Adoption of artificial intelligence continues to increase in U.S. contact centers. According to Canam Research, 78% of contact centers in the U.S. report plans to deploy artificial intelligence in their contact center in the next 3 years, with an overwhelming number (97%) of survey respondents planning to use artificial intelligence to support agents as opposed to 7% who plan to use AI to replace some or all of their current call center staff. Top uses of artificial intelligence include bots, self-service, and AI for quality management.
These insights stem from a survey sponsored by Bright Pattern, the leading provider of AI-powered omnichannel cloud contact center software for innovative enterprises. The survey examined the current state of U.S contact centers’ usage and preferences around artificial intelligence in the contact centers. Bright Pattern surveyed companies of all sizes and industries in the 2020 Contact Center AI Benchmark Trend Report.
Survey Respondents Top Goals for Implementing AI:
- Cost Savings
- Customer Self-Service
- Minimize Customer Wait Time
- Improve CSAT
- Reduce Average Handle Time
- Agent Empowerment/Agent Engagement
- Increase ROI
- Executive Support for AI
“Everyone has been talking about AI for improving the customer experience but few companies know where to start”, said Ted Hunting, Senior Vice President Marketing, Bright Pattern. “We conducted this research to better understand what customers need. It resulted in the creation of our BrightStart Solution Packs for AI which help customers immediately deploy AI in their contact centers”.
Call Center AI Key Findings:
- Most contact centers surveyed are using or plan to use Artificial Intelligence. Although most companies are planning to use AI in the near future, many are unsure how to get started. Only 22% of respondents indicated that they have “no plans to use AI”.
- Bots and self-service are the most common areas of focus for AI with 55% indicating that it is how they plan to use AI in their contact center. Conversational AI or IVR and Agent Assistance are the next most likely use-cases for AI in the contact center.
- AI is viewed as a way to reduce costs and improve customer experience, 57% indicated that their goal is to reduce costs with AI and 45% have set the goal of reducing wait times with AI.
- It is still early days for AI in the contact center. 37% of respondents see AI as costly to implement and 27% believe contact center AI is not a mature technology. Although there are challenges, companies of all sizes are realizing the need for AI automation for offering better self-service capabilities and improving agent productivity. It’s not a matter of if but a matter of when.
Find out more about the current state of AI in the contact center by downloading the 2020 Contact Center AI Benchmark Trend Report.
Survey Methodology
Bright Pattern commissioned third-party research consultancy Canam to conduct an online survey of over 300 U.S. contact center executives from a total pool of 14 industry categories.
Bright Pattern announced initial customer experience survey findings in April and will continue to release additional insights in the coming months. For more details about the survey methodology or to receive a free copy of the report, contact the Bright Pattern media relations team at marketing@brightpattern.com.