Over the past year, AI has been quick to sneak into various aspects of Unified Communications solutions. With multiple features and capabilities already incorporated into many UC solutions to enhance agent and customer experiences, it seems to only be the beginning. As businesses learn what AI can do for them, we find ourselves in the midst of a highly educational period for the industry.
"Businesses are still in that learning stage, and we as providers are here to help them understand AI better," notes Stephanie Scholtz, Marketing Manager at Conversant.
This is particularly true for smaller businesses, which tend to be more hesitant in putting resources into new and unfamiliar technologies.
"It's important that SMEs befriend AI rather than feel threatened by it, as it has the potential to significantly enhance their contact centre operations and ease the lives of their agents."
So, what are the key challenges faced by SMEs today, and how can AI help?
The Challenges
When it comes to agent and customer experiences, small and medium businesses face several challenges. Here is the shortlist:
Omnichannel Integration: Striving to meet customers where they are, modern businesses aim to provide seamless customer experiences across multiple channels, from social media and email to chat and voice.
"As the number and complexity of channels grow, integrating them effectively becomes a bigger challenge," Scholtz explains.
Consistency Across Channels: That said, maintaining a consistent brand voice and service quality across all channels is increasingly hard, with customers expecting the same level of service via email, social media, or phone.
Data Silos: With customer data flowing in from multiple touchpoints, many businesses struggle with integrating it all into one unified view.
"This fragmentation isn't just a minor inconvenience – it leads to real inefficiencies and makes it hard to provide contextualised, consistent CX," Scholtz notes.
Technology Adoption: Adopting and integrating new technologies like AI chatbots or CRM systems can be daunting for businesses, especially smaller ones with limited resources and budgets.
Let's look at how AI can assist in tackling these challenges.
How Can AI Help?
In Conversant's perspective, AI is definitely there to make for a better customer experience, but it does it first and foremost by empowering the agent. Here are but a few of the key use cases:
