The Impact of Next-Gen CX Technology in the Contact Centre

In a previous article, we looked at ways to audit and optimise your contact centre strategy for the year ahead. Here, we’re going to look at the CX technology that can help you achieve your goals.

As most CX managers already know, AI is one of the key drivers of innovation in contact centres. Although still relatively new in the context of CX, the technology has huge potential in the contact centre, from streamlining customer service to gaining deeper insights into customers and helping managers refine business strategy. It’s no longer just a trend but a standard component in the contact centre tool kit, enhancing operational efficiency, streamlining customer journeys, while also empowering and engaging agents.

In one survey, three-quarters of respondents agreed or strongly agreed that GenAI has the potential to improve contact centre operations. And, combined with the power of cloud computing, as the statistics demonstrate, the latest CX technology is doing exactly that:

A recent study found that 40% of customers have interacted with support agents through at least three channels. With more channels in the contact centre than ever, it’s important to engage customers across the channels they wish to use. Moreover, you should be able to share and link information seamlessly across channels, optimise them and add new ones easily as needs dictate.

Omnichannel cloud technology allows this to happen effortlessly. For instance, automatic call distribution (ACD) intelligently routes customers and manages the workload across channels, while agent-facing tools provide representatives with customer data and history regardless of the channel.

Conversational AI can understand customer queries, as well as analyse intent and sentiment. Deployed via bots, virtual agents and IVR systems, the technology can remove repetitive and often mundane tasks so your agents can focus on more nuanced and complex interactions.

Self-service and 24/7 assistance have become essential components in any successful contact centre functions. AI can analyse conversations, identify intent and direct customers towards a resolution or escalate the case to the most appropriate agent. Everest Group reports that 89% of companies will adopt self-service AI in 2024.

74% of customers expressed dissatisfaction with agents using a script and 85% want more conversational support. The latest CX technology can promote the faster resolution of queries by sending queries to agents with the best knowledge to help, including those agents that may already have a history with the customer.

It can also carry out advanced customer segmentation by preferences, data and history helping to create real-time personalisation. AI-power can foster real conversation by giving agents information to greet customers by name and other details to help further personalised interactions and make the agent aware of customer preferences.

Basic data and analytic tools have been an integral feature in contact centres for some time, but AI takes it to another level. While earlier tools informed companies about what was currently happening in their contact centres, the latest AI-powered tools create actionable insights on trends and what will happen next, through both internal and customer-facing applications.

AI can even identify flaws in scripts and call guides, as well as empower supervisors with valuable insights. Organisations that have implemented these advanced analytical tools have seen AHT (Average Handle Time) reduced by up to 40% and seen the conversion rate on service-to-sales calls rise by up to 50%.

Automation is all about offloading repetitive mundane tasks, eliminating human intervention and freeing your agents to deliver more value, performing nuanced work that makes a real difference to customer satisfaction. That all adds up to increased productivity and improved KPIs. For example, automatic speech recognition (ASR) is the latest way to upgrade IVR systems. It can help to authenticate customers and guide them through self-service options.

The newest CX technology is now being deployed in ways that allows managers to set up automated workflows, significantly reducing effort before, during and when following up after an interaction.

Workforce engagement is an integral part of contact centre optimisation. The happier your team are at work, the more likely you are to drive positive outcomes.

With today’s contact centre employees relying on many tools for their work, unifying your tech stack, such as combining CCaaS platforms with CRM solutions and using UCaaS tools for collaboration, can significantly improve productivity and efficiency.

Building in employee experience software, such as gamification tools, is another way to encourage ownership and engagement. AI and cloud-based platforms can offer all of this, giving managers a full overview of the contact centre environment to identify high performers and potential issues.

Based on the results coming out of contact centres, it’s clear to see that more organisations will be reviewing their operations and putting cloud computing and AI to use in more effective ways to drive productivity gains and engagement from both customers and agents. Even if you’re already using AI, most contact centres leaders believe it could be deployed better. With the advice and expertise you gain from using DigitalWell’s consultancy service, we will ensure you get the best solution for your needs.

Talk to a DigitalWell expert about how you can transform your contact centre with the latest CX technology.

For more insights on how CX technology and AI is transforming the customer experience industry, download our report, “AI & CX: From Transition to Transformation“.