Still classified as an emerging technology, speech analytics has the potential to completely transform contact centre operations by extracting key information from live/recorded calls. Over 90% of contact centres use some form of call recording mechanism, but the majority of this data mine is left gathering dust, in anticipation of future audits. Speech analytics could help you convert this idle data into actionable insights, and one of the most important areas of impact is supporting agent performance.
There are 5 ways in which customer support agents gain from a speech analytics tool.
- Manual tasks are automated, reducing agent effort
Common tasks like pause and resume, data entry after a call, looking up customer information during a call, etc., can be automated using speech technology. The tool can automatically detect compliance triggers, knowing exactly where to pause a live recording and when to resume. Automated speech-to-text transcription provides agents with ready-to-use data, eliminating the need for manual note-taking. This data acts as further reference points, adding context to upcoming calls.
- There’s no need for intrusive survey questions
In-call survey questions, asked by the agent, can be intrusive and interrupt the regular flow of conversation. As the customer becomes disengaged (or even annoyed if they are not interested in sharing feedback at the moment), they are likely to enter a poor CSAT score. This reflects negatively on agent performance, even if the agent maintained proper etiquette, script adherence, and problem resolution best practices. Speech analytics automatically extracts sentient and feedback data from the call, eliminating this process.
- Agents can benefit from more targeted coaching
You can configure the speech analytics tool to highlight specific performance areas – such as speed of conversation that impacts average call duration, greeting/concluding messages, upselling/cross-selling intervention, etc. This data can be utilised later on, at the time of training the workforce. Agents can playback recorded calls, with the speech analytics tool objectively determining areas of improvement.
- Using speech analytics can improve the agent experience
Contact centre agents regularly struggle with the repetitive nature of tasks, which leaves little time for value addition, strategic work, or personal upskilling. It adds a sense of pressure and increases workloads without contributing to job fulfilment. Speech analytics can automate common tasks like checklist adherence – for example, alerting agents to compliance keywords they might have missed, in real-time. This leaves agents free to focus on the conversation and the quality of service.
- It can increase agent compensation
Finally, in scenarios where call outcomes are incentivised, speech analytics could even unlock an uptick in agent pay and compensation. It provides agents with timely guidance, which improves CSAT and thereby paves the way for rewards & recognition. For commission-driven calls, agents are more likely to convert customers and drive upselling/cross-selling when using speech analytics, reflecting directly in their compensation.
For these reasons, speech analytics is a yet-to-mature but fast-growing market, growing at a CAGR of 20.3% between 2021 and 2026. For more information, you can check out the latest speech analytics news on CX Today.
