Agent Assist Software
We’re going to dive into the transformative power of agent assist software, but from a different perspective than you’re used to reading.
Agent assist has shaped the future of the front lines at contact centers, but most companies are still missing something.
But before we jump into that. We need to talk about the distinction between ideas and beliefs and draw inspiration from the timeless movie Dogma, featuring Ben Affleck, Alanis Morissette, and Matt Damon.
Dogma
It’s still one of my favorite movies.
There is one scene in particular, which is only about a minute long, that to this very day still resonates with me.
Rufus (Chris Rock) and Bethany Sloan (Linda Fiorentino) are discussing what irritates God the most, and Rufus says “Mankind got it all wrong by taking a good idea and building a belief structure on it.”
Bethany follows up by asking for clarification, “You’re saying having beliefs is a bad thing?”
Rufus’ answer to this question has resonated with me ever since…
“I just think it’s better to have ideas. You can change an idea. Changing a belief is trickier… People die for it, people kill for it…”
This 8-second monologue forever changed the way I use two words: IDEA and BELIEF.
Have you ever been intentional with the word you choose here to describe whatever it is you put energy into?
Is it an idea, or a belief in something you are working towards?
What’s Missing With Agent Assist Software
Now let’s tie this back to our topic – agent assist software and what is missed.
Here at Abstrakt we have a belief that Agent Assist software should be void of distractions, and should not need to be interacted with via typing or clicking.
Kind of like Jarvis for Iron Man.
There when you need it, silent when you don’t.
We get asked often “Can it have an alert when an Agent is talking too fast?” or “Can it remind the agent to stop using filler words?” or my personal favorite “Can it tell the agent to stop talking?”
Our answer has been, and will continue to be, “No, we don’t do those things as our belief is that those types of things should be coached after a call is over, not during”.
That’s where most companies are missing the mark with agent assist software.
Our Beliefs
Our belief about what agent assist should be is non-negotiable.
We have lost deals and faced resistance from industry analysts because we refuse to take their ideas and turn them into features, knowing it would go against our beliefs.
When we meet with companies evaluating agent assist software, one of the first questions we ask them is…
Do you believe (again being intentional with that word) agent assist software should be clicked and need agent input?
Or do you believe Agent Assist Software should be there to help guide and not be manually interacted with?
Their answer to that question tells us whether or not they are a good fit customer for Abstrakt.
Conclusion
We use the word “believe” because we know the level of conviction someone has (or at least should have) when using that word is much deeper than talking about specific features (ideas).
So, to wrap things up.
The next time you purchase software (or anything for that matter) make sure you are looking at the beliefs and guiding principles of the company as you are investing in the product today and the roadmap of tomorrow.
You want to ensure a vendor does not change direction over a couple of ideas but rather sticks to its beliefs.
We can’t stress enough the importance of investing in a product that remains true to its vision, ensuring stability and consistency in the ever-evolving landscape of agent assist software.
