The airport check-in: you’d rather watch the paint dry.
Security checks, anxiety, impatience, and dread.
Like sheep, you and a hundred other passengers queue up – and wait – only to be ushered slowly along lanes with retractable belt barriers.
Then, finally, you’re greeted by chilly, nonchalant airline agents. And as you look at your watch (“Am I having fun yet?”), you still need to pass through security.
Such a scenario repeats itself daily at airports worldwide – millions of times.
There were – and still are – similar aggravations in contact center experiences.
You call. You’re put on hold. After waiting, you reach a live human being only to be subjected to a numbing list of security verification questions: date of birth, account number, address and mother’s maiden name, even the make and model of your first car.
AI Knocks Down Security Pain Points
Fortunately, AI has improved security and compliance while removing customer pain points and enhancing CX.
A typical authentication process focuses on a common and repeatable set of easily automated questions. Indeed, any process with repeatable and highly defined parameters is ideal for AI.
“Conversations have commonly repeated components. We look for those similar words and phrases,” said Ben Rigby, SVP, Global Head of Product & Engineering, Talkdesk, during a thought-provoking webinar.
“Then, with voice biometric authentication, one’s voice becomes one’s password. For agents, it removes verification’s repetitive, tedious work.”
Repeat callers no longer endure the same verification and security questions. Instead, when they call, their identity is verified and authenticated from a voice biometric.
“AI-based authentication can be a friction-free process,” Rigby explained.
The benefits are compelling. AI automates authentication, creating autonomy and improving operational efficiency. Call topics are contained, which means faster customer resolution. AI is a strong bulwark against fraud and protects customer data.
AI Increases Visibility, Quality, and Compliance
Quality management is a long road and managers tools they can muster to extract its full value.
But the bar steadily gets higher. That’s where AI offers significantly enhanced agent and customer visibility, leading to quality improvements.
“Previously, only one percent of agent calls were transcribed. That meant that managers had almost nothing to go on to understand why calls failed and why they succeeded,” added Devon Mychal, Director, Product Marketing, at Talkdesk.
AI-infused quality management systems are changing the game, analyzing 100 percent of contact center conversations to ensure compliance, spot best practices, and pinpoint improvement opportunities.
Working From Home (WFH) Is a New Reality. And It’s Not Without Risks
With remote agents, how do you know if your agent isn’t poolside with a mojito? Or how can you detect if she had moved to Spain when you initially hired her in the UK?
“Let’s say an agent’s WFH network suddenly slows,” said Rigby. “AI tools monitor and detect suspicious and non-compliant agent behaviour. It looks at a baseline of normal behaviour for an agent cohort outside the baseline.”
Such an approach helps home in on the outliers, allowing most of the contact center population to go without any feeling of micromanagement.
And not only that, but it can also accomplish this at scale.
Final Thoughts
The future looks bright for contact centers that rely on AI quality and compliance tools. Indeed, it’s safe to say that they’ve become essential in running a contact center efficiently.
The facts are hard to ignore. Threat levels are more intense and frequent than ever. The consequent demands for compliance and authentication protocols are relentless. And so are the stakes.
Knowing how, when and where to apply AI for enhanced security and compliance is a complex challenge that can – and must be met.
Watch Talkdesk’s webinar on-demand, which provides invaluable insights on how AI improves contact center security and compliance.
