The impacts of artificial intelligence (AI) in today's businesses can be far-reaching. Organisations can leverage AI tools and solutions to achieve benefits such as more streamlined communications through digitisation that helps to achieve greater process efficiencies. However, one of the most significant impacts of AI is its impact on the human side of the equation, especially when it comes to its uses in contact centres.

AI can have significant impacts and benefits for the human contact centre workforce. While previously contact centre agents may have been concerned that AI would replace the human element, businesses can benefit by leveraging AI to support human agents rather than replace them. In addition, using AI can enhance both the agent and customer experience (CX) in contact centres.

On average, contact centre agents spend 14% of their working time looking for information required to do their jobs. In an average eight-hour workday, this equates to more than an hour a day of productivity costs due to inefficient processes. However, AI tools like virtual assistants, automation, and machine learning can improve efficiencies across the board.

Contact centres that leverage AI solutions — especially technologies like virtual assistants, augmented intelligence, and automation — can essentially provide immediate access for human agents to more specific and useful information about caller behaviours and interactions. Virtual assistants combined with automation especially can help agents access the information they need immediately, rather than investing 14% of their time manually retrieving it.

By improving the agent experience and empowering agents to streamline efficiencies and productivity across the board, AI technologies will also enhance the customer experience.

AI technologies can facilitate better training for contact centre agents. And when combined with machine learning, they can be optimised to analyse caller interactions and provide real-time guidance for agents by using qualitative metrics such as call sentiment or behaviours.

When agents have access to the information they need at their fingertips, they can provide more efficient customer experiences during interactions. Similarly, by leveraging real-time guidance and immediate feedback to agents through the analysis of call interactions, agents can learn faster and reduce errors, leading to more positive CX.

In addition to improving CX on calls with human agents, AI technologies can also be used across omnichannel environments. For example, machine learning can help uncover trends in customer data and behaviours, leading to more comprehensive insights into customer churn and repeat contact.

AI can be an exceptionally useful tool for improving CX, both in terms of how human agents interact with customers and the channels that customers use to engage with contact centres. By leveraging AI tools and technologies as part of digital transformation, organisations can significantly improve operations and efficiencies.