5 steps to adopting AI in call centres

We have all heard of the wonders of AI technology. By now, everyone knows that AI does not necessarily mean the alt-human technology we have seen so many times in futuristic sci-fi movies. AI today is a plethora of intelligent computer programs that help make daily tasks easier.

AI has been useful to many industries, call centres being one of them. AI has been deployed to handle mundane tasks and has also been quite helpful in optimising human interaction. However, altering your call centre’s structure to incorporate AI technology might be quite a complicated process.

And just like for every other business innovation, the question is whether the profit is worth the investment. Well, we all know that the answer is yes and that you are going to need AI if your business is to remain competitive. To that end, we have put together a few tips to help you with the process.

Learn about AI and decide what tools your call centre needs

AI is a very extensive field, with applications in nearly every industry. The first thing you are going to want to do is to learn about it. You should get familiar with its basic concepts. Get to know how it works and how it would be useful for you. 
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Then, you can determine what exact tools you are going to need in your business. Already, for call centres, there is a shortlist of must-have AI tools. However, all call centres have their situational specifics. So, learn what your call-centres specifics are and decide the tools that would help.

Improve your internal structure to handle AI integration

The next thing you want to do is to improve your internal structure to handle the integration of AI tech. There will be some equipment and software you'll need to purchase. Also, some aspects of your workplace culture will need to be fine-tuned to the new reality of AI.

​Then, hire people to run your AI plan. AI is a knowledge-intensive field. Doing amateur research about what tools you need is about all you can do. To get things moving, skilled hands are required. Also, your old employees need to be trained on how to handle the AI tools.

Organise your data

AI algorithms work based on predictive data models. Data guide their replies to specific situations. For your data to be useful for the algorithm, they have  to be properly organised.

Data must be properly collected, cleaned, and labeled. Also, for this to work, you will need to improve your data storage capabilities.

Test run

When this is done, and your AI systems are ready to go, test-run small sets of data. Make the algorithm handle small tasks, you then gauge its responses to find if there are any upgrades to be done.
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You can first deploy the human-agent guidance tools. These won’t interact directly with customers. And if there are any errors, your human agents can quickly point them out without much ado. You can then move on gradually to other tools.

Fully assimilate AI into your processes

When you are satisfied with the preparations you have made, you can then fully assimilate AI into your call-centres operations. Bear in mind that AI does not fully eliminate the need for human agents at call centres. So you will have to train your agents on handling AI tools, and if necessary, reorganise job descriptions. 

See also

What are the AI Tools a Call Center should Have?

​Right from early call-routing systems, to interactive voice response (IVR) systems are widely used by call centers today. Call centers have always led the way in the adoption of technological innovation. Now, AI is the latest innovation being adopted by call centers worldwide. And it has already started to revolutionize the industry.

How to Improve Customer Service through Call Recording

​The present decade has seen the increased emphasis placed on customer service. This is due to the gradual shift to online modes of business, which allow organizations to cater to consumers worldwide