Using conversational AI, modern solutions allow customers to have a more interactive experience with the call center technology because it understands a wider range of human language and can detect and respond to signs of human emotion, such as anger or frustration.
“What customers want is pretty simple,” Cartwright said. “They want to be asked, how can they be helped? And they want to be able to give their problem to somebody — it doesn’t have to be a human — who can help them resolve it. They want a personalized experience that doesn’t require them to pull down menus and smash a lot of buttons.”
That personalization is what conversational AI can deliver, Murphy said: “What we’re trying to do is infuse customer experience with things like artificial intelligence on whatever channel the customer wants to engage on to create an exceptional and personalized experience.”
Businesses struggle to staff contact centers effectively with a sufficient number of human agents. Given that the job involves speaking with upset or confused customers for much of the day, it tends to be characterized by high turnover and low morale.
“What this technology does is, it doesn’t replace people. It allows you to empower them by handling predictable conversations and even some complex ones,” Murphy said.
For example, the same AI that powers advanced chatbots that work with customers directly can also be deployed in virtual agents that listen in on human-customer interactions and assist employees behind the scenes with real-time information and prompts; for example, pulling up scripts an employee can use in response to specific questions.
“With robotic process automation, we can even do things like fill out forms for them,” Cartwright said.
Stay updated on the latest updates and insights from BizTech.