The COVID-19 pandemic offered the ideal setting for accelerating digital transformation: there was really no other option. For instance, your company may have resorted to some new artificial intelligence (AI) features when your contact center was flooded with calls asking whether your physical store was open, if customers could still get certain products, or what your cleaning practices were to keep them safe.
This is just one example of why AI has been accelerated in the contact center. The technology has advanced in recent years, going far beyond the initial systems that coached callers through choosing “1” for Spanish or sent them spiraling into looping menu options that only ended in frustration.
With advances in AI, the contact center is now better equipped for handling fluctuating volumes in calls and connecting customers with the information they need more efficiently. Here are two ways AI is improving the contact center experience:
Enhanced Analysis: One of the biggest opportunities for using AI comes in the analysis of human behaviors. From natural language processing that allows AI to spot mood, tone, and word patterns to detect customer frustration, to the ability to analyze trends at a more granular level, AI offers new angles for better understanding consumer behaviors. Call tracking data informs the application to determine the communication style and personality of the caller, filling out a complete customer profile and helping to provide an interaction that feels personal and natural.
The pattern matching abilities of AI far outstrips those of the human eye, which often overlooks connections that are spotted by automated analysis tools. Companies gain a more complete understanding of the buyer’s journey, equipping them to offer a better overall customer experience.
Happy Employees: Another important way that AI is improving the contact center is by improving the satisfaction level of agents. Not only are customer requests largely resolved by AI tools, freeing agents up to handle more complex issues, but employee-to-employee interactions also improve. Agents are able to access back-office and line-of-business expertise through the use of AI tools. This equips them to solve customer requests quickly, effectively empowering them to do their jobs efficiently.
AI offers better call routing, so that the agent with the right skills receives the inquiry. This turns every call into a personalized session, with agents handling only the calls that require their specific expertise.
Integrated applications through application programming interfaces (APIs) give contact center employees easy access to the data they need, including conversation histories with customers. Contact center agents no longer have to toggle between applications to find the information they need.
If your business is exploring the potential for AI features in your contact center, contact us at Safari Solutions. We can help you assess the impact of various solutions on your broader technology stack and assist you in leveraging the best possible solution for improved customer and employee experiences.
