As technology improves, we all have that ultimate dream of having all our issues resolved at a click of a button. No matter the impediment. No matter the platform…prompt solutions and quality experiences. It is now common knowledge that Artificial Intelligence, or AI, is the future of customer service and something that will take call centers to the next level.
However, what is call center AI? Do I have to be ready for a robot selling merchandise? Do I have to get used to being stuck in an endless IVR; routing me to automated responses that fail to answer my problem? Do we have to get used to boring, robotic and heedless chatbot responses? Numerous individuals have an augmented view of what precisely AI is, and more notably whether or not artificial intelligence will have undesirable impacts on how call centers operate in the future.
Although a lot of people argue the introduction of AI in the call center industry will ultimately replace the role of human agents. In reality, the technology that comes with ai will only make call center staff more effective & resourceful. In this article, we have outline 5 reasons why call center AI is there to improve, not replace agents.
So, What is Artificial Intelligence when it comes to call centers?
AI was invented in 1955 when scientists persuaded the Rockefeller Foundation to bankroll the Dartmoth Workshop. The Dartmoth Workshop was a two-month long project with the aim of, “finding how to make machines use language, form concepts and ideas, solve varieties of problems now reserved for humans, and enhance themselves.”
A couple of decades have passed since that defining moment, and with that time AI has been integrated into all of our lives to make our day to day activities more modernized and well-organized. But Hollywood would make us believe we have not really reached the thought of Artificial Intelligence filled with machines smarter and more emotionally intelligent than people.
Businesses as well as individuals believe that AI is a saving grace– a system that replaces the human component, but maintain the human feel. Yet in actual sense AI is somewhere in the middle. The middle ground of AI for many businesses has been an efficient means to provide a better customer experience.
In terms of AI in the Call Center industry this improved customer experience has come in the form of programmed automation. Whether that be an IVR system, automated email triggers, or a live chat. Nevertheless, more and more consumers are still frustrated with what ai has to offer.
Various chat response systems do not possess the machine learning know-how to present solutions to complex problems. Leaving consumers stuck in a ferocious cycle where they are fighting live chat systems and IVR systems just to finally get to a live agent.
Still, most people believe AI will usher in a new way business interacts with their customers. This, however, doesn’t mean they have to replace human agents in order to achieve their objective. They can be used together with real agents to give impeccable customer experience.
1) AI is extremely expensive to fully implement
Various small and midsize businesses (SMBs) are anxious about how the idea to upscale their customer service outlays to engage with the developing AI mediums. Consumers remarkably desire swift solutions and for countless SMBs with call centers they bank on superior customer experiences to decrease churn rates as well as boost CSAT scores. But, is the growing expectations of consumers worth spending a fortune to implement an AI system?
Information here can be the difference. Understanding who is your customer base and why they contact you is really vital. For instance, a recent study showed that 63% of individuals over the age of 35 favor human engagement in the form of a phone call compared to an automated live chat. If your business doesn’t have information of your customers then implementing AI system can be quite costly to say the least.
2) Contact Center AI technology is still evolving
The aspect of machine learning & real AI is only as good as the programmer. Meaning all the systems in place for AI in call centers are all programmed by humans like you and me. This ensures it gives your customers an experience only as good as they are programmed to achieve. Thus, leaving the door open for other customers to simply not have their issues resolved. Let’s say your call center ai software employs keyword detection– a person might be keying “set-up phone” and be linked to an outcome that did not truly answer what they were looking for. The user would then have to go into the system and manually activate a different result based on new keywords. While the concept behind AI should really have an intelligent system good enough to correct itself.
3) Streamline your lower level inquiries
When it comes to sales and customer service, there is no doubt that folks still prefer live agents over ai sales bots. But this does not mean that AI should not be employed to make the work of call center agents simple and effective. Today, there are a lot of call center solutions that you can use to streamline your operations. Whether it is as simple as creating an online FAQ form to employing a system with IVR capabilities. Make those easy answers easily available to your consumers.
4) Advanced technology requires sophisticated solutions
There is no doubt that the advancements of technology are growing exponentially. This development in technology has set an example for call centers: advanced technology requires sophisticated solutions. The kind of solutions that can only be offered by real live human agents.
There is no way all your customer’s issues can be resolved by a FAQ page in this day and age. For your call center to be effective and efficient, it should employ a system that cannot only streamline lower level questions but can also handle higher level issues.
5) AI is a complement to your call center operations. Not an alternative.
At present, call center solutions provide various automation features that small and midsize businesses are determined to attain when searching for AI. Whether that be IVRs to sophisticated scripting capabilities. AI can also be utilized to ultimately improve each customer experience.