The hype around artificial intelligence (AI) in the contact center has been steadily increasing for several years, with many organizations recognizing its power to transform daily processes and tasks. However, reports have begun to suggest that certain companies are avoiding AI deployment, due to the high costs of running advanced models.
According to 8x8, the contact center industry won’t be one of the sectors moving away from AI. In fact, there’s a good chance that investment in AI solutions will continue to grow, particularly as new innovations emerge to help contact centers reduce costs, improve productivity and enhance customer experiences. Contact centers recognise that in today’s fast-paced world, good customer service is what differentiate your brand from competitors.
A recent 8x8 reports indicated that embedding conversational AI into the contact center has increased productivity for 94% of respondents. So, if AI continues to thrive in the contact center, what can we expect in the years ahead?
The Emerging Trends for AI in Contact Centers
8x8 isn’t the only industry leader highlighting the increasing potential for AI in contact center settings. Metrigy predicts that up to 65.7% of inquiries will be resolved by AI in 2025 and contact centers without AI will need to invest in 2.3 times more agents. Customers are evolving, their needs are changing, and self-service is critical to the next generation of consumers.
Here are some of the key trends we can expect to shape the future of AI in customer service.
- Natural Language Processing Continues to Evolve
NLP (Natural Language Processing) is one of the most valuable components of AI in the contact center. Already, NLP solutions are revolutionizing self-service, turning Interactive Voice Response (IVR) systems into convenient tools customers can navigate with just their voice.
Advancements in NLP algorithms, drawing on deep learning capabilities, and pre-trained language models, will make NLP systems even more effective at understanding nuances in customer voice and language. These solutions will pave the way for more advanced speech analytics processes, allowing companies to access insights into customer sentiment and emotion throughout the customer journey.
This will allow business leaders to craft customer experiences based on a deep understanding of a customer’s emotional state, leading to more empathetic, personalized interactions.
- Voice Assistants and Conversational AI
Conversational AI, the branch of artificial intelligence that enables computer programs to mimic human conversations with customers, draws on NLP, machine learning, and data to enhance customer interactions. Today’s conversational AI technologies are powering numerous contact center tools, from call routing technologies to interactive voice assistants.
The development of more advanced algorithms is leading to the introduction of voice assistants that can process more data in real-time, analyzing customer sentiment, and gathering information from customer profiles - paving the way for rapid self-service experiences.
According to a DimensionData survey, 44% of customers prioritize quick and convenient service over detailed, customized interactions. With the right conversational AI solutions, companies can build humanized chatbots that delight consumers with fast, relevant interactions.
- Enabling Proactive, Hyper-personalized Customer Support
Demand for proactivity is increasing in the contact center. Consumers want more than just “fast” responses to queries, they want companies to anticipate their needs. AI solutions offer an incredible opportunity to enable proactivity in the contact center.
It offers businesses an opportunity to use bots to rapidly notify customers about technical issues, changes to their accounts, and new products. It also allows organizations to analyze customer history and preferences on a massive scale.
This ensures companies can keep their customers engaged and informed automatically, without compromising on a highly relevant and personalized experience. Investing in proactive support doesn’t just boost customer satisfaction, it has the potential to increase sales.
HubSpot found customers who were given proactive support by brands were four times more inclined to promote those brands to their network.