Brands are faced with having to become more customer-centric in order to attract and retain business, and to differentiate in a highly competitive environment. While technologies such as artificial intelligence (AI) have caught the eye, they are just one part of the broader effort to deliver more personalised and engaging customer experiences. Here are some of the key trends driving change in modern contact centres.
A new approach to deploying AI
Even though there has been sharp growth in the usage of Generative AI over the past few years, we are still in the early stages of adoption, with most organisations only making use of simple solutions. We are however now seeing organisations move beyond a traditional and binary “build vs. buy” mentality, and toward an approach that combines proprietary, off-the-shelf and open-source offerings – in what is termed a “buy, build, and partner” model – to develop solutions that cater to their specific requirements.
To truly harness the value of AI in enhancing collaboration and improving customer experiences, companies will have to integrate with existing systems, and reimagine business processes and customer journeys. The key to success here is having a robust operating model, proprietary data, and having the relevant skills within the organisation. The last step is crucial as a failure to master new tools can become an adoption inhibitor.
Making life easier for contact centre agents
While much is said about improving customer experience, just as important in the industry is improving the agent experience. Contact centre agents play a crucial role in generating business value by acquiring and retaining customers, and generating cross-selling or upselling opportunities.
Agent productivity can be enhanced through providing them with access to the right technology and tools that bring together conversations and historical context within a single pane of glass. This requires seamless integration with backend business systems such as enterprise resource planning (ERP), customer relationship management (CRM) and project management tools.
Beyond AI-driven automation to handle the more repetitive tasks, technology such as natural language processing (NLP) enables virtual assistants to understand and respond to queries in a conversational manner, empowering agents to use knowledge management systems to resolve customer queries.
Did you know that Telviva has put together extensive training modules consisting of videos and documentation for agents, managers, administrators and others? Learn more about our Managed Contact Centre Service here.
New ways of engaging with customers
While voice remains a vital communication channel, there has been a multi-year shift toward other modes, driven by changes in technology, as well as user behaviour and preferences.
The shift beyond voice has led to a rise in asynchronous communications: today’s consumers are turning to text-based communication, including emails, website chat, social media, instant messaging and even SMS, and brands should be able to blend these different modes strategically for a comprehensive communications approach. Businesses in South Africa, for example, are turning to WhatsApp for quick messages and providing customers with additional information.
Intercape saw a 200% year on year growth in the use of WhatsApp and web chat – while the use of phone calls declined – and employed contact centre staff to specifically manage chat queries from customers. Learn more in the case study.
The choice to help yourself
A growing feature of the digital age is organisations lessening the load on human contact centre agents – and giving users a choice – by developing detailed knowledge bases to enable customers to assist themselves.
These Self Service options are now being enhanced through a variety of means, including:
- The creation of personalised experiences based on past preferences and history
- Development of online communities to provide support
- Integration of self-service features directly within product interfaces
- Handing over of more queries to AI-powered chatbots and virtual agents
- The collection of real-time feedback throughout the services process to help businesses make targeted improvements.
Ultimately, if organisations are to increase efficiencies, save costs, and improve the customer experience, they need to be able to offer multi-mode communication that is digital when their customer wants it, and human when they need it. Business leaders also need to recognise that technologies such as AI – while offering numerous opportunities – comprise only a small part of the solution. Rather, identifying their competitive differentiators and prioritising data security, ethical AI implementation and agent well-being will be crucial for sustainable success.
Whether you require a basic solution or a full-function omnichannel contact centre, our highly experienced professional service team will help you evaluate the best fit for your needs and your digital journey. Contact us today.
