For a few years now, there has been a lot of hype around the idea of artificial intelligence (AI) and ways to introduce it into contact centers. Advertisements for it are everywhere you turn, but you may find yourself wondering how much you should use it, and how it could even help your company. There is also the worry that implementing AI means replacing good agents that have been around for a long time. Rest assured, there are more than a few ways to integrate AI into your system without losing the agents you and your customers have come to love.
Forecasting with Artificial Intelligence
AI thrives in situations with pattern recognition and mathematical applications, which is the heart of forecasting. IBM defines forecasting as “a method of predicting a future event or condition by analyzing patterns and uncovering trends in previous and current data” using “mathematical approaches” and “statistical models to generate predictions”. These predictions can be for any topic for which you can collect tangible data, from customer demand to revenue growth to busy seasons.
The best forecasting is done with large sets of data, but the most accurate predictions come from recent data. Trends can change rapidly, and the sales data from this past week is going to be different from the sales data from a decade ago. The larger the data set, the easier it is for people to make small mistakes that can snowball into tragic errors. AI can handle large data sets, but the human touch is still necessary to make the ultimate decision on how to interpret the data and communicate with executives for the ideal next steps.
AI in QA Analytics
A field that goes hand-in-hand with forecasting is QA (or quality assurance) analytics. QA analysts look at the processes of the contact center to find areas where things are running smoothly and areas where there’s room for improvement. Similar to forecasting, the data side of this field can benefit from the use of AI to gather quantitative data about the processes you employ. With this data, quality assurance analysts design and run tests and figure out what conclusions can be drawn. As far as the tests go, once these have been designed, AI can be helpful in creating edge cases. Edge cases are those made with the intent of throwing off the test in some way to ensure that the process will run smoothly, even in difficult conditions.
QA analysis cannot be done without the human touch, however. Agents need that personal connection in the pipeline to communicate to them how they can improve with compassion and empathy. Without that empathy, the agents are more likely to be on edge and feel attacked, giving the opposite of the intended effect.
Conversational AI and Chatbots
One of the most common places that AI is used in contact centers is with chatbots. These may be text chats included in a popup on the screen, or a dedicated messaging app, or even vocal chatbots that customers are greeted by when they call. No matter the form, it’s rare to meet someone that hasn’t interacted with a chatbot at some point in their life. The amount or type of AI used in a chatbot is subject to change, though.
Chatbot tends to be an all-encompassing term for any scenario where a person is interacting with technology that is attempting to simulate a human interaction. This could be done with decision-trees, giving rigid responses based on their input, or it could be complex conversational AI. Chatbots that utilize AI make use of natural language processing (or NLP), which allows them to interpret more than a generic chatbot, diving deeper into the sentiment behind customer responses and piecing together context given. Taking it a step further, virtual agents are AI chatbots that also have permission to use automated processes to help a user without the need for human intervention. With virtual agents, it’s important to make sure they do not have the ability to do this with sensitive information or data, and to still have the option for someone to step in if a customer is clearly frustrated with the bot.
The type of chatbot used all depends on what works best for your contact center.
Human and AI Hybrid Models
For a couple of years now, the use of artificial intelligence has exploded, becoming popular in a vast variety of fields. As time has gone on, there has been more of a call for a mix of human and AI to get the best outcomes. Some people prefer the ease that it allows when solving problems, while others adamantly refuse to interact with AI in any way. This means it is more important now than ever to ground your AI capabilities in human connection and intelligence, finding the balance between the most efficient methods and values that resonate with customers.
Human and AI hybrid models are one way to find this balance, allowing for AI to do what it does best, gathering data and finding the patterns within or handling automated tasks that run smoothly in the background, while still putting human connection first.
How The Office Gurus Find the Balance
At The Office Gurus, we always put people first. The heart of good customer service is connection, demonstrated The Guru Way, prioritizing growth, recognition, belonging, and well-being for our agents, leading to satisfied customers and clients. We still recognize that we live in a digital world, however, finding the best ways to blend cutting-edge technologies and loyal relationships.
Ready to weave together intelligence and empathy? Contact us today to find out where to start.
