5 Ways to Use Artificial Intelligence In the Contact Centre

Triana Atallah of Business Systems discusses how contact centres are starting to implement artificial intelligence (AI).

Many organisations are turning to AI to improve the customer experience, as we have all heard what it could potentially do.

But do we really know how it would work in real-life?

Here are the top five ways you could be using AI in your contact centre.

1. Managing Big Data

Contact centres accumulate vast amounts of customer data over time. Customers are aware of this and expect improved customer service in return.

One of the common frustrations customers face is having to repeat their details on multiple occasions when calling in. When things like this happen, customer dissatisfaction can start to kick in.

In order to address this, Robotic Process Automation (RPA) – a different branch of AI – can eliminate redundant employee and customer effect.

RPA can capture, analyse, cross-reference and share information across platforms and channels, ensuring consistency across the customer experience.

2. Introducing Self-Service

Another main area where AI can be used in the contact centre is for allowing self-service capabilities.

Self-service capabilities can handle day-to-day requests and simple interactions which take place in your contact centre.

Introducing self-service can also cut down your cost as fewer customers will be calling in if they are able to handle their simpler enquiry themselves.

For AI to automate accurate responses as a human would, it’s imperative that the system has the right information and data. This is called Automated Customer Engagement – a level which Deloitte recognises as Robotic and Cognitive Automation working together.

Automated Customer Engagement consists of AI-driven tools which act like virtual agents – including automated email and chatbots, for example.

The benefit of this is that agents can focus on more complex cases where a personal approach really matters.

3. Dealing With Customer Complaints

A common challenge for contact centres is the ability to make sense of unstructured data in the form of customer complaints.

AI can help resolve this by automating responses to customer complaints. With AI, the system has the capability to understand the intent of an enquiry (emails, customer letters, web forms). These enquiries are scanned into the system as images.

The system can then extract relevant details and automatically send a recommended customer response which can be edited by the employee before sending to the customer.

The updated data can then be automatically uploaded to the contact centre case management system.

4. Providing Feedback to Agents

Another type of AI which can reap great benefits in the contact centre environment is real-time speech analytics.

Real-time speech analytics analyses the conversation between the agent and the customer, providing live feedback to the agent and team leaders.

This technology also has the ability to listen to the content of the call, and based on this, provide the agent with missing information which will help the customer at that specific point in time.

Real-time speech analytics can also monitor speech clarity, stress levels and script adherence whilst the call is happening.

5. AI and Workforce Management

AI is also developing in the Workforce Management space, with vendors now introducing and planning further exciting innovations for the benefit of both planners and agents.

For example, agents can now engage with chatbot virtual assistants able to boost employee engagement by making holiday and scheduling decisions within the confines of user-led configurations.

Planners will also benefit from AI in the form of automatic validation of raw contact data. Automatic validation will account for abnormal events that are unlikely to recur and that will also skew accuracy.

The automatic validation will factor exceptions such as these into the equation when forecasting and scheduling, providing an accurate baseline for planners to go on.

To Conclude

Artificial Intelligence can bring many benefits to contact centres, including increasing employee satisfaction, efficiency, lowering costs and reducing errors, to name a few.

When considering AI, be ready to ask the questions that will determine how it can work in your organisation.

Brainstorm the possible processes which could largely benefit from automation.

What will AI be used for in your organisation? Will it be compliance? Customer satisfaction or employee satisfaction?

Having a plan for this technology is a must, whether you are implementing AI in all aspects of your operation or whether you are using it to supplement processes.