CCaaS (Contact Center as a Service)

Contact Center Automation: Tools and Trends for the Decade

The primary goal of contact center businesses revolves around improving customer experience. On the other hand, automation focuses on optimizing business processes and improving interactions.

Put them together, and you get a match made in heaven.

Empowering your contact center business with automated solutions can take your customer interactions to new heights of success.

To that end, this blog will explore contact center automation and discuss its pros, tools, use cases, and challenges. You’ll also learn how to deploy automation successfully in your business.

What is Contact Center Automation?

Contact center automation refers to leveraging technology to automate and streamline customer-facing interactions, leading to exceptional customer service.

Automation in contact centers aims to resolve customer pain points and reduce friction without human intervention. The result is a seamless digital journey for customers and reduced customer handling time for reps.

Contact Center Automation Tools and Technologies

The adoption of automation tools in contact centers has accelerated in recent years. Many use the technology to personalize the customer experience and reduce agents’ workload.

Here are some advanced contact center automation tools used today:

1. Conversational AI or Chatbots

Most of us are familiar with chatbots and conversational AIs such as Alexa, Siri, Google Assistant, etc. These virtual agents are built on Natural Language Processing (NLP) technologies to offer real-time customer service.

Conversational AI and chatbots can automate workflows in contact centers by helping customers resolve common queries and perform self-service tasks without human intervention. Today, they are advanced enough to understand customer intent and frame human-like responses.

2. Machine Learning

Personalizing products and services based on customer preference is the key to customer satisfaction.

Machine learning systems tap into customer data, analyze them and provide the most suitable recommendations that make them happy. Contact centers can use machine learning as a predictive analysis tool to forecast future calls, sales, employee satisfaction, etc.

3. Robotic Process Automation

Robotic Process Automation (RPA) technology is vital in automating various mundane call center tasks. These include entering data, updating records,  checking order status, generating bills and reports, etc.

RPA tools provide cost-effective, error-free, and efficient solutions to many contact centers’ operational challenges.

4. Real-time Conversational Analytics

Many contact centers employ real-time conversational analytics tools to evaluate customer conversations as they occur. They help detect customers’ behavioral patterns and real-time pulse, empowering agents to take action and improve customer satisfaction.

These tools can also assess agents’ performance and improve them over time.

5. Intelligent Call Routing

Intelligent call-routing tools consider several parameters, such as call complexity, agent skills, language preference, and call priority, to match the callers with the most appropriate agent.

Such efficient matchmaking brings out the best in your agents, resulting in higher customer satisfaction.

6. Agent Assistant

Agent assistant is a tool designed to help agents resolve customer issues faster. For instance, it can suggest your knowledge base content to your agents so they can provide more accurate information to customers and reduce wait time.

Assistant tools can also recommend proper responses during live conversations to improve service quality. Some tools even transcribe conversations in real time for agents to reference during calls.

Benefits of Contact Center Automation

As you can see, automation tools can benefit contact center operations in more ways than one. Let’s look at some advantages of implementing automation in contact center service.

1. Operational Efficiency

Contact center automation tools such as virtual agents minimize the involvement of human reps and lower the average customer handle time.

Similarly, intelligent call routing handles customer calls more efficiently, providing them with a seamless experience.

2. Reduced Cost

AI-powered virtual agents can contain up to 70% of calls and save an estimated USD 5.50 per contained call. No human intervention also means more free time for agents to use in other productive activities.

3. Higher Customer Satisfaction

Around 67% of customers cite bad experiences as a reason for churn. Conversational AIs and chatbots increase customer resolution rates and speed, leading to higher customer satisfaction and reduced churn.

Assistant tools also help agents by empowering them to perform their best during high traffic. It ultimately translates to an improved brand reputation and higher revenue for your business.

4. Higher Employee Satisfaction

Contact center automation tools and knowledge bases empower agents to provide more personalized customer service. With virtual agents to assist them, agents can be more productive and make better decisions.

When automation tools handle repetitive and mundane tasks, employees can focus their energy on challenging tasks, giving them greater job satisfaction.

Contact Center Automation Trends and Use Cases

Automation can improve a wide range of contact center processes and operations. Here’s a look at the typical contact center automation use cases and trends:

1. Automated Customer Interactions

The best use case of contact center automation is handling large-scale customer interaction. AI-powered tools and software like chatbots, IVR (Interactive Voice Response), Virtual reps, and automatic callbacks make such automation possible.

