6 ways to increase contact center productivity with AI and automation

Like a smart security system that automatically locks the door at a certain hour of the day, an energy monitoring system that reduces energy consumption based on your previous usage history, or even smart plugs that allow you to control the microwave and the oven with the sound of your voice—what sounded like science fiction just a few years ago is now part of our lives. Artificial intelligence (AI) and automation are changing the way we live and simplifying our routine tasks, enabling us to pay attention to what really matters.

What does this mean for the contact center? Automating contact center tasks is about saving agents’ time and effort and allowing them to focus on the customer. With agents spending less time on routine tasks, they can provide customers with better service and create deep relationships that foster retention and loyalty.

Six tips to improve contact center productivity.

Below, you can find examples of how contact center automation increases agent productivity and enhances both the agent and the customer experience.

1. Provide contextual, relevant information to agents.

There is no bigger productivity-zapper than constantly having to search through multiple systems, calling in a manager, or asking a colleague to find an answer to a common question. To avoid this, companies can use an AI-powered knowledge base, combined with virtual agent assistants, to give agents contextual and relevant information that helps them solve customer queries quicker and easier.

For example, if a customer calls with a troubleshooting question, the agent can type the problem description in the knowledge base and instantly be directed to the product documentation. Also, if the knowledge base is on the company’s website and accessible to customers, agents can try to direct them during the call, so they’re able to search there first the next time they have a question, decreasing the number of calls.

Agent assist technology helps agents handle customers in real time by giving recommendations on what they should say during conversations with customers. It can analyze the context of the conversation, predict customer needs, and suggest appropriate responses, improving the quality of customer service.

Talkdesk Agent Assist can guide agents through complex processes and provide instant access to relevant information, reducing the time agents spend searching for answers. It automatically captures important interaction details and updates customer records. This allows agents to focus more on the customer and less on administrative tasks, resulting in more efficient and personalized customer service.

2. Automate repetitive, manual tasks.

Automating repetitive tasks frees agents to handle complex customer issues, significantly reduces errors,  and ensures that the information in your business tools is always up-to-date. Streamline contact center operations and enhance agent productivity and team performance with contact center software that offers automated tasks such as:

• Call logging and recording after a call ends.
• Updating customer information on CRM.
• Proactively sending customer order update messages.

Automatic summary offers an accurate summary of each customer interaction, capturing the key points and outcomes. These summaries can then be quickly reviewed by agents, managers, or other team members, significantly reducing the time spent manually documenting interactions.