Millions of dollars have been invested in contact centers to support customers calling to ask questions, get support, purchase or return items – or just grumble. The personal agent-to-customer contact seemed important – until it wasn’t. The frustration of waiting for an agent, the aggravation of being transferred from one department to another, and the annoyance of having to re-tell your situation each time you were forwarded has driven customers to look towards self-service and digital channels for a better solution. Should businesses be directing their contact center dollars differently now?
Including Artificial Intelligence (AI) in the contact center to satisfy the needs of today’s customer ties in with this self-serve movement. We know that, above all, customers are looking for an effortless interaction with a company. It’s important to recognize that the traditional contact center staffed by agents looking at pop-ups on a screen will no longer provide the support that customers demand. But neither will an entirely automated system that offers a limited number of solutions to a situation that a customer might present. The answer appears to be a combination of the personal touch offered by an agent with the assistance of a technology (AI) to back them up.
Self-service necessary?
There is still a very important role that self-service plays in the contact center. Ordinary questions and common problems can be solved in an easy and convenient manner. Organizations can expect reductions of up to 80% in live chat sessions and 20-30% in calls re-directed from live agents with an efficient self-serve set-up. And agents are relieved from answering the same basic questions over and over.
Combination is the solution.
Customers want a seamless experience in their interaction with a contact center. They aim to get their business done in an efficient, effortless manner. A contact center service that allows them to select either a pure self-service option or the ability to take care of things with an AI assisted agent is the optimum solution.
Waterfield Technologies can help you with effective and superior contact center services. Contact us today and talk to us about our tailored offerings to help manage customer interactions efficiently and effectively.
