CRISIS MANAGEMENT
... AS DISASTERS BECOME MORE FREQUENT, INTEGRATING AI WILL BE NON-NEGOTIABLE IN KEEPING OPERATIONS ONLINE AND RUNNING SMOOTHLY.
This data point suggests that many contact centers are not equipped to leverage AI ' s potential during times of crisis. But as disasters become more frequent, integrating AI will be non-negotiable in keeping operations online and running smoothly.
WHY AI IN A CRISIS?
AI is about empowering contact centers and agents to perform at their best. And there is no time more critical for them to do so than during a disaster. Leveraging AI helps contact centers adapt swiftly, ensuring they provide the compassionate and effective service that customers need in high-pressure situations.
The ability of AI-powered applications to rapidly and accurately assess data and deliver immediate responses gives the three most precious commodities when these events threaten and strike. These are time, information, and people.
When disasters strike, contact centers face a perfect storm of unpredictable surges in demand and reduced workforce availability. AI-powered tools have emerged as lifelines, enabling contact centers to scale operations in real time, maintain speed and reliability, and keep things running smoothly throughout the customer journey.
Without AI, the stakes are high: longer wait times, frustrated customers, and potential revenue loss. By leveraging AI, contact centers can adapt on the fly, ensuring that every customer is supported, even when agents ' bandwidth is stretched thin.
Here are two examples where AI can help:
• Real-time insights and suggested resolutions to lighten agents’ workload, enabling them to process cases— such as flood-related insurance claims— more quickly.
• Supercharging self-service tools like IVRs and chatbots to handle routine inquiries, allowing live agents to focus on more complex issues. After a power outage, for example, customers can reschedule appointments or request refunds without waiting in line.
SUPPORTING REMOTE AGENTS
AI-powered platforms also ensure remote agents have secure tools and optimized workflows, a critical capability when office operations are disrupted.
Remote setups have long been a cornerstone of disaster recovery strategies, and the COVID-19 pandemic accelerated this approach. By equipping remote agents with reliable communication platforms and streamlined workflows, AI helps maintain continuity and efficiency: even in the toughest crises.
Equally important, AI acts as a critical resource for supervisors, surfacing insights that enable them to better support their teams.
By identifying issues and providing targeted guidance with the help of AI-powered tools, supervisors can empower agents to deliver the empathy, connection, and resolution customers need when it matters most.
THE ROLE OF AI IN CRISIS RESPONSE
The impact is undeniable. Our data shows that 100 % of contact center leaders using AI just to analyze conversational data report positive outcomes, including:
• Faster resolution times( 57.69 %).
• Reduced agent burnout( 57.69 %).
• Improved customer satisfaction( 57.69 %).
• More personalized interactions( 50 %).
Imagine what a difference AI can make to inform customers. Like whether the power has come back, their flights, buses, or trains are operating, the roads are open, where they can obtain treatment and urgent prescription refills, and when it is safe to return to their homes and workplaces.
THE HUMAN-AI PARTNERSHIP
AI’ s role in crises is about more than just handling the workload: it’ s about working alongside human agents to deliver the best possible outcomes. That’ s where the human-AI partnership shines.
AI doesn’ t replace agents: it equips them with tools to serve customers more effectively. By providing contextual information and suggested resolutions, AI helps agents respond with efficiency and empathy. And when personalized care is needed, virtual assistants seamlessly escalate issues to human agents, ensuring every interaction builds trust and loyalty.
A FUTURE OF RESILIENT SERVICE
By keeping service uninterrupted, empowering both supervisors and agents, and meeting rising customer expectations, AI helps contact centers navigate crises with confidence and efficiency.
It goes beyond keeping operations running; it’ s about delivering experiences that customers remember. In an unpredictable world, the right blend of AI and human expertise ensures companies can provide exceptional service: no matter the challenge.
John Finch leads product marketing at RingCentral for the customer engagement portfolio, which includes RingCX and RingSense AI, as RingCentral expands its global customer engagement reach. He has held product marketing leadership roles at Zendesk, Dialpad, Serenova( LiveOps), and Genesys, launching enterprise SaaS contact center solutions into the market.
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