Last year’s COVID-generated lifestyle shock, and subsequent ongoing disruptions, proved to be a powerful accelerant to long-term shifts in consumer and employee behaviours that were already in motion. It’s now clear that a strong consumer preference has emerged for digital self-service and omni-channel interactions with organisations; especially from mobile devices. Simultaneously, the office has become a dispersed workplace. Working from home, from shed, or even from bed are practices that have become deeply entrenched, with most people content with never returning to traditional methods.
While many organisations have struggled to adapt to this drastic axis shift, contact centre technology – specifically involving the application of Artificial Intelligence AI – finds itself perfectly positioned to deliver the experience consumers and workers now demand. In all sectors, from Finance to Utilities, businesses must look beyond merely integrating digital and traditional channels of engagement. Instead, they must prioritise delivering personalised digital experiences and building long-term consumer confidence in their brand.
Martin Taylor, Deputy CEO and Co-founder of Content Guru, speaks to UC Today about how AI’s cutting-edge applications are already supporting businesses through these changes. “With customer experience now the key differentiator between companies, making consumers feel connected by offering a personalised experience is more important than ever,” says Taylor. “Intelligent automation can determine a caller’s location based on their area code and route them to a group of agents with the right knowledge and skills. This same technology routes NHS 111 call services to the correct healthcare resources for their area.” This is how AI helps consumers feel they are known and recognised while speeding up decision-making and proactively providing personalised support and services. Automating proactive communications with tailored information for existing customers helps them feel valued and improves retention.
Applying AI to knowledge and data management can help agents respond to customers more effectively. AI can help organisations transform their contact centres into sophisticated customer engagement hubs where data points taken from every market channel are integrated to deliver a 360-degree view of the customer.
Using NLP and Speech Recognition to Enhance the Empathy of AI
In addition, Natural Language Processing (NLP) can be used in conjunction with AI to extract meaning and intent from speech to categorise calls before they reach the human customer service agent. By the time the call is answered, the agent knows the caller’s specific issue, whether they are a repeat customer, and their identity. When integrated with an organisation’s internal CRM, this technology triggers automated screen prompts of historical data for that customer and any information relevant to their query. Taylor tells me:
“NLP is a game-changer in the contact centre industry. It is manifestly more efficient than the ‘press 1 or press 2’ approach of traditional Interactive Voice Response (IVR), in providing customers with an excellent experience while supporting agent activity”
The next big step for NLP will be advancements in sentiment analysis, which will continue to pave the way for monumental changes to the chatbot into the future. This is where a sophisticated matrix of keywords, voice tone, and volume create a deeper understanding of the customer and their needs. With this information, businesses can ensure that each consumer is routed to the agent or department best equipped to deal with their inquiry, and agents are prepared to meet the consumer as they are in the moment.
“For example, if sentiment analysis during a chatbot interaction detects a customer is distressed due to needing benefits assistance during a time of economic crisis, the call can be routed to an agent who is experienced or trained in handling these types of conversations,” Taylor continues. “This will streamline the process, ensure the most suitable person serves customers, and ease customer anxiety all at the same time.” Emergency services agencies are already using NLP and sentiment analysis capabilities to detect when a call agent has dealt with a particularly harrowing interaction. Supervisors can also use this information to ensure their employees receive suitable support after such encounters. Of course, to make AI-powered NLP a fully optimised tool, Content Guru’s brain® AI toolkit ensures secure, controlled access to these large and sensitive data sets.
AI Beyond NLP
Outside of NLP, AI can improve customer experience through image recognition for more versatile engagement. Image recognition is one form of AI that offers businesses a new way to interact with customers. For retail organisations, online shopping has become the most important channel of engagement due to store closures during the pandemic. Image recognition can allow for an enhanced shopping experience where the customer uploads a photo of the type of item they would like. The image recognition technology would immediately suggest similar items from that store’s inventory. This technology could also offer personalised suggestions about accessories to suit a particular clothing item.
Another innovative solution is integrating AI technology with social media to enable an organisation to automate responses to inbound communications from public platforms. Along with image recognition, these platforms allow users to illustrate their queries with images. As Taylor explains:
“If a user uploads a photo of a damaged power line to Twitter and tags a utility company, image recognition technology can detect where the power line is based. An automated response is then shared with the user assuring them that the utility operator is aware of the location and will fix the line shortly”
“Internally, a notification can be sent to an available employee, giving the location of the power line so that the engineer can travel immediately to fix it.” These future-facing solutions in the CCaaS space are moving the industry forward in the best way possible. Consumer needs are met while agents are more empowered than ever to deliver stellar service. Content Guru has made the most of this disruptive global circumstance to improve B2C interaction in ways previously unimaginable.
