Because of technological advances, contact centers can use artificial intelligence to determine customer behavior. AI in contact centers can let an agent know when a customer is getting frustrated or angry. It can help an agent diffuse a situation and hopefully leave the customer feeling like their issue has been resolved.
Benefits of Artificial Intelligence to Contact Centers
Artificial Intelligence has enabled call centers to be more efficient and significantly lower costs. There are other benefits as well:
Streamlines Processes
One of the most significant benefits of AI in contact centers is that it has helped streamline many processes in customer service. It could be something as simple as creating an FAQ that points the customer in the right direction or creating prompts that lead them to the correct agent. AI also reduces wait times and customer frustration.
Voice Recognition
With speech recognition, the communication process is simplified. Questions can be answered faster, and customers are getting to the correct agent more quickly. Using AI in contact centers leads to higher first-call resolution and higher customer satisfaction. If a customer says “Internet or television,” they would be directed to an expert in this product.
Improving the IVR Processes
An IVR is based on predefined rules. For example, the word sales will transfer the customer to the sales department. On the other hand, AI can understand statements instead of just one word. The idea behind AI is to stop using options such as “press 1 for sales” or “press 2 for customer service, ” followed by a queue that can frustrate customers.
Improving Customer Interactions
AI in contact centers can capture a lot of data in each call. Data can be fed into analytics, which will spot trends like dissatisfaction. Managers can use this data to train agents and improve processes.
Navigating Customers Around the Company Website
Staff shortages are a common problem, particularly in larger multichannel contact centers where advisors have to multi-task operating within a limited time. AI in contact centers can be useful when tackling this problem. Virtual assistants can direct customers to the correct part of the website or FAQ. If the assistant cannot answer a request, they can route the customer to a live agent.
Predicting Customer Behavior
Artificial Intelligence (AI) can now identify trends in customer behavior, allowing agents to be more responsive to their needs. It can help retain more customers or identify up-selling opportunities. Identifying trends can also assist managers in enforcing best practices and possibly predicting the consequences of specific actions.
Identifying Call Types
When customers call in, the contact center AI helps identify the type of request they can get through the relevant channel. Once the agent receives the call, AI in contact centers can also provide the agent with helpful background information and the nature of their inquiry. It allows the agent to provide great customer service and get through the call quickly and efficiently.
In short, companies’ future success will depend on how quickly they can attend to their customers’ needs and invest more in their call center agents, who are constantly finding ways to make sure customers are happy.
Automating Responses to Customer Complaints
One of the biggest challenges companies face today is how to answer customer complaints more effectively. Contact center AI can manage customer letters, emails, and web forms. After going through each inquiry, only the pertinent details are pulled and sent to a manager. The manager can then distribute each complaint to their agents or send an automated response to the customer. After resolving the complaint, the manager loads it into the case management system.
Will Artificial Intelligence Replace Human Interaction?
Technology will never completely replace a human. There is a certain amount of trust in talking to a person when contacting a company. A machine is impersonal and creates a disconnect between the customer and the company. AI in contact centers helps improve customer experience, but it can’t replace it.
Call centers have become more efficient thanks to Artificial Intelligence, and there is little doubt that artificial intelligence will continue to play a significant role in call centers. Even with all of the advancements in machine learning, it can never replace the compassion and concern that a live person will have when assisting a customer.
How Can Endicott Contact Centers Help Your Business?
Learn more about our various call centers and answering services to match your business needs. Endicott can increase your call center performance and efficiency, lower operational costs, and create new sales opportunities for your business. We are ready to support your customer support outsourcing and be an extension of your brand! Request your quote today!