AI Improving Contact Center Services

By CIOReview | Tuesday, December 10, 2019

Online customer experience, preventive assistance, and even revenue stream generations are getting transformed with AI-powered digital solutions.

Artificial intelligence (AI) is contributing immensely toward the changing dynamics of the industries across verticals. Businesses are striving hard to enhance their customer support services. By revolutionizing customer service interactions, AI-powered digital solutions are ready to improve all the aspects of the businesses, including loyalty, brand reputation, online customer experience, preventive assistance, and even revenue stream generations. According to a Zendesk study, around 42 percent of B2C customers express more interest in purchasing after they experience good customer service. Here are the primary ways in which AI is transforming customer service:

Replacing IVR Processes

IVR offers a set of simple predefined rules which is followed by it in a deterministic way. For instance, a call concerning marketing matters is transferred to the marketing team. However, AI includes areas like machine learning (ML) techniques and natural language processing (NPL). It can understand statements against simply providing the users with the set of choices. Also, with AI, a predefined input may generate different output based on the probability calculations against IVR, which produces a definite output for specific input.

Capturing Data from Customer Interaction

AI chatbots and voice agents can catch massive amounts of granular data from each customer interaction. The data can be fed into analytics engine to optimize the call center process. AI tools like sentiment analysis can also assist in speeding up the process by spotting trends like dissatisfaction or anger within a large data set. Despite such advancements, AI-based chatbots and IVRs have a long road ahead before they replace their human counterparts. Nine out of ten people have expressed that there should be the option to transfer to a live assistant in the contact center.

Guiding Customers around the Company’s Website

Large multi-channel contact centers are often faced with staff shortages, with advisors frequently getting time-stretched. AI can be a game-changer in this aspect. For instance, a virtual assistant can help the customers by directing them to the correct page of the website or assist them with FAQ. Moreover, as AI technology learns more from the past data, it grows more sophisticated thereby bettering the customer experience with time.

Big Data Management

Contact centers collect massive amounts of customer data. Customers have come to expect better customer service as they know that their data is with the company which they would have provided, at first hand, to get better customer experience. The major frustration often faced by various customers is the need to repeat their details on multiple instances. An odd offer is another negative experience that significantly affects a company’s relevance in the eyes of the customer.

Robotic process automation (RPA) eliminates redundant customer and employee effort by capturing, cross-referencing, analyzing, and sharing information across channels and platforms, without being intrusive.

Customer Behavior Prediction

AI will help to spot new trends in customer behavior during the early stages of development. The interaction ability tools are already doing the above, but with AI, the process will be significantly accelerated with reduced need for human requirement. Such insights will also be useful for the advisors while they handle the emerging customer needs.