Working as a customer service agent in today’s omnichannel contact center is no small feat. It involves handling a demanding job, dealing with volumes of information, and guiding customer conversations. Customer interactions are at an all-time high, and customers are using more channels than ever to have their queries answered quickly and accurately. Call centers are also one of the most results-driven workplaces, with a growing focus on continuous customer experience (CX) improvement.
Recent research reveals that customers overwhelmingly want one thing when they reach out for questions – speed (87%). They also care about their query being resolved (74%) and are keen to engage on the channel of their choice (67%).
The rise in customer expectations and the shift towards multi-channel support demands transformation in how contact centers operate and puts the onus on companies to invest in technology that empowers agents working on the customer frontlines to provide exceptional service.
Fortunately, organizations are reaping substantial benefits from leveraging AI to power agent-facing contact center applications, providing their workforce with additional capacity to excel in their challenging roles.
AI and automation supercharge efficiency but also create more meaningful interactions and experiences for customers and employees. This approach increases customer satisfaction and contributes to long-term employee loyalty and productivity.
AI Outcomes Elevate CX, Agent Efficiency and Well-Being
Contact center agents play a pivotal role in CX, so it’s important to prioritize agent well-being in addition to productivity. Fortunately, AI-powered bots have emerged for just about every workflow, making it possible for businesses to prioritize agent experience which ultimately enhances the overall customer experience. These AI technologies include but are not limited to:
AI for self-service — AI-powered chatbots and virtual assistants can book a flight, change a medical appointment or sell a product to the customer — right in the chat. Leveraging conversational AI, these bots enable the quick and efficient deployment of CX automation across all engagement channels. This delivers consistent and personalized self-service customer experiences, while also improving contact center operations.
AI for agent and supervisor assistance — When customer service interactions involve negative sentiments, escalations, long silences or multiple interruptions, real-time agent assist tools provide AI-driven, real-time guidance. Suggestions are based on acoustic (nonverbal), linguistic (verbal), and desktop activity to employees working from anywhere. Automated quality management (AQM) evaluates calls, identifies non-compliance and assigns coaching for 100% of voice and text interactions. AI-powered scoring bots automatically and continuously evaluate all interactions against scoring rules.
AI bots for tackling tasks independently — The time agents spend between calls can cost companies millions in additional labor. Interaction wrap-up bots use deep learning to provide real-time transcription accuracy that is securely fed into generative AI algorithms, such as ChatGPT, for automatic interaction summarization. In addition, interaction transfer bots can provide seamless transitions from self-service to assisted-service and eliminate the need for customers to repeat information already provided.
AI bots for flexible scheduling — Scheduling bots powered by AI can automatically calculate the impact of shift changes based on forecasted volumes, capacity and performance. With AI applied to workforce management forecasts, agents can make autonomous scheduling changes without manager involvement or approval. This works by giving each 15-minute increment of the schedule a “value” and providing agents with a “currency” to spend or earn points when making schedule changes. Offering shift flexibility has been shown to reduce attrition by an average of 25% by helping employees achieve better work-life balance.
AI bots for real-time coaching — Coaching bots leveraging conversational AI have the unique ability to listen to conversations in real-time and use AI to notify and assist employees and supervisors about ways to handle a call more effectively. By providing real-time feedback and coaching, agents can elevate their performance as well as the customer experience.
In addition, real-time coaching tools allow for quality assurance, enabling supervisors to ensure that agents follow company protocols and provide consistent service. In this scenario, supervisors can intervene if agents deviate from best practices or have compliance issues.
AI: Moving Beyond Productivity Enhancement to Agent Empowerment
AI-powered tools and bots are helping lend crucial support to agents. The adoption of AI-powered tools is not just a trend, but a necessity in today’s business landscape. It is pivotal to improving the agent experience and fostering an environment where both productivity and customer satisfaction are significantly enhanced.
