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One-Third of interactions with GenAI services will use action models & autonomous agents for task completion

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One-third of interactions with generative AI (GenAI) services will use action models and autonomous agents for task completion by 2028.

Autonomous agents are combined systems that achieve defined goals without repeated human intervention, using a variety of AI techniques to make decisions and generate outputs. They have the potential to learn from their environment and improve over time, enabling them to handle complex tasks.

“In the future, human interactions with GenAI may evolve from users prompting large language models (LLMs) to users interfacing directly with autonomous intent-driven agents, which could allow for a higher degree of autonomy and much better alignment with human goals,” said Arun Chandrasekaran, Distinguished VP Analyst at Gartner.

Autonomous Agents Will Impact Several Business Sectors
Autonomous agents can perform a variety of tasks, such as chaining different types of models, verifying the output of a model before inputting into another model and running in a continuous loop to process streaming inputs. These tasks can translate into capabilities such as accessing the internet and using applications, controlling model output and automating complex business processes based on human intent.

“Autonomous agents can reduce the need for human intervention when interacting with LLMs and reduce the burden on business users across many sectors, as they are able to spend less time on advanced prompt engineering,” said Chandrasekaran.

Autonomous agents will have an impact across several sectors:

  • Healthcare: Autonomous agents can help medical professionals in areas such as disease diagnostics, treatment planning and patient care.
  • Education: Autonomous agents can offer personalized learning experiences and adapt teaching methods to the needs of individual students.
  • Gaming: Autonomous agents can observe and interact with human players and provide more immersive and realistic experiences.
  • Insurance: Autonomous customer service apps can handle most policyholder interactions through voice and text, and can assist with claims, fraud, medical service, policy and repair systems. They can have a dramatic impact on resolution, with responses and actions taking minutes rather than days or weeks.

Use Clear Objective Functions as the Foundation for Autonomous Agents

“Autonomous agents need a clear objective function so that their behaviors can be controlled in a meaningful way to deliver value,” said Chandrasekaran. “The tasks autonomous agents can perform, such as verifying the output of a model before inputting into another model, has the ability to control model output and automate complex business processes based on human intent. But this can only be achieved with a clear objective function.”

In order to achieve this, Gartner suggests that organizations:

  • Identify use cases in which action models and autonomous agents can add value by reducing the amount of human effort and skill needed.
  • Build an architecture to enable autonomous agents to thrive. Do so by providing tool integration and access to knowledge repositories and long-term memory, enabling agents to demonstrate expanded reasoning and expertise.
  • Acknowledge that action models and autonomous agents aren’t a substitute for prompt engineering — their ultimate potential remains tied to the quality of the prompts they receive.
  • Balance between autonomy and control through extended pilots and rigorous agent monitoring.

GUIDE: How to use AI to personalise customer service

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You may be looking to scale your customer service with AI, but hesitant about how AI may present your organisation to your customers and prospects. As a result, we wanted to share this guide from Freshworks, to investigate how you can adopt the right AI workflows to make teams more productive, reduce wait times for customers and also communicate with customers in the right way, the first time of asking.

The guide explores how you can use AI-powered omnichannel solutions to deliver personalised support by:

  • Supporting customers across channels of their choice with chatbots
  • Ensuring that your customers have a conversational experience, even with automated responses, using generative AI
  • Empowering agents with the necessary AI-powered tools and resources for contextual support

Furthermore, the link from Freshworks contains a great kit for Customer Support leaders who are looking at their planning and priority investment areas in 2024. Use the navigation on the left hand side to review the materials.

Take a look at the insights, here!

Want to hear more? Freshworks will be exhibiting at the Contact Centre & Customer Services Summit on the 29th and 30th April, 2024.

Thank you,

Team Freshworks

If you specialise in Automated Customer Satisfaction solutions we want to hear from you!

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Each month on Contact Centres Briefing we’re shining the spotlight on a different part of the customer care market – and in April we’re focusing on Automated Customer Satisfaction solutions.

It’s all part of our ‘Recommended’ editorial feature, designed to help customer care industry buyers find the best products and services available today.

