How CX practitioners in APAC are investing in CX

Customer experience (CX) has become one of the most important battlegrounds for organizations across Asia-Pacific (APAC). Rising customer expectations, rapid advances in digital technology, and mounting pressure to demonstrate business value are all reshaping how companies plan and prioritize their CX strategies.

Against this backdrop, the Global State of CX 2025 report provides a timely snapshot of how practitioners in the region are investing to keep pace. The findings reveal ambitious agendas, despite uneven maturity levels and ongoing economic pressures. Above all, they show that artificial intelligence (AI), customer acquisition and retention, and new tools to meet fast-changing customer needs are at the top of the APAC investment agenda for 2025.

The forward-looking outlook is reflected in budget allocations: 42 percent of APAC respondents to the global survey report higher budgets for 2025 compared to the previous year. Just 16 percent face cuts, although 33 percent expect spending to remain flat. This signals that, while not universal, increased financial backing for technology adoption is being allocated to a significant portion of CX leaders in the region.

CX investment priorities in APAC

When asked how their spending is changing in 2025, APAC practitioners highlighted several areas where budgets are set to grow. The clearest priorities are AI projects for CX and service (63 percent) and digital experience (63 percent) – tied as the top categories for increased investment. Close behind are customer acquisition and retention (58 percent) and cybersecurity (56 percent).

This suggests that CX leaders in the region are taking a dual approach: investing in cutting-edge AI technologies to improve efficiency and personalization, while at the same time reinforcing the fundamentals of customer growth and trust. The emphasis on cybersecurity shows that data protection remains integral to building customer confidence, particularly as AI-driven personalization and automation expand.

Other areas where APAC practitioners expect to increase spending include insight, data and analytics (49 percent) and Voice of the Customer programs (42 percent). Together, these reflect a recognition that while technology is crucial, investment in understanding customers and acting on their feedback is just as important.

The AI revolution takes center stage in APAC

While AI dominates overall investment in APAC, a look at the specific areas of spend offers insight to the organizational priorities in the region. Thirty percent say they plan to invest in AI and machine learning for business operations, while nearly a quarter (23 percent) are targeting automation of CX and service functions. More specific deployments such as conversational AI chatbots and virtual assistants (14 percent) and generative AI chatbots (5 percent) attract smaller shares of investment, reflecting that many organizations are still in the early stages of adoption.

Building balanced foundations for CX in APAC

Despite the strong AI focus, the breadth of investment areas shows that APAC organizations are taking a balanced approach. Other notable areas for planned investment include CRM systems (14 percent), complaints management (14 percent) and data insights and analytics (14 percent).

Interestingly, a significant minority are also prioritizing human elements of CX: nine percent say they will invest in self-service tools, and nine percent in employee experience and training. This demonstrates a healthy approach where technology and people can evolve together to create seamless, resilient CX ecosystems.

In addition, investments in cloud services and migration (12 percent), customer acquisition (12 percent), and Voice of the Customer or employee initiatives (12 percent) suggest that practitioners are focusing on building flexible, scalable infrastructure alongside customer-centric engagement strategies.

Who is driving AI investment in APAC?

Given the scale of AI adoption, the report also asked who is responsible for AI-related investment decisions in APAC organizations. The results point to a high degree of shared responsibility: 37 percent say they are part of the decision-making team, 23 percent say they can or do influence AI spending decisions, 12 percent take sole responsibility, 12 percent say their direct manager is responsible and 16 percent have no influence.

This distribution illustrates two important dynamics: first, customer experience teams are becoming increasingly involved in AI investment decisions, reflecting the central role these technologies now play in CX strategies. Second, decision-making authority remains relatively distributed, suggesting that AI adoption is not confined to CX teams alone but possibly spans IT, data, operations and executive leadership.

However, governance frameworks are still catching up with investment appetite. While 37 percent of APAC organizations have implemented organization-wide approaches to generative AI best practice and governance, 49 percent lack such frameworks, with a further 14 percent unsure of their current status.

Navigating CX implementation challenges

Despite ambitious investment plans, APAC practitioners face significant obstacles. Demonstrating return on investment (ROI) emerges as the primary challenge, cited by 51 percent of respondents – a pressure that has intensified for 74 percent over the past 12 months. Finding sufficient budget remains difficult for 37 percent, while integration with existing tools poses problems for 25 percent.

These hurdles reflect the complex reality of transforming CX operations, where new technologies must prove their worth via ROI while connecting with established systems.

Strategic CX investment in uncertain times

The Global State of CX 2025 report reveals that CX investment strategies in APAC are being shaped by both the transformative potential of AI and the enduring need to acquire and retain customers in an uncertain economic environment.

APAC practitioners are clear about AI's potential to revolutionize operations, but they are equally aware of the need to invest in data, analytics and human capabilities to ensure those technologies deliver measurable value.

As budgets rise and CX continues to gain traction at the executive level, the challenge for APAC organizations will be to align their investment decisions with long-term strategic goals, while navigating governance gaps and ROI pressures. Those who succeed will balance technological innovation with proven fundamentals.

In 2025, CX in APAC is not just about spending more – it's about investing strategically, with a clear-eyed view of both opportunities and obstacles, and a commitment to building the capabilities that will define CX for the years ahead.

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