How Artificial Intelligence Impacts Call Center Workflows

Technology has been changing the way call centers operate for decades, but change has never been more rapid than in the current landscape. Modern call centers are transforming into a more broad and strategic segment of every business. Call center workflows are becoming more advanced and efficient, as they implement new technologies and find better, quicker ways to help customers.

Instead of simply addressing customer complaints, modern call centers are changing the overall customer experience. They’re increasing customer loyalty and bringing in more revenue. And artificial intelligence is one of the most important tools to help make progress happen. Learn more about how artificial intelligence can impact your call center workflows today.

What is Call Center Workflow?

Call center workflow is the way a call center works to solve customer issues. Workflows are often documented with flow charts to show who will be the first point of contact, who will be handling escalated issues, etc. All call centers strive to have efficient, effective workflows that help keep costs and problems at a minimum. Workflows are constantly being evaluated to find better ways to manage customer complaints and improve customer satisfaction ratings.

What is Call Center Workflow Automation?

Call center workflows can be automated to help increase efficiency within a call center. An automated workflow is a series of actions that happen automatically, usually without human intervention.

For example, a customer might fill out a form on a website, and the form might be automatically sent to the customer service team. The customer might then get an automatic email reply or an automatic phone survey.

Workflow automation is a vital part of taking customer service to the next level in the modern age. As more processes become automated, agents can have more time to work on complex issues that computers don’t have the capacity to handle.

What is Artificial Intelligence?

Artificial intelligence (AI) is the use of computers that work and react in a human-like way. AI computers can learn over time and make educated decisions to improve your business. Humans are already using AI in many ways to enhance their lives, using virtual helpers like Siri and Alexa to help with small daily tasks.

AI can take workflow automation to the next level in your call center. It can provide massive amounts of data and help your company learn more about how to improve the customer experience. Call centers can incorporate AI in countless ways, including virtual agents, agent assistance, and more.

Benefits of Call Center Workflow With Artificial Intelligence

Implementing artificial intelligence in your call center will provide endless benefits. AI can integrate with all of your channels, creating an omnichannel contact center like never before. When AI is used in partnership with your customer service representatives, you’ll benefit as you:

1. Reduce Call Times

AI can provide quick access to information so customer service representatives can quickly resolve issues and shorten call times.

2. Boost Customer Satisfaction

AI will speed up your customer service response times and make the entire strategy more effective. Customers will take notice of the change, and you’ll see a boost in overall customer satisfaction rates.

3. Cut Operating Costs

Your call center will be more efficient with the help of AI systems. This will cut down on operating costs and boost your revenue over time.

4. Reduce Errors

Human error can account for a big loss of time and money at your call center. Reduce errors and earn back that time with the help of AI.

5. Help Customers Around the Clock

Though you could hire employees to help customers around the clock, you’ll save money by using AI solutions during those slow hours of the night or early morning. Automate simple interactions and use natural language understanding to deliver excellent customer service any time of day or night.

6. Get Quick Insights

AI provides valuable data to help you improve your call center workflows and overall customer satisfaction. Employ machine learning to uncover valuable information about your customers.

Examples of How Artificial Intelligence Can Help Call Center Workflows

Wondering exactly how AI can be implemented in your call center? The technology is always improving, and new uses are being developed as we speak. But here are just a few ideas on how AI can help your call center workflows:

1. Automated Assistance

Your customer service agents can get AI prompts to help them quickly respond to customers in online chat, text, or email. This will create more helpful and efficient conversations to get customers the service they need.

2. Combine Human Help with AI

Many companies already use AI for their phone interactions with customers. Use automatic menus and responses to help customers without having to pass them off to a human. Then, if the AI senses the customer isn’t getting the help they need, it will hand them over to a human to finish the conversation.

3. Create Convenient Self-Service Opportunities

Customers love being able to help themselves without waiting to interact with a customer service agent. Harness the power of AI to create more of those self-service opportunities within your workflow. Use AI-powered IVRs or automated emails to provide a seamless customer experience.

4. Automatic Topical Answers

Use AI to help customers find answers on the FAQ section of your website or with the live chat function. AI can determine which topic the customer needs help with based on the conversation. They’ll get faster answers, which results in higher customer satisfaction rates.

5. Quality Assurance

AI can help to automatically score and rate your agents’ performance after every customer interaction. You won’t have to review calls or spend time rating employees on your own. Instead, you’ll get a quick review that will help you and employees continuously improve performance.

Using Artificial Intelligence in Your Call Center

With the right tools, artificial intelligence can enhance your call center workflow like never before. Take time to research the right technology for your business. You’ll be pleased when you see what humans and AI can achieve when working together to help improve customer satisfaction scores.