Call Center: SuperAgent vs AI Bot
tl;dr
AI bots will have a transformational impact on Call Center BPOs
More frontline workers will switch to solving L2 and L3 customer problems instead of L1
BPOs will need to empower their workers with AI and create “SuperAgents”
Transcription technology is a key infrastructure for SuperAgents however transcription is quite expensive. Hence cheap transcription technology is a critical component.
On-device transcription running on the agent’s device could be the perfect solution to this. There are already providers delivering such products.
AI Voice Bots and BPOs
After ChatGPT, all BPO call center companies are trying to understand how AI is going to impact the future of their companies.
Call center BPOs (Business Process Outsourcing) are companies that manage customer interactions on behalf of other businesses. They handle a wide range of services, including customer support, technical assistance, sales, and other client-related functions. These centers can operate across various communication channels like phone, email, chat, and social media.
BPOs often provide cost-effective solutions for businesses by handling large volumes of calls and communications, allowing companies to focus on their core activities while maintaining quality customer service. They can operate domestically or internationally, leveraging global talent to provide 24/7 support and services in multiple languages.The number of AI Voice Bot startups attempting to replace frontline workers (agents) with AI is growing significantly. These are some of the hottest startups attracting VC funding these days. The promise is that businesses can support their customers entirely with AI, reducing operational costs and increasing customer satisfaction.
One might think that AI is simply going to “eat” customer support and call centers, however of course things are more nuanced, as everything else in life.
Customer Ticket Levels
First, we need to understand that customer support doesn’t come in one shape. Typically there are 4 levels of tickets, with varying complexity.
L0: Self-service
No direct support; customers use FAQs and automated tools.L1: Basic Support
Handles common, simple issues like password resets.L2: Technical Support
Deals with more complex problems requiring technical skills.L3: Expert Support
Addresses the most complex issues, often involving system changes or code fixes.
L0 tickets are already handled by automated tools like chatbots and helpdesk.
It’s quite clear that LLM-powered AI is going to have large impact on L1 tickets. In the next 2-5 years AI-powered voice and chat bots are going to handle the majority of such tickets. In other words, the scope of L0 is going to expand into L1
The number of frontline workers focused on L1 tickets will obviously decrease.
However, when it comes to more technically challenging tickets (L2 and L3), AI’s impact is not clear yet. LLMs are not smart enough to be trusted to autonomously solve complex technical problems.
More Workers in L2 and L3
As AI takes over L1 tickets, companies will save money.
With more budget in hand, they will want to invest in improving the support of L2 and L3 tickets. After all, most companies always strive for better customer satisfaction.
Re-qualifying people from L1 to L2 and hiring new people to handle L2/L3 tickets will become a trend.
This is one area where BPOs will continue provide value to businesses - qualified workers handling more difficult tasks than AI can do.
Enter SuperAgents
Another trend that will indeed happen is the introduction of ‘Super Agents’ - frontline workers equipped with amazing AI tools that empower them to be more productive.
Frontline workers will use CoPilots before, during and post customer interactions.
These technologies are already being deployed in call centers and BPOs and are already showing great results in reducing waiting queues, handling time and increasing CSAT.
Examples:
AI Noise Cancellation
AI Accent Localization
AI Speech-to-Speech Translation
Chat-based CoPilot for Agents integrated with knowledge base
Voice-based CoPilot for Agents integrated with knowledge base
CoPilots for extracting insights from product logs
CoPilots for suggesting the best possible responses on calls
Today, many large BPOs are already integrating (or building) such technologies, supporting the vision of SuperAgents.
Transcription is Critical
One of the foundational technologies to enable super agents in BPOs is Speech-to-Text (aka Transcription).
Many modern BPOs still struggle getting access to conversations from their thousands of frontline workers. There are various reasons for this:
Cloud-based Speech-to-Text is expensive
BPO customers don’t want to share transcriptions with BPOs
Even if they share, it might take weeks to get these
BPOs operate in many locations, with agents using different CCaaS stacks, so getting transcriptions is consistently difficult
We have talked before about 2 new global trends solving these challenges
Below is a demo of how On-Device Transcription works for Call Centers.
These two trends will enable BPOs to easily fill the gap in transcriptions and build powerful CoPilots for future Super Agents.