ROI CX Solutions: Yes, AI Can Improve Your Call Center (But Only If It’s Used Correctly …)

When most people think of AI in call centers, they are likely to think of digital phone trees — automated menu systems that guide callers through a variety of messages and prompts to direct their call. Phone trees are almost universally disliked, inefficient and costly. Most notably, however, they aren’t a true application of AI. 

As Han Butler, president and co-founder of ROI CX Solutions explains, AI can play an important role in call center operations — but only when it is used correctly. By implementing meaningful AI solutions that serve the needs of both agents and callers, you can dramatically improve call center operations, without needing to rely on inefficient phone trees. 

Optimize Call Center Operations 

“Much of AI’s impact on call center operations takes place on the back end, in a manner that the average caller will never be aware of,” Butler explains. “In these use cases, AI is focused on optimizing call center operations so that human service representatives are always readily available to answer calls and resolve concerns. For example, AI can ensure that even when businesses use multiple contact centers, callers will always be routed to a currently available agent, at any time of day. AI can also help businesses understand how to scale their call center operations up or down based on peak call times and other factors.” 

Ensuring agent availability is a top priority for call centers. The longer a caller has to wait to get through to an agent, the more likely they are to abandon the call entirely. Even when they do get through, long wait times can decrease overall satisfaction rates (even when the issue is fully resolved). By optimizing agent scheduling and how phone calls are routed, AI can make a dramatic difference in this area. 

Conversational AI for Routine Inquiries 

One of the most noteworthy areas where AI can improve call center efficiency is through the implementation of conversational AI to handle routine inquiries. Essentially, the idea is that a conversational AI can be set up to address routine customer requests, such as making a reservation or updating personal information, while letting human agents handle the rest. 

“Conversational AI is trained to respond to callers in a more human manner, helping the conversation feel more ‘real’ than trying to navigate a digital phone tree,” Butler explains. 

“At the same time, this frees up human agents for handling conversations that require deeper knowledge or a greater level of assistance. Handling simpler requests in this way can help the call center become more cost-efficient, while also improving customer satisfaction because callers won’t have to be kept on hold as long. Call centers try to answer 80% of calls within 20 seconds, and conversational AI can help them meet or improve upon this benchmark.” 

This can have a significant impact on reducing wait times while also improving the overall customer experience. Of businesses that use conversational AI in this way, 91% reduce caller wait times while also lowering the average call handling time by 27%. Sixty-nine percent of businesses also reported improved customer service.  

Such solutions become even more effective with AI tools that can personalize conversations based on previous interactions. By using AI to analyze conversations, future interactions can be better personalized to the needs of each caller — even when they are engaging with the conversational AI rather than an agent. This further improves call resolution and customer satisfaction. 

Offer Feedback to Your Agents 

Another area where Butler sees worthwhile applications for AI is in helping call center agents improve their own work. “With AI, we can track a variety of performance metrics for each individual agent, such as their resolution rates, customer satisfaction score or call handling time,” he explains. 

“AI systems make it easy to collect and organize call data for quality assurance, compliance monitoring or routine training, and then flag any information that seems relevant to a particular agent’s training needs. Feedback can be even more personalized with AI tools that monitor and record conversations and then highlight relevant areas where an agent does well or could make improvements.” 

By using AI as a guiding tool, call center directors can ensure that each agent receives the personalized training they need, tailored to their specific strengths and weaknesses. This allows all agents within the organization to make changes so they can deliver better customer service and improve the business’ overall satisfaction score. 

Notably, more advanced AI tools can even analyze conversations in real time, using factors such as the customer’s tone or word choice to offer guidance to an agent so they can adapt their approach to how they handle the call. Such tools can also provide agents with a list of relevant information or suggested responses based on the customer’s inquiry to further improve their interactions. 

Using AI In Call Centers Appropriately 

As Butler’s insights reveal, incorporating AI in a call center isn’t about replacing human operators — instead, it’s about helping them work in a more efficient way that delivers a better customer experience. 

By using AI to optimize your call center and the work your team performs, you can deliver the level of service your customers deserve and create more positive experiences with your business.