How Advances in AI Make for Happy Telecom Customers

First, let's get it out there and acknowledge where your contact center is today and where it struggles to meet your customers' needs. Also, it will pay to also consider current staffing and if retention is problematic and why? 

Customer service is a powerful differentiator. Telecom users are highly demanding and can switch providers as easily as changing a light bulb! So, finding ways to streamline the customer service process can be essential to happy staff and customers. We know those happy customers are 60-70% more likely to buy more than a new prospect with a 5-20% probability of buying. 

Advances in conversational AI technologies, where virtual agents can understand and respond to customers across all voice and digital channels, are transforming how customer care works. With contact center AI, calls or chats can quickly be analyzed as they come in, diverted to self-service channels if appropriate, and routed to the customer service representative best equipped with the skills and knowledge to handle the query or issue. It's the sure-fire way to cut response time and speed resolution for happier customers and less harried employees. 

While Conversational AI and chatbots will never replace employees in the contact center, they are an extremely valuable tool for improving customer experiences. They can also improve employee morale and engagement, making employee tasks more rewarding by removing the need to handle repetitive query-response resolutions hour after hour. Employees would far rather unravel a complex billing issue than handle 20 password reset requests.

The key to making changes for the better in the contact center is focusing on customer service quality.

When customers and employees are happier, reduced costs happen automatically by virtue of shorter call resolution times, and increased revenues positively impact the bottom line as more customers refer to your brand as highly responsive and helpful.

Tip 1: Don't get left behind

Leaders in AI adoption will leave competitors behind as consumer expectations for customer service evolve. McKinsey points out that 30% of telecommunication companies say they already have embedded deep-learning (AI) capabilities.

Tip 2: Embrace the idea of AI-powered virtual agents and chatbots

Chatbots can be very effective at helping customers tap into your knowledge base. Per Accenture, 59% of telecommunications executives say their future customer support plans include informational bots. In addition, ensure there is a voice and chat-based platform implemented to address all interactions and channels your customers use. 

Tip 3: Deflect calls appropriately

Invest in AI that guides customers to self-service options for faster resolution of their issues and swift, positive experiences with your brand. According to BCG, a 10+% decrease in costs can be achieved by telcos that implement technologies like AI for call deflection, supporting customer care needs in new and effective ways.  

Tip 4: Don't expect chatbots to replace your core staff

Gartner predicts that 20% of customer service interactions will be handled by Conversational Al agents this year. The future isn't an agentless one; it's a world in which AI-powered agents work alongside people to deliver the best customer experience possible. 

Tip 5: Focus on the most important things

While R&M notes that telcos are starting to realize cost savings as chatbots and other AI technologies cut the cost of customer care, however, the true benefit of AI for telecom is that customers can get what they need quickly and effectively from companies that offer AI-powered support along with traditional agent assistance. This can help you improve your brand's profile and differentiate it from competitors based on customer care.

Want to learn more about leveraging Conversational AI in the telecom space? Check out this guide from conversational AI tech market leaders Cognigy, it’s full of useful tips and where and how to use AI to better serve customers and employees. Download Cognigy's guide to Conversational AI in Telecoms.