So, if you’re a supplier of Automated Customer Satisfaction solutions and would like to be included as part of this exciting new shop window, we’d love to hear from you – for more info, contact Mark Connell on m.connell@forumevents.co.uk.

Here are the areas we’ll be covering, month by month:

Apr – Automated Customer Satisfaction
May – Social Media
Jun – Artificial Intelligence
Jul – Virtual Call/Contact Centres
Aug – Training & Development
Sep – Knowledge Management
Oct – Web Self Service/Chat
Nov – Display Boards
Dec – CRM
Jan – Agent Coaching & Monitoring
Feb – Analytics
Mar – Call Centre Technology

For more information on any of the above, contact Mark Connell on m.connell@forumevents.co.uk.

Photo by Aleksandra Sapozhnikova on Unsplash

Contact Centre Customer Services Summit: Full agenda released for April’s big event

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We still have a handful of complimentary places for you to attend the Contact Centre Customer Services Summit on 29th & 30th April at the Radisson Hotel & Conference Centre, London Heathrow – Claim yours today before they’re gone!

Your place is entirely free of charge and includes hospitality, including overnight accommodation, all meals and refreshments and industry related workshops.

The Summit has been designed to help you build business connections with the latest innovative and budget-saving suppliers within the industry.

Click Here To Register

Event Agenda:

Monday 29th April

08:00 – 08:45 Registration

08:45 – 09:30 Opening presentation

“The elevated experience: how to rocket launch your customer experience & your team at the same time!”
Daniel Lewis, Customer Experience Expert, Owner – Daniel’s Chai Bar

09:45 – 10:30 Seminar

“Voice of the Contact Centre Consumer 2024”
Stephen Yap, Research Director – CCMA

10:40 – 13:15 Pre-arranged 1-2-1 meetings with suppliers of your choice

13:15 – 14:15 Networking lunch

14:15 – 16:50 Pre-arranged 1-2-1 meetings with suppliers of your choice

17:00 – 17:45 Seminar

“Case Study – The impact of effective conversation design and the value of clear, concise messaging – how Riverside Housing reduced abandonment rates, wait times and improved their SLA”
Sally Greenaway, Director – PremierCX

19:30 – 20:00 Pre-dinner drinks

20:00 – 23:30 Three-course dinner, with entertainment

Tuesday 30th April

07:30 – 08:45 Breakfast

09:00 – 09:45 Seminar

Panel session: “Building excellent customer service in cooperation with AI”
Presented by expert speakers from Freshworks

09:55 – 13:00 Pre-arranged 1-2-1 meetings with suppliers of your choice

13:00 – 14:00 Networking lunch

Secure your place here or contact us today for more information.

TECHNOLOGY MONTH: Contact Centre tech in the rearview mirror and the road ahead

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The past ten years have witnessed a revolution in contact centre management, propelled by rapid advancements in technology. Here’s a glimpse into the key drivers of this transformation, plus what lies ahead…

Transformation in the Past Decade:

  • The Rise of Cloud: The shift from on-premises solutions to cloud-based contact centres has been a defining trend. This shift offers increased scalability, cost-effectiveness, and accessibility, allowing businesses to adapt to changing needs and deploy solutions remotely.

  • AI and Machine Learning (ML): AI and ML have significantly impacted contact centres. Chatbots and virtual assistants now handle routine inquiries, freeing up human agents for complex tasks. Additionally, ML-powered analytics offer valuable insights into customer sentiment, enabling data-driven decision-making.

  • Omnichannel Communication: Customers today expect seamless interaction across channels like voice, email, social media, and chat. Omnichannel contact centres provide a unified experience, regardless of the chosen communication method.

  • Automated Workforce Management (AWFM): AWFM solutions optimize agent scheduling and routing, ensuring efficient resource allocation and reduced wait times. This automation leads to improved customer satisfaction and operational efficiency.

  • Self-service options: Empowering customers with self-service options like knowledge bases, FAQs, and automated self-service portals reduces strain on live agents and empowers customers to find solutions independently.

