Written by Shawn Ollis, VP of Global Operations
Customer service executives are focused on achieving two things simultaneously: (A) They want to deliver a fantastic customer experience (CX) every time a customer interacts with their brand. (B) They want to deliver this without forcing the CFO to review the customer service budget.
How can the customer service budget be controlled or even reduced while the service to customers remains excellent? It sounds like a top-notch chef aiming to create a gourmet meal on a limited budget. No Wagyu beef or truffles here! Just as a chef must carefully balance ingredients and cooking techniques to deliver a delicious dish within budget, customer service executives must balance resources and strategies to provide exceptional service without overspending.
Although there are strategies that allow CX leaders to truly square this circle, technologies such as artificial intelligence (AI) are creating opportunities to enhance customer satisfaction while minimizing operational costs.
Here are a few areas where these tools can make a difference:
1.) Quality:
AI can be used to audit the quality of every single call. In the past, supervisors typically reviewed a sporadic sample of calls, monitoring 3-7% of all calls. However, with AI, every call can be monitored continuously, and any anomalies can be promptly flagged for supervisor review. Not only does this mean that all calls are audited for quality, but it creates an opportunity for supervisors to coach agents where the true greatest needs exist – to create a culture of continuous improvement.
2.) Training:
Quality audits help with ongoing improvement, but AI can also be used to onboard agents faster than ever by allowing them to train in customer situations (created by the training system) that feel very real. Instead of training feeling like stale, boring lectures, it can feel like a complete simulation of real customer interactions.
3.) Support:
AI can ‘listen’ to real-time customer calls and react. This could be just to remove the need for manual call administration – categorizing the call and writing notes. There is no need for all this busywork if the AI can do it all automatically, which will reduce inefficiencies and the time required. AI can also advise the agent on the next best action, removing guesswork and ensuring accurate information is provided. Instead of placing the customer on hold while the agent searches manually, AI can have the information ready immediately – no need for any waiting. It’s like having a real-time digital assistant always trying to make the call easier.
These are not speculative suggestions or ideas. We have multiple clients that are already using AI in this way. They are improving quality, strengthening their workforce to deliver better, faster service, and making life better for both agents and customers. The customer-handling process is supported by technology, improving accuracy and productivity.
However, throwing technology at a customer service process is not the answer to every issue. It’s possible that it could be a problem that can be resolved by technology, but there could also be quality problems, process issues that need streamlining, workforce challenges, or a new focus on what can be achieved from customer interactions – rather than just considering all customer service as a necessary cost of doing business.
One Last Point
That is very important. When the CFO asks how much your customer service budget needs to be next year – and how it can be justified – it can be very powerful to point out exactly how many revenue-generating opportunities are created from these customer interactions.
Innovation and new technology can be a game-changer. However, our approach at DATAMARK is always based on solid processes, engineering, and design principles. We explore the problem, examine how the process is managed today, and consider how it could be improved or streamlined. This may include tools like AI offering automation or new ways to deliver customer service.
With this combination of insight and the right technology, you can deliver a smarter customer experience. You can feel confident that when the CFO calls to ask for an explanation of the customer service budget, there is an opportunity to control costs, develop innovative solutions, and deliver an experience every customer will remember.
Enhancing CX and minimizing costs simultaneously are possible. It requires a focus on understanding the process and the opportunities of new technology to improve the customer experience.
You should expect these insights when you investigate what a potential CX partner can offer. If your potential partner explores what you are doing and suggests improvements using new ideas and technology, you can be assured that this is a partner who will tell you what your customers will expect next year.
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