5 Reasons Call Center AI Won't Replace Agents

In a world where we want everything fast, now, and at the click of a button, AI has become a prominent feature of today’s society and a rather helpful tool, at that. When it comes to Call Centers, many have begun to worry that when they call in, a robot or digital persona will be the one to guide them, as opposed to actual human beings and that concept can be unsettling. According to SoftwareAdvice, 63 percent of people over the age of 35 prefer to chat with live beings.

AI could be where contact centers are headed, but they can strengthen the live agents and help aid in giving the best customer service through database collection and technology. AI can keep records of the calls that come in so, if someone has a complaint or a dispute, there is a “paper trail,” so to speak, and that is to be embraced. To reassure anyone who is nervous or skeptical, here are five reasons why AI will enhance not replace agents anytime soon.

First off, AI is extremely costly to implement thoroughly. “Unless you have an insane volume of orders... we are talking tens of thousands of tickets or orders per month, then AI simply is not worth the money and manpower to implement at this time,” according to customer experience expert, David Brown (News - Alert). Secondly, Contact Center AI technology is not there yet, as it is more than financials; many resources go into this particular implementation. Thirdly, AI can help with online inquires such as FAQ; the questions that you do not wait for the human to answer, AI may be able to offer in just minutes via a search.

Fourth, some of the more intricate answers that are needed by customers can only be offered by fellow humans and not AI. There is that high level of intelligence, but not enough to completely and effectively replace a person. Finally, AI can help get the customer to the right person for their needs as well as make sure that the phone calls are handled professionally and properly. If a customer has any complaints with the call center rep they have spoken with, there is now a record, thanks to AI.

Keep in mind, AI was created in 1955 by The Dartmoth Workshop, with the goal to: “finding how to make machines use language, form abstractions and concepts, solve kinds of problems now reserved for humans, and improve themselves.”

Edited by Erik Linask