AI: the invisible contact centre engine

More than 15 years have passed since it was first claimed that data was the new oil. While it’s still arguably true that data is invaluable, especially when refined, businesses may have lingering questions around how to harness the power of their data and uncover its true value.

Artificial intelligence (AI) has emerged as an essential piece of the data puzzle, with many savvy businesses using it to their advantage, leveraging machine learning (ML) and automation across operations to streamline data analysis. As a result, AI has become a powerful engine, using data to help drive businesses forward.

Contact centres, in particular, generate massive amounts of data that can be used to uncover essential insights into customer and agent behaviours, which can then be used to streamline efficiencies and business operations.

The volume of available information continues to grow, especially as contact centres expand and increasingly integrate omnichannel solutions. This makes it even more important for businesses to invest in solutions that will alleviate the pressure on human contact centre agents and managers in trying to digest and understand all of that data. AI is becoming an essential tool for contact centre businesses; without it, companies risk falling behind their competitors by delivering poor customer service and interactions, leading to lost revenue and poor business performance.

Beyond optimising processes with the mere automation of data analysis, AI and ML are powerful tools that can deliver immediate help to contact centre agents while they interact with customers. Organisations can uncover significant benefits by leveraging AI to support agents during interactions, using it to scour existing information to pull resources from across the organisation as and when the agent needs it based on the conversation taking place. This eliminates the need for agents to go looking for information themselves, which can slow the time to resolution.

In addition, AI can be used to help train and coach agents in real time, leveraging insights on customer behaviours and sentiments to guide agents through customer interactions, ultimately leading to more efficient and positive customer experiences.

On a fundamental level, AI is a powerful analytical tool and can process and analyse data in a fraction of the time it takes humans. This gives contact centre managers the insights they need in near-real-time to make better data-driven decisions for the business, leading to more effective workforce management through analysing call trends as well as better training for agents.

The value of AI shouldn’t be underestimated by contact centres wanting to futureproof their businesses. It’s an essential tool that can deliver invaluable insights and benefits and will continue to be essential as contact centre organisations transform and evolve.

Image credit: iStock.com/AndreyPopov