Artificial intelligence (AI) is one of the biggest trends in contact centers in recent years, as it is gradually introduced to speed up and improve efficiency.

In 2019, 76% of contact centers said they plan to invest in AI solutions within the next two years. Additionally, 57% said they are testing the use of AI to help agents serve customers. Therefore, it is expected that these numbers will be even higher in the future, as more and more call and contact center managers realize the benefits of AI tools and technologies. According to the MarketsAndMarkets website, by 2024 the market for the use of AI in call centers will grow to $2.8 billion.

Why is artificial intelligence needed?

AI provides contact centers with certain advantages, including:

  • Facilitates call handling and can automate many tasks related to living chat. For example, AI suggests different responses to chat agents during conversations to speed up communication.
  • CRM integration is the synchronization of customer relationship management (CRM) data with contact center management systems. This gives agents additional insight into the customer lifecycle. Data collection from CRM can help agents learn about a subscriber’s contact details, behavior, hobbies, and buying habits, leading to better customer service and increased brand development.
  • Interactive Voice Response (IVR) is a popular tool in today’s contact centers. The latest AI technology helps direct customers to the right agents with greater accuracy than ever before.
  • Online customer support. Consumers consider chatbots no less convenient than telephones or e-mail. The concept is simple: an AI bot running on a business’s website answers visitors’ queries like what’s the price, what’s the contact, when and how can it be obtained, etc. The site visitor receives a direct answer instead of searching for the necessary information on an Internet resource.

Can AI replace contact center agents?

Spoiler: both yes and no, and to be more precise, it is too early to talk about it.

In practice, AI can handle repetitive and simple calls, automating part or all of a customer call. This helps customer service representatives by giving them time to handle complex calls.

At the same time, there will always be some problems that AI simply cannot cope with. The goal of using AI in contact centers is to improve customer interactions and free people from the time and energy spent on simple inquiries. AI can help agents be more productive and have engaging and personal conversations.

The experience of A.R.C.E.

We at A.R.C.E. believe that AI will not replace living agents: people need people and live communication. For example, when calling the hotline of a bank or a mobile operator, as a rule, in practice, customers get annoyed when they have to listen to interaction options for a long time, press various keys, listen to information that they do not fully understand, and as a result of many attempts, and cannot resolve their query.

For 15 years of experience, A.R.C.E., and 600+ implemented projects, we observe that clients try to switch to an agent instead of a bot/robot at the first opportunity.

If you want to take your business to a new level, contact us now. We will help you choose ready-made solutions that will help ensure an excellent customer experience.