How conversational AI make life easier for employees

A lot has been written in recent times about how technology is reinventing customer experience (CX). Concepts such as artificial intelligence (AI) and bots are playing a key role in personalising interactions, speeding up enquiries and ultimately giving consumers more reasons to remain loyal. What should not be forgotten is another group that can also benefit significantly from the use of such technologies and that is the people caring for customers.

Employee experience (EX) encapsulates a worker’s perceptions of their journey through an organisation, from the day they become a job candidate until they walk out the exit door. Needless to say, staff who have a quality EX are likely to be more productive, have a positive impact on company culture and enjoy a longer tenure, which is crucial at a time when global labour shortages are making it increasingly difficult for organisations to not only recruit but retain quality people.

How can conversational AI improve employee experience?

Just as AI bots have helped contact centres vastly improve CX by simulating human interaction, they are being incorporated into various steps of the employee journey to increase engagement, satisfaction, productivity, loyalty and retention. Examples include:

• Training: 

  organisations dedicate a huge amount of resources to educating employees but AI chatbots are changing the game. A typical training program for a contact centre agent is four to eight weeks - often before they even take a single live customer interaction - and, in a multiskilled environment, some agents take a large portion of calls related to common enquiries or need guidance through less common requests.

• IT Helpdesks: 

  arguably more than any other department, IT teams are exposed to a never-ending flow of routine questions. Conversational AI capabilities mean employees can receive answers to such FAQs with ease and often without requiring intervention from IT staff. For example, a complex menu of ticket types can be replaced with one question - ‘How can I help you?’ - and natural conversation then drills down to the right assistance. Should the FAQ fail to clarify the matter, conversational AI can also route the employee to the best IT colleague to resolve their enquiry.

• Reduced workload:

  few things inspire staff to look for the exit door quicker than feeling like they are forever dealing with repetitive and mundane tasks. With conversational AI able to be integrated into employee workflows, the likes of contact centre agents are better placed to participate in more stimulating interactions, feel less overworked and be at reduced risk of burnout. This is backed up by one study that showed 77% of surveyed agents said using technology like bots to automate routine tasks allowed them to focus on more complex tasks. Ultimately, it is all about better supporting employees in their daily work.

Summary

With the bot market expected to grow to $3.62 billion by 2030, it is clear the general public has embraced the benefits they bring to customer experience. Now, with employee engagement of increasing importance, there has never been a better time for organisations of all shapes and sizes to use them to offer staff more streamlined self-service, better access to training and information and increased satisfaction by being able to spend more time on meaningful tasks.

The birth of cutting-edge contact centres has helped companies deliver customer service functions that were once the stuff of fantasy. Learn how they differ from traditional call centres and why it has never been more important for executives and managers to know the difference between the two concepts.