Contact center agents are handling more complex inquiries than ever before. Straightforward questions are often redirected to self-service options like chatbots or knowledge bases, leaving agents to deal with the more complex cases that can be difficult to resolve.
In a ContactBabel and Creovai research report, only 3% of respondents said their contact centers use a single agent desktop, with 97% requiring agents to navigate multiple screens and applications. This tells us that without the right tools, already complex interactions are even harder for agents to deal with. This situation becomes even more challenging if there are regular process changes and new regulatory requirements that team leaders and agents must understand and implement without sufficient training time.
The challenge of balancing efficiency with quality responses
With average call times increasing by around 20-30% over the last 20 years, contact center leaders face the challenge of meeting average handling time (AHT) and first-call resolution (FCR) targets while still scoring highly for customer satisfaction and providing the support their agents need.
If contact center leaders are too focused on solely reducing AHT, agents feel pressured to rush through calls, potentially cutting corners, making preventable mistakes, and negatively impacting service quality. This inevitably frustrates customers as they may have to repeat themselves or complain just to try and get the detailed explanation and response they were expecting.
Real-time agent assistance technology addresses this challenge by giving agents the information they need, exactly when they need it. This technology uses AI to analyze what’s happening in customer conversations and deliver relevant coaching prompts, checklist items, and next-best-actions to agents. It supports agents so they can deliver accurate, efficient, and high-quality responses, reducing AHT and improving FCR rates without compromising the customer experience.
The power of real-time agent assistance
Real-time agent assist technology reduces handling times as a natural by-product, without agents feeling like they have to rush through calls. Rather than spending unnecessary time searching through complicated knowledge bases or toggling between multiple screens, agents are presented with real-time prompts, pre-filled data, and relevant information that surfaces exactly when it’s needed. AHT and FCR rates improve, agents can focus their time on delivering a great customer experience, and customers trust the responses agents give them, pushing up satisfaction scores.
AI-powered real-time agent assistance platforms support agents through live prompts, data accessibility, and automation.
Dynamic checklists
The dynamic checklists in call center agent assist software guide agents through the most efficient steps to resolve an inquiry. Checklists update in real-time, based on customer responses, aligning with the natural flow of the conversation.
Dynamic checklists help agents stay focused and control the call without missing important steps, getting confused, or being sidetracked. It significantly cuts down the time agents spend deciding on the next step to take and ensures agents follow required processes while still feeling like a natural interaction for the customer.
Dynamic checklists also reduce the time team leaders or QA analysts must spend checking process adherence manually, freeing them up to focus on more value-added agent development initiatives.
Real-time prompts and coaching
Real-time prompts and coaching functionality in AI agent assist software guides agents based on live conversation data. It recognizes keywords or specific requests and provides accurate, contextual prompts. These can include responses to common objections, product recommendations, or reminders of relevant policies. Real-time prompts enable agents to guide the call proactively and confidently, minimizing unnecessary pauses and hold-times.
Real-time agent assistance identifies intent based on what the customer and agent say and coaches the agent as they move through the conversation. This is incredibly helpful for agents, providing the support they need through even the most challenging interactions.
Auto-population of fields in scripted workflows
Scripted workflows in call center software often mean agents have to manually, and frequently, enter repetitive customer details in multiple systems, which impacts response times and increases the risk of errors.
Auto-population removes repetitive and resource-draining activities by automatically filling in fields based on customer information and previous interactions. It helps the agent stay focused on the live call and gives them more time to spend problem-solving with customers. Auto-population also eliminates the risk of data entry errors, increasing the quality of record-keeping.
Automatic call summarization
Post-call tasks can add significant time to overall handling and wrap up times. Automatic call summarization uses AI to identify the key points from the conversation and then logs them automatically into the relevant systems.
The auto-generated summary reduces the time agents must spend on after-call-work and makes it easier for agents handling future interactions to understand the background of the case quickly. Automatic call summarization helps agents increase their availability times without compromising the quality of customer records.
What to look for in real-time agent assistance software
There are some crucial factors to consider when choosing real-time agent assistance software so that it benefits contact center operations, improves AHT and FCR rates, and delivers a positive experience for agents and customers.
Integrates with agent tech stack
Real-time agent assistance software should be easy to integrate with other tools in the agent tech stack. Ideally, it should function via a desktop widget, supporting agents and removing the need for them to navigate multiple platforms. Compatibility with existing systems, such as the contact center’s CRM, is also important so agents can access the information they need without experiencing technological glitches.
Contextual information delivery
The most effective AI agent assist software delivers information to agents at the right time without distracting or overwhelming them with excessive screen pops or notifications. The leading real-time agent assistance software alerts agents to important details, but only when they become relevant in the conversation, enabling them to focus without unnecessary distractions.
Robust data security
Security in real-time agent assistance software is essential. The platform should prioritize customer data security and comply with the latest industry best practices and requirements for security and compliance. This ensures the customer’s privacy is protected and the organization isn’t exposed to potential breaches and fines. Having robust security measures reassures customers that their personal information is protected and safe at all times.
Integration with post-call conversation intelligence technology
Real-time agent assistance software should have the ability to integrate with post-call conversation intelligence technology. This is important as it enables managers to track what’s working well and understand the elements of call performance that could be improved. Conversation intelligence technology analyzes every interaction, providing insights into call trends, customer sentiment, and agent performance. When this data is integrated with real-time agent assistance, managers gain valuable insights on how prompts, checklists, and workflows are affecting calls, agent performance, and the customer experience.
Real-time agent assistance benefits agents and customers
Real-time agent assistance empowers agents to handle challenging calls confidently and efficiently, which improves their job satisfaction and reduces agent churn. They can focus on delivering accurate responses without searching through multiple systems or worrying about what their next step should be.
Customers benefit from faster and better responses. Agents spend less time on monotonous, administrative tasks, meaning customers experience shorter hold times and a more attentive and personalized experience.
Real-time agent assistance allows contact center leaders to achieve the balance between meeting AHT and FCR rate targets while delivering exceptional service. It’s a win-win solution that meets the demands of complex, repetitive, or emotional customer interactions without negatively impacting contact center performance.