Unlike human agents, they are available 24/7, enabling customers to explore and resolve issues independently.

2. Forecasting Automation

Contact center automation tools collect vast customer data and store it in their CRM. They then analyze the data to forecast trends.

For instance, you can forecast the call volumes in a given period. The information will enable you to prepare for peak hours by staffing your contact centers accordingly.

3. Workflow Automation

Streamlining workflows is another use case of contact center automation that centers can highly benefit from.

From routing information, updating the database, sending emails, and generating reports, automation tools can take care of all repetitive tasks. Not only is the execution efficient, but the result is also error-free.

4. Sales Automation

The primary goal of every business is to increase sales, and automation plays a vital role in it.

Sales automation tools take care of many uninspiring yet essential marketing activities that drive customer engagement and increase conversion rates. These include routine follow-ups, email marketing, customer onboarding, etc.

Combining AI with automation in sales, you can personalize your marketing campaigns and lure prospects more effectively.

Challenges in Contact Center Automation

Despite having several benefits and use cases, implementing automation in contact center service has its own set of challenges as well. Identifying these challenges prepares you for better adoption and a seamless transition into the technology.

The three significant challenges are:

1. Loss of a Human Touch

Many argue that virtual agents and bots lack emotion and empathy and aren’t as capable as humans of developing a solid connection with customers.

However, you can’t discount the fact that human agents can only handle so much interaction, while with automation, the sky is the limit.

Striking the right balance between automation and human communication is the key to optimum customer satisfaction.

2. Improper Software Design

For automation tools to work in your favor, you must design them with proper care and detailing.

For instance, if your IVR leads customers into redundant conversations or your call routing system has an extended hold time, it’ll disappoint and frustrate your customers, have the opposite effect from what you intended, and chase your customers away.

3. Inability to Solve Complex Issues

While automation tools are excellent for handling routine tasks, they may not be capable of handling all complex issues.

However, AI and machine learning are still in their nascent stage. With time, their reliability and use cases can increase considerably.

Key Considerations for Successful Automation In Contact Center

Despite some challenges, automation in contact center operations can add immense value to your business and benefit all parties. Follow the tips below for a smooth transition to contact center automation.

1. Identify the Process to Automate

Just because you can automate an operation doesn’t mean you should. To optimize customer service, you must know when to utilize human interaction and when to deploy machines. It requires careful consideration of various factors such as:

  • Cost involved
  • Repetitiveness
  • Effect of automation on the entire workflow
  • The extent of decision-making involved in the process

The trick is balancing your core service goals with intelligent automation to improve customer experience and operational efficiency continuously.

2. Partner With the Right Solution

Choose a partner that provides intuitive and innovative tools that integrate seamlessly into your current system.

Always have a trial run first to see if the solution fits your requirement and what value your team derives from it.

3. Take Feedback and Continually Improve

Take feedback from your customers and agents. It’ll help you identify which tools are working well and which areas require improvement.

Train your staff so they can utilize the tools to their maximum potential.

Wrapping Up

Automation in contact center operations is all set to change the face of customer service for the better. With early adoption, you can reap the many benefits of a productive team and efficient operations.

Make sure to keep the above considerations in mind for successfully deploying automation technology in your contact center business.

FAQs

What is contact center automation?

Contact center automation means leveraging technology to streamline and automate contact center functions to improve efficiency and boost customer satisfaction.

Which automation tools do contact centers use?

The common contact center automation tools include chatbots, machine learning, RPA, conversational analytics, intelligent call routing, and agent assistance.

What are the current contact center automation trends and use cases?

The current contact center automation trends and use cases include automated customer interactions, forecasting automation, workflow automation, and sales automation.

How does automation improve contact center service?

Automation improves contact center service by bringing operational efficiency and reducing costs, resulting in higher customer and employee satisfaction.

What are the challenges related to contact center automation?

Loss of human touch, improper software design, and inability to solve complex issues are some challenges of automation in contact center operations.

Vijaya heads the Global Support team at JustCall, where he has played a pivotal role in expanding the support team and diversifying its channels and services. Under his guidance, the team consistently earns top customer satisfaction scores. With a passion for team-building, Vijaya is committed to empowering his staff to deliver unparalleled customer experiences. In addition to his managerial responsibilities, he is a certified Leadership Coach, specializing in helping leaders overcome their unique challenges to achieve success.

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