In today’s rapidly evolving technological landscape, artificial intelligence (AI) has revolutionised how the world works. In this interview with Boomerang’s Call Centre Manager, Lynette Festers, and Head of Digital Transformation, Adriaan Hefer, we will explore the role of AI and tech in customer care. Let’s delve into the benefits it brings, the challenges cropping up, and the way forward for organisations using these technological advancements.

Q1: How is Tech and AI shaping Contact Centres & BPO?

Lynette says; “Tech and AI are transforming call centers and BPOs by automating repetitive tasks, enhancing customer service, and increasing efficiency”.

Adriaan adds; “There are many ways we are using AI and Tech in the contact centre environment, specifically for Sentiment Analysis.

We are currently using technology to:

(1) enhance customer experience by providing insight to the customer sentiment,  better enabling decision making around this

(2) add another dimension to analytics and

(3) enhance our QA capability.”

Q2: What are some benefits you see for Contact Centres like Boomerang who are incorporating AI into Customer Services?

“AI-powered chatbots and virtual assistants manage basic inquiries, while tools like predictive analytics and intelligent routing improve decision-making and call handling. These technologies also enable multilingual support and strengthen fraud detection, making call centers more efficient, secure, and better equipped to meet customer needs. Additionally, AI-driven quality assurance (QA) tools monitor and analyze interactions in real-time, ensuring consistent service standards. This enables additional training and coaching”, says Lynette.

As with any new tech, the integration of AI in Customer Care does not come without challenges. One of the main challenges is the need to develop and train AI systems to handle complex customer queries and interaction.

AI algorithms require vast amounts of data and training to accurately understand human language, tone, and sentiment. This requires significant investment in resources and expertise. Thankfully, Boomerang has been on this journey for some time.

Q3: What are some challenges being faced by organisations when it comes to AI-integration with Customer Care Services?

Adriaan says; “We have a Digital Transformation team focused on addressing challenges such as bot-training and algorithm accuracy. Our Machine Learning technology which is used to provide insight from historical data that is used in models for multiple use cases. For example it is used in compensation models that will advise the Baes on what compensation to offer an unhappy customer based on multiple factors that are built into the model.”

Outsourcing Customer Services to a BPO like Boomerang, inevitably offers organisations the benefit of increased resources and data to ensure the integration of these new technologies is seamless and effective.

Q4: What do you think the future of AI in Customer Care looks like?

Despite the challenges, the way forward for AI and tech in customer care is promising. Emerging technologies such as natural language processing and others have the potential to revamp & improve the way call centres operate.

Lynette concludes; “We always put people first, so we are excited to continue leveraging tech that will help our Baes grow into top Customer Service professionals, delivering world class BPO and doing so efficiently.

Boomerang’s approach to using AI in Customer Service is thus focused on helping teams better manage tasks & data, which leads to efficiency and ultimately allows them to continue making meaningful connections with the organisation’s clients and their customers”.

In the context of customer experience and contact centres, artificial intelligence (AI) and human agents should not be seen as competitors, but as partners.

Why not have the best of both worlds?

Integrating this rising technology into contact centres does not mean we callously disregard human labour. In fact, AI has helped contact centres identify inefficiencies that would have otherwise gone unnoticed. However, it has also – perhaps inadvertently – shone the spotlight on the importance of human connection and empathy, qualities that AI struggles to replicate convincingly.

Embracing Efficiency

The concept of “working smarter, not harder” is nothing new. Coined in the 1930s by creator of the work simplification process Alln Morgenstein, technology pioneers have taken this advice to heart.

While the Council of Europe credits John McCarthy, John Von Neumann, and Alan Turing as the founding fathers of AI, it was the boom in big data and advancements in 2010 that truly brought AI to the forefront. Today, contact centres have adopted the approach of working smarter and more efficiently, thanks to AI, while still maintaining that crucial human connection.

Asking Bold Questions

Technology, especially AI, has given businesses the gumption to ask bold questions about what is possible. This empowers them to select the technological innovations that align with their vision and goals.

Google CEO Sundar Pichai highlighted the power of asking bold questions in a recent post. For Google, its commitment to these questions has resulted in products that serve billions of users worldwide. It’s the courage to seek answers and reflect on the outcomes that separates tech-savvy businesses from the rest. In Google’s case, success came from staying focused on their mission and the people they serve. Pichai writes: “We’ve done this guided by a singular focus on our mission, our belief in applying deep computer science to make people’s lives better, and a healthy disregard for the impossible.”

What’s in it for the Contact Centre Industry

When implementing any technology, it’s perilous to get caught up in the emotion and the the hype. AI holds great potential for the contact centre industry, but it must be integrated intentionally, with a robust focus on people (remember what has worked well between agents and callers).

According to CCW Digital Europe, companies with high-performing AI applications are more likely to see effective leadership and better year-on-year growth. South Africa’s contact centre industry is already expanding its global footprint, with AI playing an increasingly important role. This is a tremendous opportunity, especially considering the country’s high unemployment rate.

Harnessing the Power of the Basics

The first contact centres in South Africa appeared in the 1970s, and since the late 1990s, the industry has experienced remarkable growth due to advancements in computer technology and reduced telecommunications costs. In the midst ofAmid all the new technologies, it’s crucial to keep a level head and an eye on the basics while pursuing innovation, guided by a clear vision. This is why it is vital to recognise and optimise the most valued resource – the people.

