A few decades ago, businesses invested in call centers to improve their relationships with customers by offering a way to inquire or complain about their products or services. These centers mainly relied on fixed-line telephone lines, which worked well for linear communication. However, with the advent of advanced communication technologies, customers now have various means of communicating with their preferred brands, such as through messaging, email, and voice. This has created a more competitive market, and businesses must now put more effort into attracting and retaining customers by providing an excellent overall consumer experience. In other words, it is no longer just the product or service that determines a brand’s success, but also the quality of customer experience. This is why businesses are increasingly turning to AI-powered customer support as the way of the future.
Move Forward 2022
As we move forward to 2022, customer contact centers have become a necessity for all businesses, rather than a unique selling point for select companies. As a result, the volume of incoming and outgoing communication has increased several times over. Moreover, the complexity of data points, communication mediums, and other KPIs associated with each customer inquiry makes it challenging for human agents to manage the workload and respond to customers in a timely manner. To address these issues and improve customer experience, contact centers require an innovative overhaul.
Artificial intelligence (AI) has already made its presence felt across industries to automate iterative tasks, reduce risks and errors, and decrease operational costs. The contact center industry is no different. According to research by Forbes Insights, about 20% of the service request market will be taken care of by AI by 2022. The market is expected to touch a valuation of US$2.8 billion by 2024 (source). AI-Powered Contact Centers will significantly impact healthcare, banking and financial services, automobile, hospitality, and aviation industry.
Artificial intelligence (AI) is transforming the customer experience in contact centers by working in collaboration with human employees to communicate with customers, address complaints, and respond to inquiries. Here are some ways in which AI-based technology is revolutionizing the customer experience in contact centers.
- Reduced Wait Time for Customers
Human agents can only handle a limited amount of repetitive tasks and may experience fatigue and loss of focus while attending to calls, emails, messenger texts, and other conversations. Consequently, customers may have to wait longer than anticipated to receive a satisfactory response. Conversely, AI-powered contact centers do not experience fatigue, demotivation, or loss of concentration. These bots can operate 24/7 and at an optimal speed, eliminating any disappointment or anxiety customers may have about turnaround times. - Precise resolution
The accuracy of resolving customer issues is critical to maintaining their satisfaction with a brand. However, humans are prone to errors, which can result in incorrect or incomplete resolutions. In contrast, AI-powered contact center engines can analyze large volumes of structured and unstructured data to ensure accurate and consistent responses to customer inquiries and complaints. This combination of accuracy and efficiency can turn casual customers into loyal brand advocates, underscoring the transformative potential of AI in customer service. - Greater value for the work force
The implementation of AI in contact centers has automated many repetitive tasks, allowing human agents to have more time and energy to focus on higher-level, qualitative work. This shift enables them to address customer engagement in more complex areas where computer algorithms may not suffice. By doing so, human agents have a more fulfilling work experience while adding more value to the overall customer experience. - Continuous growth and learning
AI-based technology in contact centers can continuously learn and improve through machine learning algorithms. This enables the system to enhance its capabilities and come closer to meeting customer expectations by analyzing customer feedback, market trends, and audit findings. AI-powered contact centers provide a quantitative solution that benefits businesses, their current and future clients, and end customers alike. As the benefits of AI-enabled customer support become more widely known, adoption rates are rapidly increasing. It’s only a matter of time before AI-based automation plays a significant role in contact center operations, as companies strive to attract and retain customers.
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