When most businesses think about providing the best customer service, they consider positive client interactions, personal communication, and individualized service. Call centres, a traditional method of customer service, have long relied on the human connection of live agents. Although a one-on-one interaction is ideal for the customer, not all businesses have the resources available to provide that hands-on experience in every situation. As businesses worldwide become increasingly digital and consumers rely more on the convenience of digital communication, Artificial Intelligence (AI) is emerging as an innovative option to improve call centre performance.
How is AI Involved in the Customer Experience?
AI isn’t just a concept out of the movies or your favourite science fiction novel—it’s already an ingrained part of many businesses’ customer service experience. Have you ever called your credit card company and spoken certain words or phrases to direct your call to the following prompt or appropriate service agent? That’s one example of how AI can create a seamless experience for your customers. AI works to give your customers an end-to-end experience—where they feel heard, understood, and their issues are identified and remedied. If the problem is beyond the scope of what AI can solve, it can direct the customer back to the right in-person support agent.
How AI Improves Call Centre Performance
Intuitive Needs-Specific Call Routing
AI can improve your call centre by predicting customers’ issues and directing them to the appropriate representative. By building profiles of your customers, including information like past purchases, wish lists, and product “favourites,” AI can match each service request with the right call centre team. In more advanced AI integrations, each customer service agent will also have a profile—including their personality type, skills and experience, certifications, and support ticket history. If a call comes in similar to one they have successfully solved in the past, AI can route the call to them for a quick resolution.
Conversational Chatbots
If you’ve ever been on a webpage that offers a product or service, you were likely greeted by a popup window asking, “How can I help you today?” You may not have realized it at the time—but that was AI. Over the last decade, customers have become more accustomed to interacting with AI for minor issues, general information, and frequently asked questions. Chatbots can scan the page the customer is visiting and review page history to gather intuitive information about what their issues may be. When the customer engages with the chatbot, modern AI makes the interaction as personalized and “real” as possible. Customers can interact with the chatbot by typing text into the window or clicking button options for the type of issue or question they have. These chatbots are streamlined, intuitive, and ready and waiting to be clicked on. For customers, it’s an ideal way to get information quickly. For businesses, it offers an affordable way to provide customers with personalized customer service.
Omnichannel Messaging
If your company has a website and robust social media presence, customers will likely engage with your business across multiple platforms. A call centre with AI will allow you to integrate your customer support services and make the customers feel that each separate channel is part of a unified whole. This will help your customers view your business as organized, cohesive, and functioning optimally. An advanced AI integration across multiple will also allow you to monitor client behaviours, purchase preferences, and overall client sentiment—data your business can use to improve products, enhance services, and strategically market directly to interested customers.
Are You Ready to Embrace Innovation?
From our multi-channel Contact Centre and Service Desk solutions to managed social media and help desk support, we understand the power of AI integration. Through our experiences providing exceptional customer experiences to our clients, we have seen firsthand the benefits of AI to both businesses and the customers they serve. Contact us today to learn more about our advanced call centre solutions.