ILLUSTRATION PROVIDED BY ADOBE STOCK

TALENT IN THE AGE OF AI HOW BEST TO RECRUIT ( AND RETAIN ) THE NEXT-GEN CONTACT CENTER STAFF .

BY TRICIA MANNING , VERINT

Particularly , AI for agent and supervisor assistance and AI bots for tackling and automating repetitive tasks will significantly free up time , allowing supervisors to do much more valuable work , such as coaching or rewarding agents .

Best of all , with intelligent interviewing solutions powered by AI , supervisors are set up for success with top talent from the start . AI is also making business intelligence and reporting more accessible , so that organizations can quickly pinpoint and resolve issues for continuous improvement without latency .

AI FOR HIRING TOP TALENT

AI and automation are transforming talent management in the contact center , and it couldn ’ t come at a better time for several reasons .

The critical need for organizations to attract , nurture , and retain quality talent in today ’ s challenging job market is not lost on contact center leaders . Particularly when considering the high cost and effort to hire and onboard new contact center agents coupled with the industry ’ s historically high turnover rates and , according to the U . S . Bureau of Labor Statistics , the slowdown in the growth of available workers .

In addition , the role of contact center agents has evolved as the importance of the call center is increasingly transitioning to a value center , requiring a more highly-skilled , sophisticated workforce to manage complex customer inquiries .

Customers with urgent and complicated issues often select live assistance over self-service options . For those interactions , agents need fast and easy access to searchable knowledge bases , tutorials , and automated real-time guidance .

Given these challenges , the tasks handled by today ’ s contact center agent have evolved significantly , requiring both hard and soft skills .

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