AI and automation seen as keys to better service and CX
Contact center leaders are increasingly prioritizing the experiences of customer service representatives to improve customer experiences, according to a Forrester Consulting study commissioned by CallMiner, which also found that the majority of organizations also plan to maintain their remote or hybrid contact centres.
Widespread remote work, a boom in digital interactions, and increased automation has resulted in brands seeing the phone as the new empathy channel. To effectively arm CSRs for these emotionally driven customer interactions, organizations need to capture data on customer journeys and interactions, and implement new tools to support supervisors and agents.
In fact, nearly two-thirds (65%) of respondents have increased their focus on improving the CSR experience, through means such as adopting AI and automation technologies to empower CSRs to be the 'empathy agents' that customers require.
The study found that:
"The pandemic upended the standard ideas of customer service. To meet these shifting demands, organizations have had to accelerate digitalization, automation and AI strategies," said Jeff Gallino, CTO, CallMiner. "To effectively arm CSRs for every customer conversation, including the emotionally driven ones, brands must prioritize analyzing every interaction. Being able to interpret emotion and identify patterns from customer interactions at scale enables organizations to more effectively support CSRs and use those insights to drive improved enterprise-wide decisions."
The study also shows that organizations are turning to specific practices and product capabilities to meet these challenges, including:
"Contact center agents and CSRs are key to shaping brand experiences, and when they feel supported and empowered, it's no surprise that customer experiences improve. When organizations prioritize the strategies needed to improve customer loyalty and customer experiences, business improvement follows," concluded Gallino.
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