Look for the use of artificial intelligence (AI) in customer service to grow in 2022 TelcoSwitch CEO Russell Lux said.
The growth will continue with automated chatbots which are deployed in customer contact centres and will extend to call analytics. The importance of both have grown during the COVID-19 pandemic as customers have flocked online as physical bank branches have closed.
Research by Hubspot found 90 per cent of customers rate an “immediate” response to a customer service question as important or very important, with 60 per cent defining “immediate” as 10 minutes or fewer. A survey by PwC also found 32 per cent of customers would stop doing business with a brand they love after just one poor experience.
For Lux, figures like these underline the speed with which customer expectations are evolving, and the need for the technology to be leveraged for more than just its basic functions such as automated chatbots.
“The popularity of AI-driven chatbots has grown significantly in the last couple of years, with younger consumers particularly fond of interacting with companies in this manner,” Lux said. “In many cases, it provides the seamless experience that today’s discerning customers require, so AI’s transformative potential in this respect is clear.
“The next step for businesses operating contact centres is to make better use of AI in communications analytics, to help raise the customer experience to the next level. The trend towards using analytics in this area is by no means new, but the past two years have urged organizations to invest more into AI-based analytics than ever before. Companies that continue embracing this trend are the ones that will prosper.”
Lux cited the example of transcribing speech into text. He said it is the bridge between call recordings and being able to analyze data, with AI now the driving force behind those analytics. Having the capability to spot keywords, phrase patterns and even voice tonality helps build a comprehensive view of customer sentiments and the quality of their interactions.
“Capturing both sides of a conversation using voice recognition software used to be difficult, but the technology is now capable of separating caller from agent, thereby enabling more granular analysis and allowing the true potential of AI to come to the fore,” Lux said. “By layering screen and video capture into the mix, the organization can harness all of this data to build a full profile of interactions between different customers and audiences.
“The outlook for businesses in 2022 looks much more positive than the last two years. With this in mind, it’s the ideal time for leaders to figure out the best ways to unleash the full promise of AI, and build a more complete, rounded experience for customers.”