The future of call center AI is frustration-free customer service

By Nikola Mrkšić

Picture this: You’re trying to reach a customer service support line for a straightforward question, but the voice at the other end keeps asking you to describe your problem “in a few words.”

After multiple attempts to appropriately rephrase your request, the obviously robotic voice still doesn’t understand your problem. You desperately plead with the robot voice to “speak to a representative,” and you’re momentarily relieved to hear the connection tone…until the robot voice says, “We’re sorry, all of our representatives are assisting other customers. Please hold, and we will connect you as soon as possible.”

After an extended hold period, you finally resign yourself to calling back later to try again and hang up the phone without answers.

This situation is the frustrating reality of contact centers using traditional interactive voice response (IVR) systems. The stilted responses, inaccurate speech recognition and convoluted menu trees of IVRs have exasperated callers for years and given call center AI a bad rap.

Human agents aren’t immune from that negative perception, either — because of constant high call volumes, the unending barrage of frustrated customers who’ve already struggled through an ineffectual IVR system, and high employee turnover, many call center representatives are spread too thin to be able to provide outstanding customer service. Between these browbeaten reps and less-than-helpful technology, the traditional call center is in crisis.

However, new advances in deep learning and natural language processing are revolutionizing call center voice AI. Cutting-edge, intelligent voice assistants can better understand customer questions and issues, resulting in quicker call resolutions with shorter hold times and reduced headaches for callers and human representatives.

Customer frustration with call centers stemming from long wait times, lack of solutions and poor employee attitudes is a major pain point that harms customer satisfaction and loyalty. Integrating powerful virtual agents with next-gen conversational AI into call center workflows promises to greatly alleviate customer discontent via shorter wait times, 24/7 availability, instant access to information and more positive interactions.

Though AI currently has limitations when handling more nuanced issues, the future of call center AI points to more seamless, streamlined experiences that deliver the empathy, solutions and human touch needed for frustration-free customer service.

The classic call center reimagined

It’s time to leave behind the image of packed call centers buzzing with hundreds of agents. The landscape is transforming, shifting towards a more streamlined model empowered by intelligent virtual assistants and a cloud-based tech stack. This trend, known as Contact Center-as-a-Service (CCaaS), redefines customer support with a powerful combination of AI and specialized agents.

Implementing a CCaaS model can quickly take your call center from crowded chaos to organized efficiency. Intelligent voice assistants act as the first line of defense, tackling common inquiries and efficiently routing complex issues to the right human expert. As these virtual agents mature, they astutely handle the more repetitive tasks, freeing valuable specialist time to address more in-depth customer problems.

But AI doesn’t operate in a silo. Behind the scenes, AI trainers continuously fine tune the capabilities of these sophisticated voice assistants to ensure operations run smoothly. While virtual assistants capably manage high-volume inquiries, live agents still step in when the situation requires empathy and emotional intelligence. These agents can forge meaningful connections and provide the human touch that AI currently lacks.

This powerful pairing of machine and human skills represents the future of contact centers. It’s an efficient, scalable model that remains fundamentally human-centric when it matters most. AI handles the routine, while specialized agents build relationships and cultivate loyalty — a winning combination for brands and customers.

Value-driven tech and customer-centric care

Economic challenges are propelling the move toward automated customer service. Many companies face pressure to cut costs due to financial uncertainty while also dealing with labor shortages, particularly for entry-level positions. In 2022, call center agent turnover jumped to 38%, leaving leaders scrambling to fill the gaps. For many businesses, AI-enabled automation has become the most viable path forward.

Even while navigating crisis-level staffing issues, brands still recognize the need to optimize customer journeys with problem-solving technology. Across industries, companies are exploring voice assistants to drive efficiency without sacrificing quality – increasing productivity without adding to headcount while maintaining customer satisfaction. Organizations can leverage AI assistance to reduce staffing expenses and deliver fast, accurate service.

In the past, chatbots focused on appearing human-like to build trust, which was much easier to do in text-based environments but because of the nuances of voice, extremely difficult to accomplish over the phone. Today’s most sophisticated voice AI rethinks that approach. Leading providers are engineering virtual agents to be supremely competent at resolving customer needs, not just imitating human traits. The emphasis now is on creating voice assistants so skilled at handling inquiries that it doesn’t matter if they’re not human. Because, at the end of the day, customers want their issues solved, regardless of who or what is managing their support.

This shift highlights the maturing capabilities of AI. As machine learning advances, virtual agents will earn trust purely through competence and precision. Their success will hinge not on their “humanity” but on their ability to expertly address customer needs. In the not-too-distant future, automated agents will secure their place in the customer service ecosystem by being the most effective, not the most human.

The seamless partnership between AI-powered voice assistants and knowledgeable human representatives is the true evolution of customer service, driven by operational necessity and the promise of a better experience for everyone involved. Curtailing customers’ call center frustrations with intelligent, understanding voice assistants will drive loyalty, reduce employee attrition and pave the way for sustainable organizational success.

About the Author

Nikola Mrkšić is the Co-founder and CEO of PolyAI. He graduated from the University of Cambridge with a Ph.D. in Machine Learning and Natural Language Processing, and the views expressed in this article are his own

Nikola was named in the Forbes 30 under 30 in 2021 for his work with PolyAI.