Will Human Interactions in Call center Diminish with the increased focus on customer experience?

Does the human element still matter in CX-focussed call centers or will it be replaced by artificial intelligence and virtual reality? Read on to find out

When it comes to customer support or customer experience, it is important to note that not all customers are the same. Some prefer to self-serve while others prefer to call or email. It is important to create and maintain a dynamic contact center experience that incorporates both traditional and modern communication methods.

Over the years, there has been a proliferation of new technologies that have caused people to become less dependent on traditional methods of contact, such as phone calls. The rise and adoption of artificial intelligence (AI) and virtual reality (VR) by an increasingly larger group of contact centers have sparked many debates about whether they will one day completely replace human-human interactions in contact centers. Chatbot customer experience and AI customer experience are here and are changing the way support is provided to customers.

A report from Zendesk demonstrates the increasing demand for self-serve help solutions like help centers. The report says that about 40% of customers now prefer using a help desk to resolve their problems before contacting the support team via phone or email. While these customers still require support, they have chosen to take a different route along the customer journey.

The Human Element Continues to Matter

Artificial intelligence in customer experience is on the rise as far as customer experience (CX) is concerned. Features like voice search through home-based or hand-held devices have revolutionized the way people interact with businesses and have also helped to reduce customer service calls and increase CX. Call center automation, in which the many tasks handled by real humans have been assigned to automation, has also led to doubts regarding the centrality of live agents in providing support.

However, this does not mean that the role of a real customer support agent has been significantly reduced. One recent report by Microsoft states that 39% of those surveyed globally prefer to use their phone to get their issues resolved by a real person. A live agent humanizes the customer experience and also drives customer satisfaction and efficiency.

A report by SoftwareAdvice states that 63% of people over 35 years of age prefer human interaction via a phone call as compared to an automated live chat. So, human interactions still matter when providing a good customer experience. However, these results also demonstrate that companies are still lagging when it comes to providing a seamless customer experience across multiple modes of contact and support.

With so many ways of getting help and support available, companies need to provide a painless and dynamic contact center experience across all the modes of contact. Rather than focus on how customers may contact you, it is important to provide a customer experience that fully resolves their issue in the first instance of contact - whether it is through chat, phone, or email. Customers care a lot about how easy it is to find a solution to their problem. Therefore, it is important to make the transitions between the ways of contacting you as seamless as possible, perhaps through the use of an intelligent contact center.

Providing Seamless Transitions Between Methods of Contact

Creating seamless connections between your customers and you can help you keep them in your funnel for longer. For instance, if a customer first contacts you via a chatbot, but can't find an answer to his/her issue, they will most likely try to get in touch via the phone to resolve the issue. Talking directly to a real agent about the issue the customer is facing is very important because humans understand idiosyncrasies and language loaded with emotion, something that AI and VR still have a hard time dealing with.

If you are looking to implement an effective call deflection strategy, it is important to provide a seamless transition between the two methods of contact described above, i.e., between the chatbot and phone. If the transition isn't smooth, your customer may go elsewhere to find a solution and may never return. However, if the transition is smooth and the customer finds a solution over the phone, not only do you have a happy customer, but you have also created a positive brand image in his/her mind.

Human Interactions Will Continue to Remain Important

The vast majority of consumers still prefer to get their issues resolved over the phone by talking to a live agent. It is clear that phones and human-human interactions still play a critical role in the contact center and will continue to do so in the future as well, thanks in no small part to the wide range of requirements across industries and the speed at which the requirements change.

By choosing and implementing the best CX solution for the challenges your customers face, you can augment the important role your contact center agents play and provide a seamless customer experience for your customers that resolves their issue and creates a positive brand image in their minds.

Give your Customers a Superior Call Center Experience by Choosing Outsource2india

Outsource2india is a leading provider of contact center solutions, including both inbound and outbound call center solutions. We have been in the call center business for 25 years and have successfully served a multitude of happy customers that keep coming back for more. We have on board a team of professional, experienced, and motivated call center professionals that leave no stone unturned to provide seamless and exceptional customer experiences that wow your customers.

If you are looking for a high-quality and cost-effective provider of call center solutions, get in touch with us today.