Looking to the Future:

While the past decade has seen remarkable progress, the future of contact centre management holds even greater promise:

  • Emergence of AI-powered sentiment analysis: AI will go beyond simple chatbots, analyzing voice and text interactions to understand customer sentiment in real-time. This will enable agents to tailor their communication and offer personalized service.

  • Augmented Reality (AR) and Virtual Reality (VR): AR and VR technologies could revolutionize customer support, enabling remote visual assistance or virtual training environments for agents.

  • Greater focus on customer experience (CX): Technology will be harnessed to create personalized, empathetic, and delightful customer experiences, becoming a key differentiator in a competitive market.

  • Increased automation, but with a human touch: While automation will streamline operations, the human element will remain crucial for building trust and handling complex interactions. The future lies in a collaborative approach where technology empowers agents to deliver exceptional service.

The evolution of contact centre technology is now over. By embracing these advancements and remaining agile, businesses can create future-proof contact centres that deliver exceptional customer experiences and remain competitive in the ever-evolving landscape.

Are you searching for contact centre technology solutions for your organisation? The Contact Centre Summit can help!

Photo by Tim van der Kuip on Unsplash

Planning Guide 2024: Customer Experience

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71% of CX leaders plan to invest in tech to elevate customer insights. How are they planning to utilise it?

Check out The Forrester guide, in partnership with Freshworks to review:

  • The right areas to invest in CX in 2024
  • Spending benchmarks curated from 600+ global companies
  • How to experiment with emerging technology like generative AI

Furthermore, the link from Freshworks contains a great kit for Customer Support leaders who are looking at their planning and priority investment areas in 2024. Use the navigation on the left hand side to review the materials.

Take a look at the insights, here!

Want to hear more? Freshworks will be exhibiting at the Contact Centre & Customer Services Summit on the 29th and 30th April, 2024.

Thank you,

Team Freshworks

3 tips for contact centres in 2024

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It’s no secret that customers want to use their preferred platforms when communicating with customer service professionals, as well as being given a personalised experience when doing so. This is why contact centres are massively important from a strategic perspective, and particularly, contact centres that operate efficiently.

With this in mind, Rob Mead, Head of Strategic Marketing at Gnatta, is sharing three tips for contact centres in 2024…

  1. Lean into the shift towards greater flexibility 

Like most other industries, customer service can benefit from providing staff with flexibility. But while some businesses might still be reluctant to introduce a flexible working style into their contact centres, there are ways to create a mutually beneficial way of working that offers the work-life balance that employees are looking for while maintaining effective operations. In 2024, contact centre managers should begin to take advantage of technology that supports flexible working. From self-service shift changing to WFM software offering valuable insights on productivity, using these tools and technologies can help you keep employee satisfaction high without compromising on customer service.

2. Embrace generative AI

Artificial intelligence is growing and learning at a rapid pace, meaning it can bring more predictive and personalised customer service. Embracing this technology now will help contact centres learn alongside it and gain a better understanding of how it works. The more that contact centres work with generative AI, the more intelligence it can bring to your style of customer support. While we don’t see it replacing physical agents, it’s difficult not to see the major benefits it can have on efficiency and productivity.

3. Replace ticket-based systems with interaction-based customer service

The inefficiency and lack of personalisation that come with ticketed customer support become more apparent as more and more contact centres switch to an interaction-based model. We recommend switching to interaction-based customer service because this allows agents to pull up customer information and past exchanges quickly and easily, making support much more efficient overall.

Photo by BoliviaInteligente on Unsplash

ANALYTICS MONTH: From enhanced customer insights to better QA – How AI and machine learning are impacting contact centre analytics

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Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Machine Learning (ML) are pioneering a significant analytics revolution for contact centres. These advanced technologies are transforming the way contact centres operate, offering unprecedented insights into customer behaviour, enhancing service quality, and driving operational efficiency. Here’s an exploration of how AI and ML are at the forefront of the analytics revolution in contact centres…

Enhanced Customer Insights: At the heart of AI and ML capabilities is the ability to process and analyse vast amounts of data at incredible speeds. Contact centers generate a wealth of data from every interaction, whether it’s through voice calls, chat, email, or social media. AI and ML algorithms can sift through this data to extract valuable insights about customer preferences, behavior patterns, and sentiment. This deep understanding enables contact centers to tailor their services to meet customer needs more effectively, improving satisfaction and loyalty.

