WHERE DO YOU SEE THE STATE OF WFH TODAY AND WHERE IS IT GOING?
A: I think it is far less about WFH and far more about asking what provides the best CX. And that’ s where AI comes in. The same thing about AI is true that has been true throughout this entire movement: whatever makes tasks easier for the worker can improve the CX.
I estimate that 30 % of workplace tasks can be automated, and call centers and other customer-facing organizations that are equipped with AI stand to win. And that’ s not necessarily to the detriment of employees. AI agents can and do help them today and will do so tomorrow.
But companies need a strategy to use these human workers to make their AI agents smarter and more effective. This will lead to a wave of upskilling frontline workers to be“ AI Whisperers " who understand and effectively use the technology.
AI Agents are now built with specific skills. An agent built for healthcare can instantly talk to billing systems, patient records, and insurance databases without custom code, unlocking thousands of new opportunities to automate workflows. You still need a human in the loop( HITL), but digital agents can do so much more than simply collect and disseminate information like the contact center of the past.
WITH THE DOWNSIZING OF THE FEDERAL GOV- ERNMENT, DO YOU SEE OPPORTUNITIES FOR WFH BPOS, INCLUDING ICS, TO PICK UP SOME OF THE WORK, LIKE THE CUSTOMER SERVICE OF THOSE DEPARTMENTS? OR DO YOU FORESEE THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT AUTOMATING WITH AI MORE OF THOSE JOBS?
A: I believe there will be a shift to AI and automation first, including at the federal and state governments.
This creates a new opportunity for outsourcers that are not afraid to cannibalize their existing labor businesses. AI systems still need tuners, conversational design specialists, prompt engineers, bias testing, ethical review, etc., all requiring HITL.
SOME STATES HAVE, AND HAVE SOUGHT, TO REGULATE ICS. WHAT HAS BEEN AND WILL BE THE IMPACTS ON THE COSTS AND VIABILITY OF THE IC BPO MODEL?
MANY COMPANIES NOW REQUIRE RTO. WHERE DOES THAT LEAVE REMOTE WORKING, INCLUD- ING IN THE CONTACT CENTER? IS WFH DOOMED?
A: I do not believe WFH is doomed because the benefits of the model far outweigh 100 % RTO. I have always believed in a hybrid approach to WFH and work from office, depending on the requirements for specific businesses and verticals.
AI and automation will cause a restructuring of jobs and skills and the benefits from using the world as your recruiting pool are undeniable. If it offers a competitive advantage, companies will continue to embrace WFH.
THE TRUMP ADMINISTRATION WANTS TO ON- SHORE JOBS. WILL THAT ALSO MEAN CONTACT CENTER WORK? IF SO, DO YOU SEE OPPORTUNI- TIES FOR ONSHORE BPOS TO PICK UP BUSINESS THAT HAD BEEN NEARSHORED / OFFSHORED AND HAVE THE CALLS HANDLED BY WFH AGENTS? OR WILL MORE OF THOSE CALLS BE AUTOMATED?
A: AI and automation will take the place of many near- or offshore jobs that leveraged labor arbitrage. The bigger question is how many contact center jobs can be replaced with digital agents? 40 %- 60 %? 90 %?
8 CONTACT CENTER PIPELINE
A: I don’ t think the IC model is going away; the gig workforce is here to stay. The fundamentals of IC versus employee are still the same from management of the workforce and Internal Revenue Service( IRS) standpoints, so building and maintaining an IC business model will not change. There are too many businesses that leverage ICs to put that genie back in the bottle.
DISASTERS ALSO AFFECT WFH AGENTS. WHAT ARE THE BEST PRACTICES TO PROTECT WFH AGENTS AND TO ENSURE CONTINUITY?
A: Business continuity is a major advantage of a distributed workforce, WFH or not. Kind of like a redundant network, if one node gets knocked out, data can be rerouted. I saw that in the natural disasters this year.
" HOW CAN NEW TECHNOLOGIES... HELP THOSE WORKERS- INCLUDING REMOTE WORKERS- BE MORE EFFECTIVE?"