The customer experience, and how good or bad it’s perceived to be, is a driving force in maintaining customer loyalty. According to Concentrix’s brand love research, a bad customer experience is a key factor when customers decide to break up with a brand. And half of customers say poor performance in customer service and quality (1/4 each) are enough to make them never shop with a brand again.
Generative AI has the potential to fill the gaps in customer service—everything from helping brands to garner insights to providing more comprehensive self-service options. Beyond CX, generative AI’s benefits to businesses include enabling operational efficiency and providing advisor assist tools that can not only help construct responses, but also provide valuable insight into customers’ previous interactions. One of the core functions where generative AI can have a huge impact is with contact center technology—namely, contact center as a service (CCaaS) solutions. CCaaS solutions are cloud-based solutions that provide a platform to manage your customer interactions without needing to maintain hardware that can be cumbersome and result in tech debt. Coupling CCaaS benefits with the advancements of generative AI can provide a higher level of automation than companies could achieve before, with smarter self-service options and hyper-personalized customer experiences.
Generative AI-Infused CCaaS Benefits for CX
- Hyper-personalization: Generative AI-infused CCaaS is able to analyze customer data more effectively, in real time, to produce responses unique to the customer. By reviewing historical customer data, interactions, and preferences, generative AI can tailor hyper-personalized responses specific to each customer interaction, which make the customer feel valued instead of just “one of many.”
- Quick resolution: Simple customer queries can be resolved easily and quickly through the self-service and automation capabilities of generative AI-enabled CCaaS platforms by accessing data within the company’s knowledge base. For more complex issues that require human assistance, generative AI can quickly route to the appropriate advisor, so the customer doesn’t have to wade through endless menus to resolve their issue. Establishing knowledge data guardrails is important to eliminate problems like inaccurate information or responses that aren’t relevant to the conversation.
- Always available: AI enables brands to provide customer service 24/7 with virtual assistants that can handle a range of queries, including order status, appointment reminders, account balances, etc. Routine information that doesn’t require an advisor can be provided at the convenience of the customer, even when outside of regular business hours. Generative AI can broaden the information available by using company-specific knowledge data sources.
- Reduced wait times: Customers don’t want to navigate through a myriad of menus to get to the department they need. Generative AI can route customers quickly based on the answers to a few questions. In addition, sentiment analysis available within many generative AI tools can detect things like anger or frustration and immediately enable the customer to connect directly with an advisor to help resolve their issue, carrying through the customer information and interaction history so that the customer doesn’t have to repeat it.
- Data-driven insights: Historically, searching several data sources within a company, collating that information, and then manually reviewing the information was how administrators evaluated company and customer interaction data to make strategic decisions. Now, generative AI can automatically access information from across the company, quickly detect patterns, and provide the information needed for leadership to adjust. Generative AI-infused reporting can be created through simple prompts, such as: “How many calls does advisor X receive between noon and 5 p.m. on Wednesdays.” AI reporting and analytics can also offer information around customer behavior, allowing companies to adjust and pivot to better meet the needs of the customer.
- Scalable and flexible: Scaling new technologies across a business quickly helps maintain smooth operations and seamless customer journeys. Seasonal call volume fluctuations, for example can be handled more efficiently with a generative AI-enabled CCaaS, ensuring the contact center can meet changing seasonal demands, which is critical in maintaining customer satisfaction.
- Multichannel and language support: Being able to communicate with customers in their preferred language and in their preferred channel helps drive customer satisfaction. Generative AI can not only provide language support for CCaaS self-service options, but also within advisor tools. Language translations through generative AI ensures that even when the advisor doesn’t speak the language natively, the response will be accurate and professional. All these capabilities can be deployed across multiple communication channels, enabling multichannel global customer support—can be a key differentiator for brands.
- Advisor support: AI will never replace the need for human interaction between customers and the brands they love. However, generative AI advisor tools in CCaaS platforms—such as real-time conversation coaching, response writing, and customer insights—help advisors provide a better customer experience.
AI Is Here to Stay, and CX Is Still the Driving Force
With the emergence of AI into the market, customers now have even higher expectations for easy, seamless experiences. By combining the capabilities of CCaaS platforms with the power of generative AI, businesses can provide hyper-personalized, efficient, and proactive customer interactions that create better, more positive experiences that drive customer satisfaction and brand loyalty. And as this technology continues to evolve, companies that embrace it to improve operations and the customer experience can expect to see continued growth and loyalty.
Generative AI solutions have many benefits for businesses, including revenue generation, cost savings, improved CSAT, and more. However, many leaders remain confused or overwhelmed with how to best take advantage of this exciting new technology. Explore our Guide on Generative AI for Business Leaders to learn about the basics of generative AI, common use cases, and how you can best integrate generative AI into your organization.