Predictive Analytics for Personalised Experiences: One of the most powerful applications of AI and ML in contact centres is predictive analytics. By analyzing past interactions and outcomes, these technologies can predict future customer inquiries or issues before they arise. This predictive capability allows contact centres to proactively address customer needs, personalise interactions, and even anticipate and prevent potential problems. The result is a more seamless, efficient, and personalised customer experience.

Optimising Workforce Management: AI and ML are also revolutionising workforce management in contact centres. These technologies can analyze patterns in call volumes, chat traffic, and other interactions to predict peak periods and optimal staffing levels. This enables contact centers to allocate resources more efficiently, ensuring that they have the right number of agents available at the right times. Additionally, AI-driven training programs can identify skill gaps among agents and customize training content to address these needs, enhancing overall performance.

Improving Quality Assurance: Traditional quality assurance in contact centres has been labor-intensive, with managers manually reviewing a small sample of interactions. AI and ML have changed the game by enabling the automated analysis of every interaction. This comprehensive approach ensures consistent quality and compliance, identifies areas for improvement, and highlights exemplary interactions for training purposes. Moreover, real-time feedback from AI systems can guide agents during interactions, helping them to meet quality standards consistently.

Future Trends: Looking ahead, the integration of AI and ML in contact centers is set to deepen. We can expect to see more advanced natural language processing capabilities, enabling even more nuanced understanding of customer sentiment and intent. Additionally, the integration of AI and ML with other technologies, such as Internet of Things (IoT) devices, could open up new avenues for customer support and engagement.

AI and ML are at the forefront of the analytics revolution in contact centres, driving enhancements in customer insights, personalised experiences, workforce management, and quality assurance. As these technologies continue to evolve, they promise to further transform the contact centre landscape, setting new standards for customer service excellence.

Are you looking for Analytics solutions for your contact centres? The Contact Centre & Customer Services Summit can help!

Photo by Kevin Ku on Unsplash

AI set to impact customer experience in financial services

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New research reveals that the majority (52%) of financial services employees feel positive or very positive about the growth of AI, and 62% say learning to use new technologies increases their motivation at work and improves customer experience. More than half (56%) are also confident they have the necessary skills to work with more AI tools.

The research, which polled 500 financial services employees (banking and insurance) in the UK and Ireland, was commissioned by payroll and HR software provider Zellis and suggests most employees are set to embrace new technologies as adoption increases across the banking and insurance industries.

Other notable findings show that 42% of respondents believe AI will help them to learn new skills, a figure that rises to 60% amongst those who work for larger financial services organisations (+1,000 employees). Thirty-eight percent also believe new technologies will increase their productivity and efficiency at work.

Financial services employees are also more comfortable with the idea of using AI for certain tasks over others. Across the board, respondents are most confident using it to recommend products and services (60%), perform admin tasks such as note taking (58%), and review documents and applications (57%). Confidence drops notably when it comes to using AI for higher risk activities, however: those who work in banking would be least confident in using AI to make investment decisions or inform lending agreements (36% and 28% respectively), and insurance workers are least comfortable in using it to inform underwriting decisions (41%) or handle customer queries (38%).

Overall, the research presents a positive outlook for financial services companies looking to increase their adoption and application of new technologies, though some concerns remain: one in ten feels very negative about the growth of AI, 22% believe the adoption of AI will create difficulties and challenges, and nearly a quarter (23%) are not confident they have the necessary skills to work with new technologies.

Commenting on the findings, Rebecca Mullins, Director of HCM Solutions at Zellis, said: “This research confirms that the majority of financial services employees are primed to embrace new technologies, and that spells good news for the industry’s future success. AI is creating opportunities for banks and building societies to enhance customer experiences through personalisation, while insurance companies are leveraging AI to gather and assess data more quickly for use in decision making and underwriting.”

