HOW THE U. S. CAN GET BACK IN THE CX GAME
ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE
HOW THE U. S. CAN GET BACK IN THE CX GAME
What stood out from our recent survey is that the U. S is not in the leadership role and is trailing in several categories, even though Silicon Valley is still considered the cradle of AI and technology innovation.
I ' ve seen underlying causes steering toward this shift throughout my professional experience and reviewing analyst research. These are worth discussing.
The U. S. has been in the enviable position of being the world’ s leading economy for many years. The customer service function and its home, the contact center, were invented in the U. S. as far back as the late 1970s and early 1980s with the rise of American consumerism.
But American contact centers began to face new challenges:
• The ascent of the internet and addition of online channels in the late 1990s / early 2000s placed new demands on contact centers.
• The advent of the smart phone and social media in the 2000s took it all to a new level, placing the fate of a brand in the hands of digital consumers with increasing expectations of immediate gratification.
• Cloud computing gained traction in the first two decades of the 2000s, again by and in the U. S. But it wasn’ t until the COVID-19 pandemic that struck in 2020 that the cloud became a necessity for managing operations with remote and hybrid agents.
The question arose, could contact centers be far more economical as well? The rules and tools had to be rewritten. The initial generations of cloud contact centers did not have the functionality customer service teams were used to, and this caused frustration with adoption. Now AI is another, even more profound, disruption in the field.
Other regions of the world, such as Asia-Pacific and Latin America, do not have these issues. That is because their CX industries were more nascent; they were born in the cloud / smartphone era with younger, digital native workforces that are ready and willing to embrace new technologies.
THE AI INVESTMENT MOVE
AI has the power to make agents much more efficient, productive, and insightful for customers, but not without training and new thinking.
There is a significant number of contact center professionals who, like our general population, are aging out of the workforce. Contact center operators are very conscious of this and try to hold onto legacy systems and legacy workforces as long as possible.
Factoring all this into the equation, U. S. CX is perfectly capable of raising its game to become the global innovator again. The answer is AI-powered workforce engagement management( WEM) that helps agents adapt to the new technologies.
To join in the game requires American contact center operators to make the upfront investments in the AI tools, as well as in training to show agents how their work lives can be made easier and their force multiplied with these technologies.
The rewards from winning are there. AI WEM solutions are designed to decrease job friction and increase satisfaction, leading to lower turnover rates and attracting a younger workforce that often chooses employers that offer the most advanced technologies.
28 CONTACT CENTER PIPELINE
Focus on Emotional Intelligence. AI excels in data processing and automation, but human qualities like empathy, creativity and emotional intelligence remain irreplaceable. In customer service, demonstrating genuine empathy and understanding can significantly enhance customer satisfaction.
By honing your emotional intelligence and exercising uniquely human judgement, you can complement AI capabilities and provide a more personalized and humanized CX.
Collaborate With AI. AI is a powerful tool that can augment human capabilities rather than replace them.
In customer service, AI can handle routine queries, analyze customer data, and provide insights, allowing you to focus on complex and high-value tasks. Embrace AI as a collaborator that can streamline your workload, improve decision-making, and enhance overall efficiency.
Adapt to Change. AI adoption often brings about significant changes in workflows and processes by taking over repeatable tasks. This puts agents in a higher value role, requiring greater empathy and“ people skills.”
With reportedly high churn rates in most companies, contact center agents need more training and support. Being adaptable and open to change is essential for thriving in an AI-enhanced environment. By staying flexible, you can quickly adapt to evolving AI applications and capitalize on new opportunities.
Prioritize Data Privacy and Ethics. AI relies heavily on data, making data privacy and ethical considerations paramount. Ensure that you understand and adhere to data privacy regulations and best practices. Being mindful of ethical considerations, such as bias in AI algorithms, can help you maintain trust and integrity in customer interactions.
Communicate Effectively. Clear communication is key to successfully integrating AI into the workplace. Keep an open line of communication with your team and supervisors about the benefits and challenges of AI adoption. Share insights and feedback on how AI tools are impacting your work and collaborate to find solutions to any issues that arise.
Foster a Growth Mindset. Adopting a growth mindset means viewing challenges as opportunities for growth and development. Embrace the learning process, seek feedback and be proactive in developing new skills. A growth mindset will help you stay motivated and resilient as you navigate the changes brought about by AI.
Dave Rennyson is the CEO and Co-Founder of SuccessKPI, an AI workforce engagement management platform. A SaaS veteran and early pioneer of contact center transformation, he previously served in senior executive roles at MicroStrategy, Genesys, Angel, Broadband Office, Interactions, Spirent, and Verizon.