What do innovation and customer experience have in common?
Innovation generally refers to something new or a change made to an existing product or idea that can improve the overall outcome.
When innovation is brought into the customer experience, it should either make it quicker or easier for the customer.
Let’s look at call intelligence for example.
The ability to have real-time call intelligence telling agents what to say and when to say has become a must-want for contact centers.
However, when you look on the surface a lot of call intelligence tools really only provide transcription services.
Sure real-time transcription can be innovative, but it’s not pushing the boundaries.
For companies who don’t implement real-time call intelligence tools properly, their agents could be provided the wrong answer or be left hanging because the AI platform is working properly.
This is where innovation and the customer experience can clash.
The future of customer experience
The future of customer experience is focused on personalization, call intelligence and response time, and the rise of artificial intelligence and automation.
All of those sound great, right?
In order to get to a place where the customer truly sees an improvement in their experience, there will be a decline first.
But, why?
The decline in customer satisfaction
A temporary decline in the customer experience will occur due to three things.
1) The unknown territory that we are entering
Many companies will invest in technology that has never been used by their agents or management team. The concept is great and is probably MUCH NEEDED.
However, the implementation and rollout of AI and automation technologies will affect the customer experience in a negative way.
2) Investing in 3rd party technology that may or may not live up to their promises
With too many AI companies to count in the contact center world, there will be many that don’t make it.
With competition and innovation as high as it is now, the future of the customer experience is on the line.
Choosing the right technology for your company is just as important as choosing the right vendor to work with.
Do your research and due diligence before going full in on a company that’s only been around a year. You truly need to believe in the solution, especially when it comes to call intelligence.
3) The ability to empower agents
If you believe human-to-human interaction isn’t going to be needed in the next year, you are wrong. Agents are more valuable now more than ever.
AI and other innovative call intelligence tools are great, but most people are tired of dealing with “robots”. They want to speak to a real person.
If your company is so focused on innovation, you might lose sight of your most important asset – YOUR PEOPLE.
Continue to empower agents while trying new technology and include them in the process. It will make all the difference.
7 Great Skills All Contact Center Leaders Need
Dual need for successful call intelligence & thriving agent operations
If you don’t invest in AI and call intelligence to improve the customer experience, you’ll be left behind. The future of customer experience will be affected in your company. If you implement too fast and don’t understand the nuances of the technology then you’ll see customer churn.
So how do you balance both innovation and agent operations?
The magic question.
It’s all about balance.
Invest in technology that you believe in.
Make sure you take the walk, jog, and run implementation approach.
Ensure there is an out-clause in your contact.
Don’t skimp on customer support, that should be a key decision factor when looking at AI and call intelligence vendors.
Who should be concerned?
If you’ve reached this point in the post, it’s most likely resonating with you.
But who should really be concerned about this?
It should be leadership.
Your VPs, C-suite, and executive-level leaders.
They need to understand that there is a tipping point between cutting costs and affecting customer satisfaction.
Innovation is great, tools like call intelligence software can improve agent retention and customer satisfaction. It’s a win-win!
BUT it takes time. Nothing is perfect from the get-go and takes time to implement.
Summary
The future of the customer experience is in the hands of your company. You can decide which path you want to take.
Nothing is going to be perfect, but not accepting innovation is not the right decision either.
Connect with your leadership team to find areas that can be improved. Then go research technologies and companies out there changing the game in that area.
Take your time making a decision and always make sure to outweigh the pros and cons of any situation – especially when it comes to the future of customer experience.
If you’re interested in researching call intelligence software, take a look at a few of these articles that might help.