Mullins continued: “The opportunities are immense but to thrive in this shifting landscape, employers must now focus on identifying how and where to optimise outcomes as new tools and platforms are introduced.”

The research also asked about respondents’ use of current technologies, and while the majority say their existing tools are easy to understand and use (67%), and make their work easier (66%), a smaller number were less positive: two in ten respondents feel frustrated because their current technology is not reliable, does not improve the customer experience, and fails to increase customer spend.

“By leveraging these critical insights to better understand employees’ needs, wants, and concerns, financial services providers will be much better positioned to tackle issues of employee motivation and confidence – and crucially, build technology skills where they are most needed,” concluded Mullins.

Photo by Markus Winkler on Unsplash

Are these the Top 3 priorities for customer service leaders in 2024?

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Reimagining self-service, piloting employee-facing GenAI, and exploring new offerings in the customer journey analytics (CJA) market will be top priorities for customer service and support leaders in 2024, according to Gartner.

A Gartner survey of 246 customer service and support leaders conducted September through October 2023 revealed service and support leaders’ priorities for the coming year amid their increasing responsibility for technology strategy in their organization.

“Advances in GenAI and shifting customer preferences are pushing service and support leaders to reimagine what’s possible for their organization in 2024,” said Kim Hedlin, Senior Principal, Research, in the Gartner Customer Service & Support practice. “Leaders are focused on how they can leverage technology to accomplish their top priorities, including improving customer experience and optimizing their operations.”

Leaders Pilot Employee-Facing GenAI to Assist Reps

Seventy-nine percent of service and support leaders surveyed were knowledgeable about their enterprise’s plans for GenAI adoption. Of these leaders, 83% said their enterprises either have plans to invest in GenAI or have done so already.

While much of the hype around GenAI in customer service has focused on customer-facing chatbots, many service and support leaders plan to invest in employee-facing GenAI assistants that will support reps in the next 12-18 months. Of leaders whose organization is planning to make GenAI investments, 94% report they are at least “exploring” employee-facing virtual assistants.

“Many leaders see employee-facing GenAI as an experimental step on the way to deploying customer-facing virtual assistants,” said J.J. Moncus, Principal, Research, in the Gartner Customer Service & Support practice. “Respondents indicated it’s an important way to learn the risks of GenAI while still having a human in the loop, before moving on to riskier customer-facing deployments.”

Shifts in Customer Preferences Push Leaders to Prepare for the Future of Self-Service

In order to meet younger generations of customers’ growing preference for self-service, many service and support leaders will experiment with new self-service capabilities in 2024.

However, these service and support leaders face implementation challenges. Among the service and support leaders who cited self-service adoption as a priority in the survey, 51% also named it a significant challenge for 2024. Interviews with service and support leaders revealed multiple reasons why self-service implementation is challenging, ranging from organizational resistance to data disorganization.

However, early experiments with GenAI have helped leaders to envision new possibilities within self-service.

“The GenAI hype is providing momentum for leaders’ self-service investments,” said Hedlin. “Leaders have seen glimmers of a future in which conversational interfaces powered by GenAI could handle more complex interactions than a traditional chatbot. That vision is helping shape leaders’ self-service strategy in 2024.”

Leaders Invest in CJA to Understand Customer Journeys Holistically

Fifty-six percent of service and support leaders surveyed say they plan to invest in the CJA market in the next 12-18 months. CJA enables leaders to analyze customers’ interactions with their organization over time and across channels. Of those who say they’ll be investing in CJA, 45% indicate that they’ll be investing in this market for the first time.

“Customer service and support leaders are using CJA to gain a more holistic understanding of what customers need,” said Moncus. “Customers’ and executive leaders’ expectations for service interactions will only continue to rise .Service and support leaders need to identify and understand significant customer touchpoints in order to deliver a better experience.”

Photo by Mimi Thian on Unsplash