What do technological advancements have in store for call center professionals and processes in 2024?
Software and hardware technology has seen tremendous post-pandemic growth, especially regarding call center workflow requirements. The magnitude of the challenges that cropped up during the pandemic, their severity, complexity, and uniqueness has resulted in rapid advancements in customer experience technology.
Post-COVID advancements in the technology deployed to help customer care personnel include improved AI tools like chatbots, intelligent Interactive Voice Response(IVR) systems, advanced Customer Relationship Management(CRMs) systems, and more. Let’s look at these advancements and how they’ll impact the customer experience in the coming year.
- Predictive Analysis Models
Companies have been amassing customer behavior data and statistics on a large scale. Using this unbiased data to create predictive analysis models with the help of machine learning algorithms is the next step in customer experience technology innovation.
Machine learning is at the core of these analytical models that rely on past customer behavior, decisions, account history, and other statistics to make it easier for companies to offer custom packages to individual customers while empowering the customers to make smarter choices. - Smart Interactive Voice Response Systems
IVR technology makes use of speech recognition programs to gauge the customer’s mood via tone of voice while enabling customers to resolve their issues by themselves. These intelligent systems have access to detailed FAQs, all the account data, and the history of the customer’s past decisions and behavior to customize the automated responses in the system and offer this personalized solution to the customer instantaneously.
Customers also prefer finding their own solutions before approaching call center employees for help, making the adoption of IVR systems a win-win situation for both businesses and customers. - Transparent Rules for Data Privacy
Due to the growing data privacy concerns across the globe, it’s become imperative that companies adopt transparent data privacy policies to maintain the trust customers have imposed in their businesses.
Most customer care service calls, chats, and other modes of communication with customers already carry a disclaimer mentioning that their conversations or online sessions may be recorded. With the California Privacy Act taking effect in 2024 and strict GDPR rules around customer privacy, companies should ensure that their services and staff are up-to-date with the standard policies and legalities of capturing, storing, and proper utilization of customer data. - Digital Tools to Encourage Habit Loops
Advancement in Neural Networks technology has led to the usage of digital tools to implement and encourage habit loops. Push notifications to bring customers back to the business website or app is one such innovation that will see much wider new tech adoption in the coming years.
Endless scrolling, and using discount products and attractive deals after the end of a chat or mobile conversation to lure the customer back to the business are just a few more examples of how you can automatically provide cues to customers and encourage them to keep clicking, scrolling, and spending. - Multiple Integrated Communication Channels
Allowing customers to choose their mode of communication is another trend that’s on the rise. Instead of having a single feedback or communication channel like chatting or voice calls, the trend is to offer multiple channels of communications including chatbots, live chats, phone calls, call-back services, IVR, and email.
Integrated Customer Relationship Management systems store data across multiple communication channels in a single account associated with the customer, keeping staff across different departments updated with the progress of an issue. Customers also report greater satisfaction when they can approach a business in the easiest way possible, be it a phone call or interacting with a chatbot. - Improved Chatbots
Since they were first introduced, chatbots have improved by leaps and bounds. These days, chatbots offer text as well as text-to-speech options, can perform semi-complex functions like connecting you to a resource, pinging for account information, and offering personalized customer solutions.
Expect chatbots to perform even more complex tasks in the coming years like facilitating business processes, aiding customers in creating their accounts, managing assets, anticipating problems and offering troubleshooting advice, as well as appearing more sentient in their conversations.
Adopt These Technology Trends to Improve Your Customer Experience in 2024
If you want your business to thrive, keep your customers engaged and happy, and provide them with the best experience, you must be open to adopting these technological advancements. Indeed, the Covid crisis has given a nitro boost to software and hardware technology overall, and it’s no surprise that new products and service models are released at breakneck speed and are instantly adopted and integrated by fast-paced businesses that stay ahead of the curve.
