Contact Centers and AI in 2021
The Covid-19 crisis has put Contact Centers under pressure due to the shift of activities to remote locations. The way we communicate and collaborate has had to adapt to this “new normal”. It led companies to face new problems, which then turned into hidden opportunities, capable of radically and irrevocably changing traditional processes for the better, thanks to the support of Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning.
It is not the first time we have heard of AI being used to interact with our favorite service providers and brands. Who hasn’t talked to a chat-bot yet? But this time, AI in contact centers comes to provide support in the following areas:
-Quality management
-Compliance
-Customer Experience
-Agent Experience
-Performance management
-Targeted training
-Marketing and sales
This has ushered in a second “Era” of new technology adoption in Contact Centers.
Why the second wave of AI can make a difference
Currently, companies are paying more and more attention to Contact Centers, as they are closely linked with Customer Experience; and they can also become sources of essential data that can be used to offer better products/services and a better understanding of customer behavior. It is not only about taking care of customers’ experience but also about protecting their privacy and security. More and more European regulations and directives are developed to protect people’s privacy, such as the GDPR and PCI-DSS, which impose heavy fines on companies that do not comply with these regulations.
Thanks to Speech Analytics and algorithms based on artificial intelligence, it is possible to monitor all incoming and outgoing calls, extract patterns and insights from those calls, and make things that were previously there but hidden from our eyes visible . This yields a complete picture of compliance and performance quality to seize new business opportunities.
Another important direction in which we’re moving is talent management, training, and care by companies for employee experience. It is no longer a question of controlling the performance of their employees but a question of providing the necessary tools to transmit the corporate culture and brand identity in every single interaction with the outside world. Artificial intelligence, particularly Speech Analytics, will therefore not just be another tool in the hands of management to judge, reward or punish their employees but it initiates action-driven processes to achieve the much sought-after success and efficiency.
The path to follow to discover the true potential of new technologies…
In past years, the focus on speed of service and saving money by substituting man by machine has led companies to see technology as the solution but led to a decline in customer satisfaction in many cases. It is vital to understand that technology alone is not the solution but must enable a cultural change within traditional business processes. Therefore, the real challenge is investing not just in technology but also in people. Only by re-humanizing contact centers will it be possible to offer a truly satisfying experience. This will only be possible through close cooperation between technology and people.
For every Digital Transformation process, there must be a Change Management process. This process must start with a change of mindset of all the people involved. Technology must be thoroughly understood. It can’t be chosen just because it is trendy but because it is essential to respond to a need and leads to concrete results.
Training must be well structured and designed to allow everyone to use the new technology and make it a real “supportive brother.” Special attention needs to be given to integrating all the data sources within the company to make the company’s information systems solid and break down the barriers between the various business unit silos.
Only when everyone within the company understands the value of digital transformation can there be a real evolution.
