Transforming customer experiences

Call centers can be management-intensive, especially when they use outdated software. Antiquated call center technology can prevent you from meeting your CX goals, frustrate your agents, cause you to overrun your budget, and make the call center an internal punching bag. In short, it can really ruin your day!

Technology is rapidly changing how companies of all types and sizes conduct business. This is true in the realm of customer service and support. Using artificial intelligence (AI) in the right ways can provide businesses with a range of benefits. One of the technologies that have helped to reshape the customer service experience is the AI chatbot. Before we get into the benefits of using an AI chatbot, let’s first get a better understanding of what this technology is and how it works.

If you’ve interacted online with pretty much any sort of business in the past year, there’s a good chance it was handled by a chatbot. Lately, I’ve encountered more local small businesses using them to take orders and answer questions. The convenience offered by their chatbot helped to win my business. And they seem more prevalent than ever. Have you noticed the proliferation of chatbots on websites and social media platforms? The chatbot is one modern technology that’s more than a trend; it’s becoming an important part of customer service and leveraged by businesses that want to stay ahead of the competition in their sector.

A hybrid workforce model isn’t going anywhere anytime soon. Agents are loving the flexibility and comfort it offers. But like anything, it comes with its own unique challenges as you try to keep employees engaged in their positions. If you’re unsure of where to start, the six pillars of a hybrid contact center workforce engagement strategy listed above would be a great place to start.

This is the third article in a four-part series designed to help small call centers choose the right software to enable them to thrive and compete. The first article focused on cloud call center software as a growth enabler, the second was all about building customer loyalty, and now we'll discuss how to use modern technology to compete more effectively and take performance to the next level.

Contrary to some science fiction movies, artificial intelligence (AI) hasn't subjected humans to robotic overlords. And contrary to some current opinions, contact center AI isn't all about replacing customer service agents with armies of bots.

No one would disagree that technology has improved customer service exponentially. Technology continues to enable contact centers to operate more efficiently, to be responsive in real time, and to create customer experiences that exceed their expectations, especially across an expanding array of digital channels.