Transforming CX While Supporting Agents Through Conversational AI

Employees are fleeing their jobs in search of a more fulfilling career. Why has this shift happened amid a global pandemic?  

Suppose we were to predict human behavior during a global crisis. In that case, the assumption seems logical that employees would hold onto their jobs, as this is a place that can provide security during unsettling times. However, as human behavior is as unpredictable as the shifts in our world, the opposite happened. As you have probably read, this phenomenon is entitled "The Great Resignation." 

Companies reshaped their work structures, hours, office expectations, and IT infrastructures. Meeting the everchanging needs that arise in a home office environment is a pertinent effort in employee retention. However, as employees became more empowered, the power dynamic shifted. The possibilities of a healthy, comfortable, and meaningful work culture were no longer an urban legend but a genuine option for those seeking employee empowerment. 

Where companies face challenges in retaining employees is in the contact center space. Why? It is simple: 

• Covid caused chaos. 

• Chaos caused customer inquiries and complications. 

• Burnout caused many customer service agents to walk away. 

It was like a game of dominoes- each piece that fell impacted the next piece. In the end, it was a jumbled mess of unhappy customers, exhausted agents, and enterprises scrambling to pick up the pieces. The mess is twofold: unhappy customers and unfulfilled employees.  

According to Forbes: "The "Great Resignation" is wreaking havoc on the labor market. Many say this is largely driven by burnout, a desire to work remotely, and a resetting of priorities post-pandemic. In the customer service and contact center industry, this phenomenon could take a bad problem and make it worse… recent research (via CX Today) indicates 40% of agents may leave their roles in the span of four months (Forbes)." 

How can enterprises secure retention while providing customers with streamlined, prompt, and reliable services? Thankfully, introducing Conversational AI to power voice and live webchat across all of your channels offers solutions to employee empowerment and customer support.  

Solutions for customer service within contact centers showcase the need for people and digital assistants to work in harmony. 

Rather than clogging up customer service agents' time and energy with mundane, repetitive queries, the power of conversational AI engages in natural language, supporting large volumes of inquiries. Questions and concerns that are more complex are handed over to human agents with the appropriate data and customer information to provide a frictionless experience.

Operating queries in sync, customer service agents and AI chatbots/digital assistants hold the power to ensure that your contact center flows in, offering cohesive support.   

Another significant benefit of conversational AI is simple: depth and breadth of language . 

When a customer calls or inquires within the call center space, the issue is critical for them. One common roadblock is language. It is stressful and challenging to articulate a problem in another language. Thankfully, conversational AI platforms such as Cognigy's offer many options to support customers in their native language, easing the frustrations in the customers' ability to express themselves clearly and concisely. Agents are therefore given the opportunity to field more complex issues, participate in further professional development and avoid burnout.  

Through this revolutionary technology, your enterprise can simultaneously retain employees and support your valued customers.  

Gain valuable insights in our webinar, featuring guest speaker Hayley Sutherland, senior analyst at IDC, and Sebastian Glock, product marketing lead at Cognigy, in their discussion around why the next step in CX transformation lies in empowering agents through the latest innovations in AI.