AI is the first technology that promises to change how contact centers work in decades.
Conversation and workflow automation, interaction mining, and virtual assistants are just some of the exciting AI-driven possibilities reinventing dated contact center processes.
The impact of automation is already palpable. For instance, the traditional “Press One for… Press Two for…” IVR is transitioning to fluid, intelligent voice bots.
Yet, dramatic, full-scale AI transformations are few and far between, as some contact centers lack AI-capable infrastructure, while others are uncertain of where to implement it.
A 2022 LiveVox study underlines these problems while also finding that deployment delays and routine updates are “widespread” AI implementation issues.
Such reports bolster the overarching perception that contact centers must heavily invest in expensive platform updates or reorchestrate their systems’ architecture to benefit fully from AI. But do they?
Crafting an Alternative Solution
Smaller contact centers, startups, and enterprise DIYers have had little opportunity to apply AI across their operations until now.
Yes, alternative options were available. However, these typically proved too expensive, too complex, or generic, with little-to-no contact-center-specific training.
NICE recognized this when launching ElevateAI in 2022 – and seized the opportunity.
The CCaaS leader took its coveted, purpose-built Enlighten AI models and distilled them down into easy-to-use Cloud APIs, which contact centers can connect into their existing tech stack to realize new efficiencies and enhance their customer experience.
Trained on NICE’s anonymized set of over a billion contact center data points, the APIs democratize access to the latest AI innovations. As such, they can do everything from summarizing conversations to coaching agents (and much more).
After making this point, Michele Carlson, Senior Product Marketing Manager at NICE, said:
“Through the API, businesses may then layer their own data in the models to increase the AI’s specificity for their organization without having to build from scratch. That’s time, and ultimately resource-saving.”
That is a proposition that appeals to SMBs and Enterprise customers, in addition to the partner community.
A Proposition for Businesses of All Shapes and Sizes
The prospect of expensive, out-of-the-box AI solutions often disillusions small businesses.
Yet, ElevateAI APIs are DIY-capable, meaning that these companies can get up and running fast, applying AI to targeted use cases and allowing users to build from there.
Doubling down on this point, Ashley Griggs, Senior Sales Leader for ElevateAI by NICE, noted that: