When companies are making decisions about outsourcing contact center services, one of the most important factors considered is if the call center can deliver a customer experience (CX) that is second to none. Contact centers in the Philippines are increasingly using artificial intelligence (AI) to assist in providing that experience in a cost-effective way and with a level of personalization not possible without using AI. AI can replace call center agents in some circumstances where basic information or answers need to be provided. However, we are not yet at the point that AI can replace human call center agents. What it can do, however, is provide them with the tools and information to be more effective when doing their jobs and provide deep insight by extracting and analyzing data from calls. This analysis can occur not just after a call is completed but can be done in real-time and immediately impact call quality, resulting in improved customer experience.
Some of the areas that the use of AI can help within a call center environment include the following.
Intelligent Call Routing – When we talk about how a contact center in the Philippines uses AI to help with call routing, we are not simply talking about IVR. By using AI, a customer and call can be analyzed and routed in real-time to a call center agent that can best help with their issue or question. This may be a match based on personality, a specific area of expertise, or other factors contributing to the customer experience. Using AI in this manner requires companies to identify the specific attributes and metrics that will define personality characteristics, level of expertise, and other factors used in the algorithm.
Emotional Intelligence – Developing and training call center agents with high emotional intelligence is difficult, especially when cultural differences come into play. This can become an issue when companies make decisions about contact center outsourcing to the Philippines. So how can AI help in the area of emotional intelligence? Analyzing calls in real-time and listening for factors that may indicate a customer is upset, like if the volume of their voice goes up or there are long pauses in the conversation. This can be used to send pop-up messages to the agent to assist them in recognizing and addressing issues that they may otherwise not notice. In addition, when implementing this type of AI, it can be trained to identify differences in languages and cultural contexts, something especially valuable when call center outsourcing to the Philippines.
Data Analytics – One of the primary ways contact centers in the Philippines are using AI is in the area of data and call analytics. Traditional call center metrics include handle time, call volume, customer satisfaction, and hold time. AI can also help identify trends in call data that provide greater insight into whether the customer experience is positive or negative in a way that is difficult or impossible for humans. In addition, AI can evaluate calls using data points like tone and personality, easily measure performance against benchmarks, and integrate internal and external data to provide actionable insights that would not be possible without using AI.
AI is transforming how call centers operate by helping agents deliver the best possible customer experience. In the last several years, customer experience has become a massive differentiator for organizations and is often considered the new front line when it comes to marketing. Ensuring that contact center services you outsource in the Philippines use AI will provide a more significant competitive advantage by:
- Using chatbots for simple queries frees up agents for more difficult issues
- Allowing for more efficient de-escalation when a customer is getting frustrated or angry
- Provide complex and valuable AI-powered analysis of an agent’s interactions with customers
The use of AI in call centers is no longer a luxury but has become a necessary tool to deliver a high level of customer experience and ensure that your call center is operating at maximum efficiency. Call centers in the Philippines are increasingly becoming tech-driven companies, and AI and machine learning are the drivers behind this trend.