Building strong relationships is a fundamental principle for business success. The global boom in outsourcing business processes to developing economies has allowed South African contact centres to form meaningful partnerships worldwide. By integrating AI with top-performing contact centre teams, these partnerships can be maintained and new ones can be established.

Striving for Extraordinary Results

Consistently producing extraordinary results requires a clear vision and the determination to stay the course.

However, in a reframe of the saying ‘what was once magic is now science’, Pichai says: “An essential truth of innovation is that the moment you push the boundary of a technology, it soon goes from extraordinary to ordinary.”

This stands as a caution to rushing in with the hype. By embracing AI and leveraging its capabilities, contact centres can achieve newfound efficiency and success. However, it is important to remember that true longevity and extraordinary results come from a combination of innovation, a solid foundation built on the basics, human-to-human connection and a commitment to delivering exceptional customer experiences.

Artificial Intelligence in Contact Centres is unleashing the Power of Sentiment Analysis. Artificial Intelligence (AI) has catapulted itself into our world, and swiftly become a transformative force in the world of technology. After decades of slow progress we have reached a watershed moment – a “tipping point”, to borrow Malcolm Gladwell’s evocative phrase. The term ‘tipping point’ describes that critical juncture where the technology crosses the threshold and becomes not only embraced but widely adopted. ChatGPT, for instance, is testament to this phenomenon, becoming the fastest growing application in history.

In the context of contact centres, AI stands to revolutionise customer service offerings. This article explores the multifaceted functions of AI, with an emphasis on sentiment analysis and its growing role at BPO provider Boomerang BPO.

AI, as a simulation of human intelligence in machines, involves crafting algorithms that enable computing systems to perform tasks typically reserved for human intelligence. Intelligence itself, in psychological understanding, is a tapestry woven from two threads: these are its crystallized and fluid components.

Crystallised intelligence refers to the accumulation of knowledge, skills and facts amassed over a lifetime by an individual that are used to inform decisions. In this regard, AI enjoys an unprecedented advantage. It has access to a vast repository of data, and in the contact centre environment can draw not only on individual experience (as humans do) but from the pool of collective knowledge. Known as machine learning, AI systems can continuously learn and adapt as new data is integrated.

Fluid intelligence on the other hand refers to the capacity to reason, think logically and solve problems on the fly. It involves abstract thinking, pattern recognition and problem-solving that is not reliant on previously learned information. Strictly speaking, AI does not possess fluid intelligence in the same way that humans do, as AI systems lack the creativity and often the empathy required to deal with completely novel situations. That being said, AI can mimic certain aspects of fluid intelligence by recognizing patterns and making predications based on prior knowledge. However, this is more a product of statistical analysis than real fluid intelligence.

When we apply these insights to business process outsourcing and contact centres, AI is well-positioned to perform those functions that require crystallised intelligence, while the tasks that draw on fluid intelligence are best left to humans. The future lies in a symbiotic  partnership, with AI picking up the customer service tickets the resolution of which depends on comprehensive systems knowledge, and freeing up time and headspace for agents to manage those enquiries that need both human fluid problem-solving as well as empathy.

That said, cutting edge AI is fast becoming an invaluable personal assistant to contact centre agents with regards to the empathy space. This new frontier of the human/ AI partnership has materialized in  sentiment analysis, or the process of recognising emotions as expressed in text. Sentiment analysis goes beyond identifying words and phrases as either positive or negative and focuses on identifying the tone and emotional nuances within the text.

We spoke to Adriaan Hefer, the digital transformation leader at Boomerang. Adriaan says: “The main idea is to improve the customer journey. We use AI to do sentiment analysis and based on the sentiment, AI will suggest different responses. For example, in an email enquiry, our sentiment analysis software will suggest a response to the Bae (what Boomerang call its agents), and the Bae can edit it. Additionally, AI can be ‘listening’ to a chat conversation in the background, and suggest responses to the Bae.”

This is groundbreaking tech, and the system can triage customer support tickets to the most appropriate persons and teams depending on the urgency, the importance or relevance of the customer service ticket or the emotional sentiment of the customer.    The results are faster turn-around through improved productivity, less friction and a better customer journey and service experience overall.

Adriaan shares a success story, saying: “We have done a pilot with one of our clients, and it went very well. The client was looking to get more control over compensation to customers, so we built an AI model that governs compensation, after feeding in historical data that, via machine learning, it uses to make decisions. After evaluating progress, we keep the machine learning switched on and the AI makes better and better calls over time.”

The groundwork has been laid, and with the tipping point having been traversed, we can expect the use of AI in contact centres to balloon. For the team of Baes at Boomerang, this heralds a new era – a personal assistant for every Bae, a function that can draw on the collective experience as rendered into data and suggest solutions to many incoming enquiries. This virtual assistant stands ready to enhance not only efficiency but also the quality of interaction.

Additionally, sentiment analysis can function as an impartial observer, interpreting mood and feeling as these nuanced emotions emerge on the screen, offering invaluable interpretation that enhances the Bae’s understanding as they navigate the delicacies of customer service. With AI as the guide, human beings are better positioned to offer an enriched customer experience.

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📆 Come join us at the #YouAndAI Event on 16 November 2023 to learn more about The Power of AI in Contact Centres: https://www.linkedin.com/events/you-and-ai7120287781607604224/