It is undeniable that new technologies have taken on a fundamental role in our lives. It is also undeniable that these technologies are becoming more and more sophisticated due to the great advances that occur almost daily.
Precisely because of these changes, it is easier to implement them in daily tasks that are more monotonous or repetitive. This is most noticeable in business, and more specifically in customer service. Although in this case there are tasks that cannot or are not recommended to be automated, if the right tools are used, they can increase efficiency and can lead to great cost savings. Using Artificial Intelligence in a call center can make a big difference, so in this post, as well as reminding you of its benefits, we show you two examples of its use in a call center.
Benefits of combining Artificial Intelligence with a call center
Although we have already talked on other occasions about the advantages of using Artificial Intelligence to automate some processes in your company, it never hurts to remember them, especially if we talk about a call center.
- Reduce the number of errors: On many occasions, the precision of new technologies makes them capable of detecting errors and details that people do not see. This considerably reduces the number of errors, providing security.
- Long-term cost reduction: Related to the previous point, perhaps the most important advantage of Artificial Intelligence is the cost savings it brings with it. Although it initially requires a high initial investment, by reducing the number of errors, the accuracy with which tasks are carried out increases, and therefore, the costs associated with previous mistakes are avoided.
- It brings quality to customer service: Automating call center tasks that are repetitive, such as call distribution, will allow your agents to pay more attention to tasks that require more concentration. Your customers will appreciate this and it will improve the image they have of your company.
- Always available: Artificial Intelligence systems in call center work 24/7, 365 days a year. This translates into the instant attention that customers are looking for, which will help you to build customer loyalty, both new and potential.
- Anticipate customer needs: by automating repetitive tasks, these tools go a step further and anticipate what the customer needs. Thus, with the automation of a call center, the time it would take for an agent to analyse data manually is reduced, since this task is already performed by Artificial Intelligence systems on the spot and more quickly. This is how virtual assistants and callbots work, which we will see below.
What can Artificial Intelligence be used for in a call center?
One of the most widespread uses of Artificial Intelligence in customer service are chatbots (or virtual assistants) and callbots. Although they may seem the same, these tools are not the same.
The essential difference between the two is the channel in which they are used. In the case of the former, they are aimed at maintaining a conversation through an instant messaging application, establishing written communication with the customer automatically, while the latter are used in telephone dialogues. The latter can sometimes hold a conversation in a similar way to a human being thanks to the excellent results of human voice synthesis.
What is certain is that despite their differences, both have the same objective: to converse with the customer to help them meet their needs, although they can also have other functions.
Both systems are based on processing the customer’s natural language, although in the case of the chatbot, understanding is easier as it interprets written texts, eliminating noise, regional accents and other elements that can hinder communication.
Here are two examples of how callbots can help you automate your call center.
Call transcription
This functionality is very useful, especially when communicating with people from foreign countries where your company operates. Thanks to voice recognition systems or ASR (Automatic Speech Recognition) that include Artificial Intelligence tools in call center, it is possible to transcribe the words heard in real time.
This greatly facilitates communication between the customers and the agent, as the accuracy with which this task is carried out allows the number of errors to be minimised and the agent in question to provide a more concise response.
It is also possible that there is no agent behind the communication but simply the callbot that, using artificial intelligence systems and more specifically NLP systems (“Natural Language Processing”), generates a text response so that a system known as TTS (“Text to Speech”) converts the text into speech, giving a response to the customer.
Call distribution
Before going into detail about this function, it is important to note that not all call distribution systems (also known as IVR or Interactive Voice Response) work with Artificial Intelligence and now we will see why.
Call distribution via IVR offers different options depending on the size of the company and how it operates. Thus, we can find from a menu from which we can choose the option that best suits the reason for our call to a locution that asks us what we need, through the introduction of a code.
On many occasions, in an attempt to provide personalised attention, many companies incorporate a basic IVR that allows them to distinguish, from a limited set of options, the one provided by the customer. This is provided that the user says the exact phrase or a previously programmed synonym, otherwise the question will be repeated. In this case, we are not talking about Artificial Intelligence.
On the contrary, an intelligent IVR asks a generic question, but recognises the caller’s intention, i.e. the range of options is practically unlimited and the system acts accordingly, delivering the call to the corresponding department or agent.
To conclude…
Undoubtedly, Artificial Intelligence solutions can facilitate the automation of many tasks, facilitating business activity. However, we must not forget the human component, as the combination of both can lead to success.
At Fonvirtual we have implemented Artificial Intelligence systems in our call center to add value to your communications and offer a quality customer service. If you still have any doubts about the service, do not hesitate to contact us, we will be happy to provide you with the information you need.
