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For decades, organizations have relied on Business Process Outsourcers (BPOs) to improve customer service and allow their internal teams to focus on their core business competencies. This trend has been a game-changer for many organizations, enabling them to enhance efficiency, scale their operations, and ultimately deliver better service to their customers.
On the flip side, focusing on customer support as a service has allowed BPOs like Inktel Contact Center Solutions to have a front row seat to the changing CX landscape. In a recent interview, Ricky Arriola, CEO of Inktel, shared his insights on how AI is transforming the BPO and contact center industry and what we can expect in the future.
Productivity gains with AI
AI is already improving contact center productivity across the board. By automating routine tasks and providing advanced tools for customer interactions, AI allows human agents to focus on more complex issues that require a personal touch. “AI is a crucial component in modernizing and automating customer service operations, offering efficiency and scalability,” Ricky said.
This means that BPOs can handle higher volumes of customer interactions with the same or fewer resources, driving significant productivity gains. “A lot of what we’re doing for our clients is using technology to drive that performance,” Ricky said. “What remains to be seen is when, how fast and in what modalities companies and customers will want to see AI. I think at a bare minimum, we’re going to see massive productivity gains.”
Removing friction from customer experiences
AI has the potential to significantly reduce friction in customer interactions and incentivize customers to call into businesses more. By providing quick and accurate responses, AI can streamline the customer experience, making it easier and more satisfying for customers to get the help they need. This can lead to higher customer satisfaction and increased loyalty.
“I think a lot of customers dread calling customer service because it still is not a consistent experience. For the most part we expect long wait times, and I might not call companies that I purchase goods and services from because I don’t want to go through that 15-minute to an hour pain.”
When AI is able to eliminate wait times and ensure every caller gets a resolution without holding, callers become more willing to reach out to customer service. “To the extent that AI makes customer service more pleasant, more efficient, it’s going to give callers a better relationship with the companies that you choose to buy products and services from.”
Increasing agent engagement
AI isn’t just beneficial for customers; it also has a positive impact on customer service agents. By taking over repetitive and mundane tasks, AI frees up agents to engage in more meaningful and fulfilling work. This not only improves their job satisfaction but enables them to develop deeper relationships with customers.
Ricky emphasizes the importance of training and management in delivering excellent customer service, noting that AI can assist in these areas by providing agents with real-time guidance and support. “80% of their work is coming from the same 20 questions,” Ricky said. “That can lead to burnout. If AI puts customer service agents in positions where they can actually truly help and add value, it will reward those agents much higher and raise customer satisfaction much higher.”
Increased excitement among enterprises
Advancements in AI have generated significant excitement among enterprises. Businesses are recognizing the potential of AI to transform their customer service operations and are eager to adopt these technologies. This enthusiasm is driving rapid adoption of AI-powered solutions in the BPO industry, leading to continuous innovation and improvement across customer service.
“We work with many dozen really great blue chip Fortune 500 companies, and the vast majority are just dipping their toes in this water,” he said. “They’re all excited, but they don’t really know how to take advantage of this yet. I think customer service is a clear area where AI will really impact organizations in terms of their productivity and cost.”
The integration of AI into both BPOs and in-house contact centers is revolutionizing the customer service landscape. By improving productivity, reducing friction, increasing agent engagement, and generating excitement among enterprises, AI is set to drive significant advancements in the industry.
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