Virtual Agents in Contact Centers: Current Trends, Best Practices, and Top Providers

Exploring the Latest Trends and Best Practices in Contact Center Virtual Agents

Contact center virtual agents have been making waves in the customer experience (CX) industry over the past year. With predictions that AI and virtual agents could potentially make call centers obsolete, the future of customer service seems to be heading towards automation and advanced technology.

However, recent research from Gartner suggests that we are still a long way from achieving fully automated customer service. Only 14 percent of customer service issues are currently resolved by a company’s self-service channel, highlighting the gap between ambition and reality in the contact center space.

To delve deeper into the current state of the contact center virtual agent market, CX Today hosted a roundtable discussion with industry specialists. Ram Menon, Sebastian Glock, David Schreffler, and Michael Maas shared insights on the latest trends and best practices for deploying virtual agents.

One key trend discussed was the integration of virtual agents with advanced automation technologies to manage entire workflows from start to finish. This hyper-automation approach leverages AI, machine learning, and robotic process automation to automate complex processes across multiple systems, resulting in faster and more accurate resolutions.

Another trend highlighted was the use of sentiment-aware virtual agents to create personalized customer experiences. By analyzing customer sentiment and responding accordingly, virtual agents can enhance customer interactions and improve overall satisfaction.

Additionally, the roundtable experts discussed the importance of virtual agents supporting employees in real-time, as well as the increasing adoption of voice-driven virtual agents to handle customer calls.

When it comes to best practices for deploying virtual agents, the specialists emphasized the need for ongoing monitoring and adjustment of virtual agent performance, as well as responsible and transparent AI use to prevent biases and ensure compliance with regulatory standards.

Furthermore, giving virtual agents a personality that aligns with the brand’s values and training them with historical customer service data can enhance their effectiveness in addressing customer needs.

The roundtable also highlighted leading providers in the contact center virtual agent market, such as Avaamo, Cognigy, Kore.ai, and Sprinklr, each offering unique solutions to help businesses improve their customer service operations.

In conclusion, while the future of contact center virtual agents looks promising, there are still challenges to overcome in achieving fully automated customer service. By staying informed on the latest trends and best practices, businesses can leverage virtual agents to enhance customer experiences and drive operational efficiency in their contact centers.

LEAVE A REPLY

Please enter your comment!
Please enter your name here