Consumers don’t just want excellent customer service; they demand it. The pandemic has undoubtedly sped the digitalization of business, and with that, customer expectations have heightened. The driving motivation to adopt artificial intelligence in call centers is to improve customer service. Customer experience is now a higher priority than cost reduction.

Looking toward the future: 2022 Call center trends

When it comes to advanced technologies, call centers are no stranger. Still, many mistakenly assume AI will replace call center jobs. And although AI is powerful, it does not mean human agents will be obsolete. 

It will require call centers to be more dynamic. Agents will need to adapt their skill-set to meet future customers’ demands and the contact center’s growing expectations. You can expect to see some other exciting call center trends for 2021 and 2022. 

1. AI-powered agents will increase 

The use of AI agents will create more of a hybrid model for call centers. With the rise of AI-powered services, many customer inquiries will be automated, leaving the most complex problems for live agents. AI chatbots provide customers with quick answers and thus improve customer support.

2. Intelligent call routing & conversational IVR will be mainstays of self-service

Intelligent call routing systems can predict the best services for customers. Advanced IVR can capture customer profile information and self-submitted data to drive customers through the best flows. All customer information is presented on agent screens upon connection to help agents serve customers faster and more effectively. 

With LiveVox’s IVR, you can focus on the customer’s reason for reaching out in the first place because AI and Machine Learning make it easier to process natural speech intelligently. You can drag, drop, and build experiences tailored specifically for your customers. You can resolve problems quicker and more accurately with customer data for fast customer recognition.

3. Cloud-based software & remote agents aren’t going anywhere

Cloud-based services support remote work. It creates a better customer experience because it gives agents the tools to meet customers’ needs regardless of location. The pandemic has introduced a new standard, and remote work remains a reality for many contact centers. It is no longer necessary to have all your agents in one place — it’s unnecessary. 

Remote agents have more flexibility. You can empower your agents to learn and improve while reducing the cost of running a call center. 

With LiveVox working from home gives you easy-to-use tools to support compliance. Your staff can access the call center platform at any time and from any location to fulfill tasks. Remote options and flexible staffing models help contact centers prepare for the unknown. The beauty of remote work lies in the ability to pivot and scale agent capacity.

4. Highly skilled agents will be in high demand

Launching advanced technologies means customer service agents will need to adapt. Soon, the average customer service agent will need to have a broader range of skills which will require more training. 

Agents will need to have more than excellent communication skills. Future agents will need problem-solving skills, project management experience, and technical training to better understand a product or service depending on the industry. Call centers will require subject matter experts for CRM’s, new apps, and social networks to analyze an increasing range of available data.

5. The Internet of Things (IoT) will become more prevalent for CX use cases 

Often referred to as the third great wave of computing, the “internet of things” could change everything. Imagine if machines could self-diagnose problems and notify the manufacturer of faulty or damaged parts – this removes the need for customer intervention. Customer expectations will grow because instead of buying a product, consumers will seek to purchase products with built-in customer service.

In a world where everything is connected, it could give rise to pre-emptive services. For the contact center, this would require more investment in technologies that will improve customer service and satisfaction.

AI will continue to enhance operations and CX through 2022

Automating process & democratizing data 

Data drives AI, not the other way around. The path to AI success in the contact center begins with having a vast amount of data. If you want to derive insights into agent productivity and consumer behaviors, you need unified data. With an intelligent contact center, you can ensure data is collected, integrated, and available when you need it most. 

The LiveVox platform syncs data together from multiple channels and sources, which makes automating campaigns easy. You can gain insights from data and analytics for continuous improvement and simplifying processes, ultimately saving time and money. 

Personalizing Interactions

Today, most customers own more than one device and often switch between channels. Customers strive for freedom of communication, whether on social networks, in chat, calls, SMS messages, etc. The goal is to provide a personalized and consistent experience for customers on every (any) channel. 

Omnichannel solutions like LiveVox allow your customers to move across channels and distinguish you from your competitors quickly. You will have the power to provide personalization and convenient self-service options. Some examples include digital alternatives like email and messaging and wait-time features, including payment IVRs, place in line notifications, estimated hold times, callbacks, and more. 

You can easily configure the entire customer journey and streamline workflow creation. Quickly create more meaningful interactions that are dynamic and optimized for every customer engagement. When you can unify account-level data, you can tailor conversations based on their profiles to provide a human-like touch.

Future-proof your call center today

The digital transformation is shaping the future of call centers, and tools enabled by AI are not a trend but a necessity. Many have seen the benefits and cost savings of AI. If you want to improve contact resolution times, employee productivity, and customer satisfaction, you need to leverage the right technologies for your call center.