SMS will likely lead the charge of proactive outreach given Agents need to be empowered to take part in our mobile preferences. Therefore, we also predict that proactive communications by 2025, more than 50% of all brands will use SMS as a In addition to AI and automation playing a major role in proactive customer support and engagement channel, structuring proactive outreach, the agent will also have a amplifying the competitive focus around brand trust. key role in the transition to more proactive engagement. Increasingly, customer-centric agent desktops will give agents context of the customer journey across channels, enabling even more personalized and right-time proactive 50% outreach to increase customer satisfaction. As the agent has deep insights into previous customer interactions, of all brands will use SMS as a proactive context across channels, and historical sentiment, this can customer support and engagement be applied to individualized outreach initiatives. This type channel, amplifying the competitive of right-time proactive engagement could lead to strong focus around brand trust. upsell and cross-sell opportunities while certainly having a positive impact on customer retention and satisfaction. Contact Center Predictions for 2023 and Beyond 13