{"id":1520,"date":"2021-10-05T18:52:15","date_gmt":"2021-10-05T18:52:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.replicant.ai\/will-ai-replace-contact-center-agents\/"},"modified":"2022-11-01T01:25:56","modified_gmt":"2022-11-01T01:25:56","slug":"will-ai-replace-contact-center-agents","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.replicant.com\/blog\/will-ai-replace-contact-center-agents\/","title":{"rendered":"Will AI Replace Contact Center Agents?"},"content":{"rendered":"

Contact centers are adopting artificial intelligence (AI) solutions to automate customer service, provide better self-service options, improve first call resolution, and help lower operational costs. <\/span><\/p>\n

AI tools such as intelligent virtual agents (IVAs), and conversational AI are expected to <\/span>define the near-future contact center<\/span><\/a>. While management sees these technologies as effective ways to deliver better CX and mitigate costs, agents are asking: will AI replace us? The short answer is no.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Agents, breathe a sigh of relief. And, managers introducing AI technology, feel free to let go of the fear that automation will replace your valuable agents. Here\u2019s why.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

What AI is designed to do in the contact center<\/span><\/h2>\n

As AI has matured, it\u2019s become evident that its non-human nature limits its ability to replace humans in roles that require connection and relationship building. Automation has long inspired humans to offload work to machines that can be done faster, more accurately, and with more ease. <\/span><\/p>\n

AI in the contact center is designed to automate aspects of customer service that machines can (and probably should) be doing.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

When AI was in its infancy, there was speculation that it would have the ability to eliminate many human jobs entirely. While there are roles that AI will replace in various industries, for the most part, AI engineers are focusing on how AI can assist and augment humans to work more efficiently.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

For the contact center, AI serves to:\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Increase call deflection and lower costs\u00a0<\/b>Agents typically spend an inordinate amount of time fielding the same questions, performing the same mundane transactions, and handling Tier-1 issues that lead to boredom and poor agent engagement rates. High agent turnover is often a reflection of the tedious nature of the work.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

AI tools are designed to automate rote, transactional work like Tier-1 issue resolution, manually update customer information, log call summaries, and answer common questions. This increases call deflection rates, which <\/span>lowers operational costs<\/span><\/a>.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

AI is also designed to enable call centers to <\/span>scale customer service <\/span><\/a>without having to add more agents or schedule more shifts. With AI handling Tier-1 issues, at scale, contact centers can improve customer experience \u2014 if the AI technology delivers a great experience (not all do).\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

AI improves customer satisfaction on Tier-1 issues\u00a0<\/b>Because AI is able to handle up to 90% of Tier-1 issue resolution, it improves first contact resolution (FCR) rates \u2014 a key indicator for customer satisfaction and contact center performance. By automating their ability to resolve common issues and using AI to offer more self-service options for customers, call handle times go down and FCR goes up.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

It should be noted that AI itself does not guarantee a positive customer experience. It must be thoughtfully designed and applied according to customer expectations of the brand. <\/span>Industries where customers expect high-touch, human service, such as luxury brands, will find that AI is less likely to generate a positive customer response unless it delivers a nearly-human interaction capacity (like <\/span>Replicant Voice<\/span><\/a>) and can connect to an agent quickly. <\/span><\/p>\n

Industries that have more transactional customer service issues like retailers that process returns, order updates, and answer common FAQs can leverage AI that handles a majority of customer engagements in lieu of agents. However, AI still needs to deliver a nearly-human experience for it to deliver a great customer experience.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

AI supports and enhances agents\u00a0<\/b>Lifting Tier-1 issues off agents not only helps the business, but it frees agents from repetitive work. It gives them the opportunity to handle higher-level issues that require empathy, complex problem solving, and relationship building. Voice AI is designed to do this. AI is also designed to assist agents with fast access to customer data, relevant product information, and offer best-next-steps recommendations. Tools such as <\/span>Agent Assist <\/span><\/a>use AI to help agents deliver better CX, reduce agent stress, and take the guesswork out of handling evolving customer needs.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The ultimate success of AI is its ability to support agents, free them to leverage the best of their human qualities, and help them deliver faster, more accurate, more personalized customer experiences.<\/span><\/p>\n

What humans can do that AI can\u2019t<\/span><\/h2>\n

AI is an amazing technology that improves solutions, but as we\u2019ve pointed out, it\u2019s not human. There are key things that only humans can do, no matter how smart AI gets.<\/span><\/p>\n