Changes in digital technology are happening at lightning speed and nowhere faster than in the advancements of artificial intelligence (AI). The use of AI has brought about a revolution in how we do things in everyday life. “Anyone who has accessed a financial app through facial recognition, received personalized marketing email, or asked Amazon’s Alexa to give them last night’s sports scores has utilized AI technology,” says Ralf Ellspermann, CEO of PITON-Global, an award-winning outsourcing provider specializing in contact center services in the Philippines.
While AI is making people’s lives more convenient, its effect on business, particularly in the call center industry, has been revolutionary. AI’s capacity to lower operational expenses, provide actionable insights, boost agent productivity, and enhance customer experiences are just a few of the dynamic ways AI is transforming how businesses and call centers operate.
Contact centers in the Philippines jump on the AI bandwagon
AI’s business impact is nothing short of monumental in the Philippines, which lays claim to being the world's contact center capital. In the past twenty years, business process outsourcing (BPO) and call center providers have been a cash cow for the island nation. The industry currently employs 1.4 million full-time workers in more than 1000 BPO companies and recorded a stunning US$30 billion in revenue in the first half of 2022.
So it makes sense that call centers in the Philippines would go all in and implement the latest AI-driven technologies. Doing so gives them a competitive advantage and the ability to offer clients the latest AI-enabled contact center services.
Here are some of the ways call centers in the country are leveraging the multi-faceted power of AI to improve business efficiency, agent performance, and the overall customer experience.
Streamlining call center processes
The most important contribution of AI-empowered digital technology is streamlining how customers get information from companies. From compiling answers to frequently asked questions to directing customers to the right places, AI has made important contributions in speeding up the entire call center process.
Giving deeper insight into analytics
“AI technologies provide complete and insightful statistics on all aspects of call center operations. AI-powered tools can highlight trends and access consumer data to reveal whether customers are receiving a positive or negative experience. AI can give more well-rounded analytics than a human customer support manager because it gives deeper, more detailed measurements of consumer sentiment, tone, and personality,” says Ellspermann.
Boosting call center agent productivity
AI can enhance the job of call center agents and the services they provide. When chatbots handle mundane responsibilities, agents can focus on complicated customer issues requiring direct agent-customer interaction. Thanks to more detailed analysis supplied by AI, agents know who’s on the line, what they need, and how to provide it before picking up the phone. The result is more engaging customer experiences and more productive, happier agents.
Increasing first-call resolution rates
First call resolution (FCR) is an important call center metric that refers to the percentage of calls successfully resolved on the first interaction, with no follow-up required. FCR gauges how effectively a contact center is operating and gives insight into agent performance. “AI can help call centers improve FCR by identifying the roadblocks that hinder effective first-call resolution and offering solutions. Ultimately, a strong FCR can significantly drive down costs and improve customer satisfaction,” explains Ellspermann.
Decreasing average handling time
Engaged and productive agents and improved operational efficiency can also help reduce a call center’s average handling time (AHT). This metric measures how much time an agent needs to solve a customer’s problem, including hold times and follow-ups. The average AHT for most industries is 6 minutes. Not surprisingly, call centers that optimize their AHT also see dramatic increases in FCR. Improvement in both metrics creates happier customers, which leads to greater customer loyalty and retention.
The bottom line: Enhanced customer experiences
“The ultimate goal of AI in contact center services is to improve the customer experience. AI’s power to gather and analyze customer data in real time is helping call centers in the Philippines gain a better understanding of customers’ behaviors and needs. This deeper insight helps create the type of personalized customer experience that is essential in today’s business world. The use of AI in contact center services in the Philippines will only increase over time,” concludes Ellsperrmann.