In a new research report “The Future of AI in the Contact Centre”, Talkdesk, the global customer experience leader for customer-obsessed companies, unveils that 80% of CX professionals believe AI provides a better contact centre experience. The report also explored the key drivers, challenges and expectations of AI growth and adoption in the future.
The results of the report show that an overwhelming majority (89 per cent) of CX professionals believe in the importance of leveraging AI in the contact centre. Another 82 per cent say AI is increasingly necessary for business success. Still, organisations struggle to advance along the AI maturity curve. The results also point out that only 14 per cent of businesses label themselves as “transformational” according to the way they use AI currently. Sixty-nine per cent of organisations have invested in AI and automation for customer self-service features, while 48 per cent have yet to use it. With that said, there is a large gap between organisations’ desire to leverage AI in the contact cente and their ability to manage it.
David Gardner, Vice President of Research and Insights, Talkdesk, said:
“Companies today are under immense pressure to deliver stellar customer experiences. They know artificial intelligence can help them better serve customers but many struggle to implement it properly.
“Our research shows that automation can and should become an integral component of contact centers if professionals develop and commit to a comprehensive strategy.”
The report also reveals that AI is well-positioned to improve not only customer experiences but employee experience as well. With AI, organisations can adopt streamlined workflows and processes across functions to accelerate innovation and go-to-market plans.
Obstacles to AI Implementation
The biggest obstacles that are keeping companies from progressing on the AI maturity curve are often perceived challenges. Namely, 55 per cent of CX professionals believe AI will have a short-term negative impact on customer satisfaction (CSAT). In reality, customer satisfaction is the contact centre KPI, which makes it easy to understand why CX leaders are concerned with short-term CSAT dips. These dips are often recovered in the long run and can be avoided with a strategic approach to implementation.
Forty-three per cent of CX professionals are not implementing AI tools because of their cost. In reality, the efficiencies gained from AI may outweigh the costs as AI analyses enormous amounts of data in a fraction of the time it takes agents to do so.
According to Talkdesk Research predictions, the role of AI in the future of contact centres will only increase. Organisations will invest more in AI capabilities, with deeper investments in AI functionality as a priority for their contact centre. Automation will drive operational efficiency and CX, and AI will securely enhance the customer journey.
