Times change, wills change! This is what we've been seeing in the Contact Centre over the years... Customer demands have been increasing and the sector has been constantly changing and adapting! Thus, from the more traditional telephone contact system, there has been an evolution towards service via telephone, email, chat, chatbots, etc. (multichannel service). This has had to be personalised, fast and in line with the needs of the customer, who increasingly wants a unique and exclusive experience and service. The latest leap in this ongoing evolution is the use of Artificial Intelligence!

In recent years, Artificial Intelligence (AI) has been playing an increasingly important role in a variety of sectors, and the Contact Centre is no exception! Cláudia Ferreira

The combination of AI's data processing capacity with the empathy and understanding of the human being providing the service can result in greater efficiency and greater customer satisfaction. 

Contact centres deal with a variety of repetitive tasks, such as answering standard questions, providing simple information and routing calls to the appropriate departments. In this case, AI can be used to automate these tasks, freeing up employees to deal with more complex and possibly more important issues.

This leads to an improvement in operational efficiency, but also reduces the workload of employees, allowing them to focus on more meaningful interactions.

Another way in which AI can complement human work in this context is by helping to personalise customer service. With AI algorithms it is possible to analyse a large volume of data in order to understand individual customer preferences, interaction history and even, going a step further, the emotional tone of a conversation.

This information can then be used to personalise interactions, making it possible to offer more relevant and satisfactory solutions.

During a call, contact centre operators often face complex challenges that require quick and accurate responses. AI can provide real-time assistance, suggesting answers based on contextual information as well as the customer's history. This allows operators to solve problems more efficiently, but also increases their confidence and even their ability to respond, especially when they still have little training and/or experience.

Finally, AI can be used to analyse data from past interactions and customer feedback to identify areas for service improvement. By analysing patterns and trends, contact centres can make proactive adjustments to their processes and policies to better respond to customer needs and expectations.

AI therefore has the potential to revolutionise the way contact centres operate, complementing human work and improving the customer experience. By harnessing the power of AI for personalisation, automation, emotion analysis and "on time" assistance, contact centres can offer a more efficient, effective service with a higher satisfaction rate.

However, it is important to remember that AI should be seen as a tool to complement the work of human agents, but not to replace them completely, in order to guarantee an ideal balance between technology and empathy. On the other hand, it is important that companies use this technology responsibly and reflect on the ethical challenges associated with its use. If they do so, they can make the most of AI's transformative potential in customer service and remain competitive in an ever-changing market.