customer’s history, preferences, and behaviors to suggest the most relevant cross-sell or up-sell. Even in the absence of a CDP, intelligent agents powered by LLMs can cleanse fragmented data, identify patterns, and present personalized offers to the agent in real time. No deep integration or analytics expertise required, just the power of GenAI to bridge the gap.
The idea of converting a support function into a revenue engine once seemed out of reach. But the building blocks are now available; first-party data, AI-driven insights, and conversational tools that empower agents rather than overwhelm them. It’s time to stop treating support as a sunk cost and start viewing it as a strategic growth channel. With the right AI foundation, every support interaction becomes an opportunity to build loyalty, deepen engagement, and drive incremental revenue.
Reach out to our team to explore how GenAI can help you equip your support reps with the tools they need to drive meaningful business outcomes without changing the heart of your customer experience.
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