Phone systems with menus powered by artificial intelligence (AI) save businesses time and money and can improve customer experience.
New AI technology works to increase the efficiency of call centers by better understanding customers’ language and moods.
There a few things businesses should understand, though, before using AI-powered communication software.
In this article, we discuss how AI can improve customer service and call centers. We also explain how to integrate the technologies in a way that pleases customers.
Use the information in this article to understand the pros and cons of AI-powered phone systems for your company.
How Does AI Improve Phone Menus?
AI-powered interactive voice response menus (IVR’s) can answer, screen, and direct calls, providing benefits to both business and consumer.
As AI technology advances, IVR systems accomplish several functions that enhance call management:
- Provide your team members with a full customer history before they take the call.
- Ask “How may I help you?” and route calls based on keywords in the answer.
- Use incoming phone numbers to process customer and location information. Then, the system directs callers to the best department before the phone is even answered.
Many restaurants are also testing IVR functions that allow AI to take phone orders without the need for human interaction.
IVR systems have progressed quite a bit over the past couple years. Today, many AI-powered programs help alleviate customers’ frustration, rather than cause it.
How Can AI Power More Efficient Call Centers
A report by TechRepublic says that new technology focuses on pleasing their customers instead of solely working to increase efficiency.
AI-powered software helps call center customers in several ways:
- Cuts time spent on the phone
- Helps resolve issues on the first call
- Tracks call results and follow-up surveys
Some of the latest AI technology helps team members understand the moods of customers. This lets them adjust their tone and response to ease customer frustration.
New AI technology does this by recognizing when customers display traits that indicate frustration or anger. For example, raised voices or long pauses can signal building anger.
Overall, the new technologies provide a way for call centers to learn what works for their customers. AI allows teams to prioritize calls and record data about which methods are successful in pleasing callers.
What Should Businesses Know Before Using AI Voice Systems?
Most people (88%) prefer speaking to a live person rather than listening to a phone menu. There are several things you can do to improve your customers’ IVR experience:
- Assure callers that they’ll get connected to a live person for thoughtful, individual attention helps calm concerns when people are met with IVR systems.
- Create shorter menus with fewer options helps avoid forcing callers to listen to a long list of irrelevant choices.
- Provide a way for callers to reach a live person quickly is essential to customer satisfaction. For example, most people press “0” or say “operator” when they want to reach a live person.
New technology is improving at mimicking the style and tone of human speech, but customers are wary.
Most people are uncomfortable if they thought they were speaking to a real person and later discovered they were talking to a machine.
Technology should never replace your human resources, only complement them. If a business is struggling to keep up with customer communication on the phone, they should seek out outside resources such as answering services or virtual assistants.
New IVR Systems May Sound More Convincingly Human
Currently, most people can tell when they’re speaking to an IVR, but new technology may change that.
Google’s voice assistant feature called Duplex imitates human speech so well that sometimes people can’t tell they’re speaking to a machine. The New York Times refers to Google Duplex as “eerily human,” when it works.
An automated phone system that mimics human speech may sound good – in theory.
Always use caution when implementing new AI-powered customer technologies. According to a report by GetVoip, “83% of customers would avoid a company if they have a bad experience with an IVR.”
Customers will not appreciate deception and transparency about whether a customer is speaking to a human or AI system is essential.
Businesses that provide assurance and operate with transparency will likely experience an easier transition to new AI technology.
AI Technology Improves Business Communications
AI-powered communication software provide benefits to both businesses and their customers.
Understanding customer expectations helps you provide caring, efficient, and thoughtful AI-assisted communications.