As AI capabilities continue to increase, the more we’re starting to hear about its potential to kill jobs and take over the world. In the real world, businesses are spending a ton of money figuring out how AI can enhance the work we’re doing rather than take it over completely. Tons of fields are already experimenting and implementing AI. Even writers and painters are looking to the technology and questioning whether or not their work can be considered art. However, that’s a completely different debate. Let’s get back on track.
Big data and the customer experience are in, and businesses are looking to all kinds of software and technology that can gather and interpret data for its agents to improve the overall customer experience. As it turns out, VoIP telephony can benefit from AI without becoming obsolete. Here, we’re going to break down four ways we’re seeing AI make its way to VoIP telephony and how we will all benefit from it.
Real-time sentiment analysis
AI can monitor the emotions of a caller as the call is taking place in order to give the agent insights in real-time how the conversation is going and how they can change directions to ensure the overall experience remains positive and relevant to the caller’s needs and interests. Real-time sentiment will play a significant role in VoIP telephony by giving agents much needed guidance on how to shift a conversation in their favor. It can even be used after a conversation for agents to look back on and make adjustments for the next one. Over a month’s time, AI will help highlight patterns in phone calls for agents.
The great thing about real-time sentiment analysis isn’t just a feature we can expect. It’s already being implemented. Look at Nexmo. It’s using real-time sentiment analysis to help agents help callers. The employee and customer experience improve significantly, which helps both sides focus on what matters: making a sale, resolving a ticket, allowing the customer to feel good about the overall experience. When an agent connects with a caller, a bot connects as well, and listens. It can even go so far as to call a supervisor if it determines the conversation needs one. This can de-escalate tensions before they turn into something much worse.
Customizable bots and IVR menus
AI can help businesses build customizable bots and IVR menus that make the calling process easier and more approachable for customers who are reluctant to go through the menus. AI can determine what a bot needs to do in order to take as many callers off the hands of an agent as needed to ensure the agent is working with callers that truly need their expertise. Tons of people like to skip through the IVR menus in an effort to get to an actual agent. Whatever their justification for it, it means that menus aren’t doing enough to give people the help they deserve. AI can customize menus to fit the customers needs better so they feel less inclined to speak to a representative.
Twilio Autopilot is another sound example of how AI is making its way to VoIP telephony. It’s doing just as we’ve explained and giving much needed context to agents in order to offer callers a better, personalized experience. A bot can also be used to determine whether or not an agent is needed. It can pass along that context to the agent so they can determine whether or not they’re able to/needed to resolve a caller’s problem.
Natural language processing for smarter voice automations
Natural language processing can be used to analyze transcripts, identify callers, and build task lists based on key highlights during the conversation. Over time, as the AI becomes more familiar with the subtle nuances of calls and conversational diction, it becomes smarter and more powerful. This can also lead to smarter voice automations. As a contact center agent, voice automations can help process real-time conversations instead of relying on more standard, trigger-based automations.
Dialpad uses voice AI and real-time sentiment analysis to help trigger voice automations that can bring other agents or supervisors into a conversation if it’s not heading in the direction suitable for either the agent or caller. Call summaries are also available where agents can find all the information they need on callers and previous calls to learn more about how to approach a call.
More advanced call routing in contact centers
Call routing can help businesses determine who the best agent is for a phone conversation. However, AI will help by looking at data gathered from VoIP phone systems and instantly route the caller to the right agent, significantly decreasing the time spent on hold and need for longer menus to determine where a call should be routed to. More effective call routing is key to understanding why AI isn’t going to eliminate jobs any time soon. If the intent was to eliminate the need for a call agent, call routing wouldn’t exist.
Google’s Contact Center AI solution aims to enhance the call/contact center experience by empowering agents with AI-powered automations, reporting, and routing features. Contact Center AI goes further than most call routing features in other business software. For example, it will connect callers with the right agent while giving that agent the context he/she needs to understand the problem at hand via a virtual agent. That agent will ask open-ended questions to determine the nature of that problem, https://www.leadmaster.com/leadmaster-voice/which allows a customer to explain what’s wrong. This is a far better experience for the customer than having to go through a traditional IVR menu that might not even help.
The Final Word
VoIP telephony is taking advantage of the features that come with AI in unique ways that aim to enhance the user experience rather than take over the job. Agents have no need to worry about AI taking their jobs. Instead, they should be ready to embrace what AI can do.
More advanced call routing means you’re no longer getting pointless calls that take you away from your work; additional reporting and analytics helps to provide you with context before and after a call so you’re not going in blind; natural language processing allows for more powerful and customizable automations that align with your everyday tasks so you’re not limiting yourself to impersonal commands and unusable apps. If you’re hesitant about embracing AI, you’re going to fall behind, and your customers will notice in a big way. Regardless of your views, AI is here, but not for you; it’s here with open arms, ready to take orders.
About the author:
Reuben Yonatan is the founder and CEO of GetVoIP — trusted VoIP comparison resource that helps companies understand and choose a business communication solution for their specific needs. Reuben assists SMBs align business strategy with culture and improve overall corporate infrastructure.
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