One Customer at a Time
No discussion about technology goes very far before someone broaches the subject of artificial intelligence – how to use it, where is it most effective, what downsides might exist, and so forth. Within customer support outsourcing industry, there are diverse opinions that range from AI and chatbots as indispensable parts of a customer service operation to an innovation that causes more problems than it solves. It is rare that diametrically opposing views are both correct in the main; the issue is far less about the technology itself than its use in improving the customer experience.
As a tech-forward company, we have developed AI and will continue doing so, but more as a means of achieving desired outcomes than in believing that it is an end unto itself. For instance, we know, and the data confirms that customers prefer live chat as a communications channel. We have talked about how the merging of humans and machines can have a positive impact on the overall user experience:
- Improved first-contact resolution
- Happy customers tend to spend more
- Customer satisfaction becomes customer loyalty
- Agents are more efficient since multiple chat sessions be be managed concurrently
More recently, we have been looking at that and at other potential uses of AI within the contact center setting. The result is WizDom, which is becoming a multi-purpose tool with positive effects on the key metrics that measure customer support program performance. No matter the application, our finding is that WizDom’s value lies not in replacing customer service agents, but in augmenting their abilities, collapsing time, and better-allocating resources.
It’s a Chat Assistant While people would rather communicate with live agents, not every contact involves a complicated matter; a significant percentage of daily contact volume centers on repetitive issues – password resets, checking order status, account set up, etc. WizDom answers these issues in the most time-efficient manner possible while preserving the human touch. It goes a step beyond self-service since a live agent is there to handle any additional questions while improving contact center efficiency and problem resolution times. As technology becomes more complex, customers’ support issues also become more complicated. Resolving those issues takes time and when traffic volume is high, time is a precious commodity. If AI can help agents to quickly resolve low-level concerns, it also gives them more time for the matters that require it. Of all the variables within a contact center, time is the one that is most important to manage. WizDom helps with this.
