5 Reasons AI Won’t Replace Agents

In the ever-evolving landscape of customer support, the integration of artificial intelligence (AI) has sparked discussions about the potential replacement of human agents. As humans we tend to think in extremes, just do a quick search for Y2K, when a more practical outcome is generally what tends to happen.??

While there are many options to choose from in today’s contact center world, we are going to explore five reasons why AI is not a replacement for agents.?It is a powerful tool when used in conjunction with human expertise and is revolutionizing the contact center industry.??

Empowering the Contact Center with AgentGPT from Level AI??

If you have spent any time as an agent, you know that AHT (Average Handling Time) is always the one universal metric on your mind. Taking a complex call and searching through a binder of knowledge while the clock is ticking in the back of your mind is a situation all too familiar.??

AgentGPT from Level AI ?puts an end to the binder and a lot more. While the conversation is happening in real-time, AgentGPT is working alongside the agent. Whether that is chat, email, phone call, or social messaging, solutions to the issue are right there to supplement and guide the agent. Utilizing your own company’s historical and real-time data, AgentGPT brings the best possible solution front and center.??

Agents strive to provide accurate information as efficiently as possible. Customers want the same thing with a great experience. AgentGPT enables a great customer & agent experience. Just like human agents, over time the platform will continue to learn from both experience and feedback.??

There are some inquiries that an agent doesn’t know where to start due to the complexity of the issue. Maybe an issue that comes up occasionally, so the agent isn’t an expert at resolving it. AgentGPT can tap into historical information from across your company, eliminating the frustration for the agent.??

AgentGPT Benefits:?

• Reduction in AHT?
• Consistent responses??
• Proactive vs reactive guidance?
• Eliminates Manual Documentation?
• Can replace Knowledge Base articles??

Increasing Sales at Scale with Observe.ai?

Have you ever thought of the perfect thing to say in a conversation, just three hours later? Of course you have, and so has every person in any type of sales role in a contact center. Agents need to comprehend a large amount of information and act on that information in a short amount of time.??

With Observe.AI, agents have the ability to turn conversation intelligence into action for training and in real-time.?Observe.AI provides guidance that capitalizes on upsell opportunities, ?in a sense, Observe thinks & reacts alongside the agent as a team with both picking up valuable information as the conversation flows. Instead of being coached on an opportunity that was days or even weeks in the past, agents can convert opportunities into sales now.??

With a shortage of labor to fill the seats in contact centers worldwide, coaching and development is one of the many areas companies are short on. Observe.AI takes all the best practices, best responses, conversational nuances, scripts, tips & more to enable agents to be their best. It is like having an army of QA coaches on your side.??

Observe.AI Benefits:?

• Positively changes the relationship between QA & Agent?
• Intuitive and customizable??
• Uncovers opportunities in real time?
• Removes mundane tasks from the agent?
• Turn best calls into scripts??

Automation and AI Are Removing the Mundane from the Agent??

Do you know who is the happiest about Interactive Virtual Agents? Interactive Human Agents. Agents are curious problem solvers and rise to the challenge time and time again. If an IVA or IVR (Interactive Voice Response) solution can reduce contact center traffic to live agents by 30%, that is a considerable amount of time for an agent.??

If an agent is taking calls for an average of 6 hours, with an average total handling time of 5 minutes per call that is over 20 calls a day. Those 20 calls are generally going to be the same call with the same questions, which can significantly reduce the agent’s enthusiasm.??

Just like automated menu’s increased efficiency and greatly reduced transfer rates,?AI will increase operational efficiency ?in ways we haven’t even considered. The initial fear with automation was that customers wanted a live person. Decades later it is clear that customers want a quick, accurate response to their inquiry, automated or not. AI frees the best agents up to do what they love, creating memorable experiences for their customers.??

AI-Driven Forecasting, Scheduling, and Workforce Management?

Regardless of industry, contact centers are full of variables and unforeseen challenges, it is just part of the equation. Contact center leaders strive to bring stability when and where they can. Forecasting call volumes and scheduling agents for those times appropriately was a science all in itself.??

Now with AI-driven Workforce Management solutions,?contact centers are able to bring consistency where there was once frustration. ?Call queues with challenging wait times for customers cause even the most patient agents to be stressed & anxious. Agents can handle good and bad news, what causes them anxiety is not knowing what to expect.??

WFM based on historical data, customer demands, and a variety of other factors gives agents a fair idea of what to expect each day, week, and month. Allowing for a good work-life balance for agents while also ensuring proper coverage at the macro and micro level within your contact center.?

AI-Driven Workforce Management Benefits:?

• Utilizes historical data unique to your company?
• Reduces frustration and agent burnout?
• Creates realistic expectations based on data??
• Reduction in costs with proper staffing?

The Best Agents Embrace Change?

From the introduction of the headset to integrating CRMs with phone systems, the most talented agents embrace innovation, they don’t fight it. Why would AI be any different? We are already seeing agents creating their own prompts and hacks on Bard and ChatGPT to help them be more productive.??

When it comes to true user experience, the best innovations are the ones that you don’t need to do much to make them work. Great innovative technology removes barriers and friction, and what we are seeing from our partners in the contact center AI space is doing exactly that. Removing friction.??

Agents want AI, they want to remove the mundane mindless work, so they can help the customer with their needs. They are looking for ways to better take care of the customer, and AI gets the agent to that goal.??

Wondering Where to Start with AI??

There are so many options available with many of the companies feeling like they all do the same thing. While they may sound similar, they certainly are not the same. Regardless of new technology in the contact center, the process should always start with your business. That is where the InflowCX?Tech Evaluation ?is so beneficial, it removes the noise and focuses on what is important, you.??

Get started removing the noise from the AI equation, and?connect with us to get started today!? ?