As we continue to delve into the subject of Employee Experience, we explore the benefits of Agent Assist and how this technology can increase employee satisfaction, reducing burnout and churn, while creating happy, brand-loyal customers.
Unlocking Efficiency and Excellence: The Benefits of Agent Assist in Contact Centers
In today’s fast-paced world, contact centers are at the forefront of customer service and support. To meet rising expectations and handle increasing volumes, many organizations are turning to innovative solutions like Agent Assist technology. This blend of advanced technology and strategic people processing is transforming contact center operations, offering notable benefits from both perspectives.
Technology Perspective: Enhancing Efficiency and Accuracy
From a technology standpoint, Agent Assist leverages artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) to revolutionize how contact centers operate. Here are the key benefits:
- Real-Time Support: An online survey says 86% of contact center agents feel they don’t have the right resources in place to support customers effectively.** Agent Assist systems provide real-time guidance and suggestions to agents during customer interactions. This includes recommending responses, providing contextual information, and flagging potential issues. By streamlining the information flow, these systems significantly reduce response time and improve the accuracy of the information provided. According to call center statistics software, AI and machine learning are increasingly adopted for automated responses, customer interaction management, and real-time performance tracking.
- Automation of Routine Tasks: Routine tasks such as data entry, call logging, and information retrieval can be automated by Agent Assist. This reduces the manual workload on agents, allowing them to focus on more complex and high-value tasks, thereby increasing overall efficiency and productivity.
- Enhanced Analytics: Advanced analytics tools integrated with Agent Assist systems offer insights into customer interactions and agent performance. This data can be used to identify trends, improve service strategies, and make informed decisions about training and resource allocation.
- Consistency and Compliance: By providing standardized responses and ensuring adherence to best practices, Agent Assist helps maintain consistency across interactions and ensures compliance with regulatory requirements. This reduces the risk of errors and enhances the quality of service.
People Processing Perspective: Empowering Agents and Enhancing Customer Experience
From a people processing viewpoint, Agent Assist transforms the agent experience, resulting in a more positive work experience. The benefits include:
- Empowering Agents: According to the same survey, 59% of Contact Center Agents are at risk of burnout.* Agent Assist tools serve as a virtual support system for agents, offering them immediate access to relevant information and suggested actions. This empowerment boosts confidence, reduces stress, and enhances job satisfaction, leading to lower turnover rates and a more engaged workforce.
- Reducing Training Time: With real-time assistance and automated guidance, new agents can quickly become proficient without traditional, extensive training. This accelerates the onboarding process and reduces the time and resources needed to bring new hires up to speed.
- Improving Customer Interactions: Faster response times and more accurate information contribute to a more positive customer experience. Agents are better equipped to handle inquiries and resolve issues efficiently, leading to higher customer satisfaction and less angry customers the agent must deal with.
- Fostering Collaboration: Agent Assist systems often include features that facilitate collaboration among team members, such as shared knowledge bases and internal chat functions. This encourages a collaborative environment where agents can easily seek advice and share best practices, enhancing the overall effectiveness of the contact center.
- Agent Assist technology represents a significant advancement in contact center operations. From a technological perspective, it enhances efficiency, accuracy, and compliance, while from a people processing standpoint, it empowers agents, reduces training time, and improves customer interactions.
Proper Impact = Agent Assist Must Be Updated Regularly
However, like other AI-powered platforms, Agent Assist must be nurtured and updated regularly to stay current and relevant with customer’s needs. Here are some ways to ensure this happens:
- Input brand guidelines into the platform. This will ensure agents follow brand-compliant prompts and responses given to them by the Assist. Not offering brand interactions can lead to poor agent/customer interactions, lower FCR and NPS scores, create poor word-of-mouth and destroy loyalty.
- Monitor frequent queries. Contact center managers should monitor and track questions and issues that come up often, feeding them into the Assist. The AI platform will cache the information into your Knowledge Base, offering it to agents when the questions arise again. This reduces call time, increases FCR, and empowers the agent.
- Achieve ROI. Every contact center manager needs to show ROI for any purchases. By updating the Agent Assist and monitoring it for NPS, CSAT and KPI’s, you can identify areas of high performance and need and adjust accordingly. This will ultimately lead to increased scores and happy agents.
As contact centers continue to evolve, embracing these benefits will be key to achieving operational excellence and delivering exceptional customer service.
If you would like more information about Agent Assist and how it might impact your contact center, contact us today.
*Toister Performance Solutions, Inc. | What is Agent Assist? March 2023
**Toister Performance Solutions, Inc. | What is Agent Assist? March 2023
Petra brings a breadth of strategic consulting experience in operations, process improvement, leadership development and cultural change. Previously, as a senior consultant for a privately held global operations improvement firm, Petra worked on various projects to reduce operating costs through production efficiency improvements and improve overall profitability through increased utilization of existing assets, and in-depth data analysis for better cost management.
Petra has diverse experience, consulting on projects in manufacturing, transportation, health care and logistics. She brings a positive impact to businesses by mining key business insights, sustaining achievements through cultural and behavioral change programs, and working to implement strategy and improve efficiency.
Petra holds a B.A. in Advertising from Marquette University in Wisconsin, graduating Magna Cum Laude. In addition, she holds a Masters in Urban Education from Mercy College in New York. She is fluent in Dutch, English, French, German and Spanish.
