In a recent article, Kelsey Brazill discusses how customer expectations are shifting. This is a result of increased accessibility due to communications channels such as email, live chat support, social media, and more being added to the customer journey. With all these channels co-existing with traditionally phone service, customers expect their interactions to be fluid and consistent across all of them. If they communicate with an agent on social media, they expect to be able to call the contact center and pick up right where they left off without needing to explain their issue(s). If a contact center can’t provide this fluidity and deliver customer satisfaction instantly, they’ll lose loyalty for their clients.
Brazill’s article suggests companies utilize self-service methods, such as chatbots, in order to keep up with the increasing customer demands for instant answers. This includes automating as many things as possible, but in a way that assists human agents instead of replacing them. Contact centers need to use data within chats, recordings, phone call transcriptions through machine learning to discover how well the customer experience is going and where it can be improved.
How AI Can Improve Contact Center Processes
Chatbots are one thing, but true artificial intelligence (AI) can be a remarkable thing that improves the customer experience over time. AI can review transcripts of past customer/agent interactions and search for keywords and context. Based on this analysis, the AI can then go into the CRM and update scripts or FAQ sections with information that can better assist agents in the future. For example, a customer could call into a company seeking guidance on a product they can’t figure out how to work correctly.
The agent’s script gives one recommended response, but the agent alters it slightly and the call goes smoothly and results in a satisfied customer. The AI reviews this transcript and takes note of certain keywords that differed from the original script and gauges the customer’s emotional response. After pinpointing what differentiated the experience from others in the past, the AI updates the script to reflect the verbiage of the recent agent. The next time an agent has a similar call, they will be able to provide a better resolution for their customer than previously delivered.
This is only one example of how artificial intelligence can help contact centers improve their processes. While there will always be a need for human agents, AI can provide great assistance in improving the efficiency of these agents. Don’t shy away from using AI for more than simply chatbots, because it could set you up for stronger success in the future.
This blog post is based on an article from CustomerThink. To read the original article, please click here: 3 Ways to Drive Digital Innovation in Your Contact Center – Kelsey Brazill
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