Call centers exist to make customer service, tech support, and other business functions better and more efficient. Artificial intelligence (AI) has taken this to the next level by introducing advanced automation to call center workflows. AI tools can support human agents, eliminate tedious manual tasks, and even interact directly with your customers to resolve issues. By exploring artificial intelligence, you and your business can more effectively leverage business process outsourcing (BPO) call center solutions to provide even better customer service.
AI in Call Centers
If you hire a call center to support your business, they may use AI across a wide range of activities. For example, some modern call centers and BPO providers use AI to review data about call volumes to forecast demand, helping ensure that your teams are fully staffed and limiting wait times for your customers. Artificial intelligence tools can then interact with your customers to learn why they’re calling and then direct them to the right department or representative.
During calls, reps can use generative AI tools to suggest responses and refine their phrasing, helping them cultivate more positive customer relationships. Tools powered by artificial intelligence can even help preserve customer information in their databases and use those details to send curated follow-up messages.
This technology is still developing, so the industry is constantly finding new ways to use it to improve the user experience. When contact centers can leverage customer data more effectively through AI, they can design more user-friendly systems for your callers. As a result, your customers can find answers to their questions more easily and have a more positive customer service experience with each interaction.
Examples of AI in Call Center Solutions
Artificial intelligence in call centers can support multiple functions, from redirecting calls to performing quality assurance. Here are a few common AI solutions that contact centers use to improve the customer experience and enhance employee productivity for companies just like yours:
- Quality assurance: AI can assess interactions between your representatives and your customers, and then provide feedback to ensure consistent quality.
- Interactive Voice Responses (IVR): Artificial intelligence has made IVR systems more conversational and intelligent, which can help customers resolve simple issues before speaking to a rep.
- Agent support: Customer support representatives can use AI to draft responses and track down data during calls.
- Call routing: AI can use customer information and contact volume details to route each caller to the right representative on your team or within the center.
Benefits of AI in Call Centers
Because of their emphasis on automation, AI-based call centers can often handle higher volumes than those that don’t use these tools. By working with a partner that uses AI, your business can tap into advantages such as:
- Shorter wait times: AI can optimize call routing and employee scheduling quickly and efficiently, leading to shorter wait times for your customers.
- Streamlined workflows: By automating manual processes, AI can make it easier for reps to find the information they need to resolve your customers’ issues and handle post-contact administrative duties.
- Better self-service: AI tools make it easier for your customers to find information independently, giving them a positive customer experience without having to talk to a representative.
- Expanded availability: Automated voice assistants and chatbots can help your customers resolve issues anytime, even if a human rep on your team or at the contact center isn’t available.
Explore How Your BPO Call Center Partner Is Leveraging AI
To start leveraging call center AI for your business, explore how potential BPO partners are using this technology to provide better solutions.
1. Choose a BPO Partner With Updated Systems
When picking out a contact center or BPO partner to handle your customer communications, carefully assess their existing systems. Make sure your partner is using up-to-date technology, including AI. Choosing a provider that’s committed to using cutting-edge technology is key to maximizing the impact of AI on your organization.
2. Find Out How Your BPO Partner Is Using AI Tools
Research the different ways that your call center provider leverages AI to streamline their operations. This can range from implementing a single tool, such as an AI chatbot, to offering a full artificial intelligence system. Talk to your provider about how each feature enables them to better serve customers, manage data, and train their representatives.
3. Create a Transition Plan With Your BPO Partner
When working with an AI-savvy partner, you can access the power of this technology right away. However, it’s still important to come up with a transition plan as you start outsourcing your call center needs and implementing AI tools. Determine when and where your BPO partner can implement their tools to support your organization.
4. Monitor Key Performance Indicators
Ask your provider what key performance indicators they use to track the effectiveness of their AI tools. Keeping track of efficiency, accuracy, and customer satisfaction is key to ensuring that artificial intelligence systems are working.
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Call Center AI in Healthcare
Call center companies with AI are finding success across all industries, including healthcare. Because healthcare and health insurance call centers often involve complex scheduling, billing, and claims management processes, automation can significantly improve the customer experience.
For example, the Virginia Women’s Center (VWC) implemented AI to assist with scheduling appointments. By simply making AI scheduling available, self-scheduling at VWC quickly increased to a quarter of all appointments. This allowed VWC staff and agents to handle more complex issues without putting patients on hold.
Another success story comes from CHRISTUS Health Plan, which implemented AI to assist with quality assurance and call scoring. With AI handling assessments, representatives were able to spend 50% less time manually scoring conversations. AI also enabled CHRISTUS Health Plan to automatically transcribe records, allowing for more in-depth feedback and customized training.
Building Call Center Solutions
AI technology has massive potential to help your business improve customer service and handle calls more effectively. However, tapping into the most cutting-edge tools can take significant time, from researching the latest features to implementing them into your workflows.
Outsourcing your call center needs to an experienced business process outsourcing company takes this pressure off your business, allowing you to focus on your core tasks. Confie BPO has an extensive infrastructure to help you keep up to date with call center tech trends.
Connect with our team by contacting us online or calling us at (800) 684-2276.
