Keeping it Real: Agent Excellence in the Age of AI

Technology reigns supreme. It’s true in the call center and it’s true in our everyday lives as well. The human element in customer service is diminishing rapidly. While self-service, chatbots, and automation have raised the bar for pace and capacity, every successful long-term client relationship requires a team of agents to provide the best possible experience for your customer. From product development to customer and technical support, agents play a pivotal role in creating better experiences for people; the people who buy your products. Perpetual shifts in workflow, operations, and processes require an intelligent and thoughtful workforce who realize and leverage the value of preserving the human touch for clients. What can we do to ensure our agents can provide exceptional service without getting burned out along the way? 

Working Together: Product and Service Delivery 

Seamless customer experience starts long before a call center agent picks up the phone. In the secret lab of product development, user-friendly, reliable, innovative solutions are created. Ideally, products are designed with the end-user in mind, and the roots of agent empowerment begin here. Essentially, a properly envisioned product campaign is designed around the ability of contact center agents to deliver unparalleled support. A well-constructed product and marketing plan minimizes the need for complex workarounds and empowers agents with intuitive tools. If your campaign is designed with support as a primary goal, you can maximize efficiency, reduce call handle times, and increase customer satisfaction. By working together, product and service delivery can create an environment where agents can excel, unburdened by unnecessary complexities. 

Supportive Software: It isn’t Just for your Clients 

The right software solutions are a catalyst for agent success. Tools that are powerful and reliable but also intuitive and user-friendly can ensure agents navigate complex tasks with ease, giving them more time and bandwidth to focus on delivering exceptional customer service. 

Workforce engagement management solutions like intelligent routing, knowledge bases, and automation allow agents to quickly address customer inquiries. By streamlining workflows and automating routine tasks, agents are liberated to focus on high-impact interactions, resulting in improved job satisfaction and customer experiences. 

CX & EX 

There’s no shortage of success stories built on the customer experience, but an organization that can also deliver on the employee experience are the businesses built to last. Content, motivated agents are more likely to go above and beyond the norm. Investing in training and development programs is crucial to boosting confidence and setting your agents up for success. A training strategy designed around engagement can properly equip agents to handle a wide range of customer inquiries effectively while allowing them to enhance their skills and stay updated on product knowledge. Keeping your agents and your workforce engaged by maintaining employee feedback channels such as team meetings, 1:1 sessions, and surveys in order to encourage an open dialogue.  

Preserving the human touch is not a luxury—it's a necessity. From product development to customer support, the human element is what separates the ordinary from the remarkable. By building thoughtful, supportive solutions, such as product support campaigns, innovative and intuitive software, and foster a culture of development, training, and the employee experience itself, we empower agents and our organization to perform at their best, ensuring that both customers and employees have exceptional experiences. In the age of automation, it’s up to us to create a contact center environment where agents flourish, and we can deliver top-notch service without succumbing to burnout.