Contact Centers Are Ripe for Tech Investment

In today’s fast-paced and ever-evolving customer experience landscape, contact centers are at a critical juncture, but they also possess near-limitless opportunities for transformation through strategic technology investments, Customer Management Practice’s CCW Digital found in a recent study.

Artificial intelligence is emerging as a game changer, offering contact center leaders a powerful tool to enhance cost-effectiveness while simultaneously driving customer-centricity, CCW Digital says. The firm’s report highlights the technology’s potential to revolutionize operations, providing actionable insights for those ready to embrace the future of customer service.

Key findings from the report include the following:

• More than three-quarters of companies recognize the need to improve their self-service offerings; a full 11 percent concede that their self-service is wholly ineffective.
• The state of contact center intelligence is disappointing, with just 21 percent of leaders saying their agents have consistent access to the data they need.
• More than four in five contact center leaders feel their agents are spending too much time on low-value work.
• About half of contact center leaders are facing some pressure to generate returns on their AI investments, but only 24 percent say they are in a serious implementation phase.

In general, the research found widespread disillusionment with self-service quality, agent productivity, and data actionability. But it’s not too late to change this, according to Brian Cantor, managing director of digital at Customer Management Practice. “Having recognized the significance of these problems, savvy leaders can now wholeheartedly pursue the AI-powered contact center as a transformative solution,” he says, citing the growing popularity of chatbots, customer analytics, process automation, and knowledge management.

“AI is only as good as the environment in which it is deployed, which means contact center leaders must act fast to address big-picture operational challenges and inhibitors,” Cantor continues. “To establish this foundation for success, 90 percent of leaders plan to improve their knowledge processes and coach agents on the new technology. Other imminent priorities include integrating key systems and tools, establishing guardrails for automated communication, and introducing new metrics for the AI age.”

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