What is an AI-Powered Omnichannel Contact Center?
Let's start by defining "omnichannel contact centers." This is the cohesive and positive support experience that end consumers receive across communication channels. These include email, chat, SMS, social media, and phone calls, as well as devices such as mobile phones or laptops. In an omnichannel contact center, consumers can start a conversation on one channel and pick it up seamlessly on another without repeating themselves. In short, it allows businesses to connect on the channels that matter most.
So where does AI fit in? Omnichannel contact centers powered by AI enhance overall functionality and support agent productivity with greater insights that drive actions and automations that optimize daily tasks. A contact center with built-in AI equips agents with the tools they need to turn speech to text, analyze conversations for sentiment, link contacts to cases, and more. This helps them redirect their time and efforts to more complex issues.
Key Benefits
It’s no secret that bad experiences can really cost businesses. According to the 2024 Vonage Global Customer Engagement Report, 74% of customers are likely to take their businesses elsewhere after a bad experience. After a good experience, however, 35% will purchase additional products. Using AI can help alleviate frustrations that lead to bad experiences, such as long wait times to speak to an agent and phone menus that are difficult to navigate. In fact, 61% of consumers say they already have a positive attitude towards AI.
AI-powered omnichannel contact centers have benefits that range from improved experiences to smarter routing. Let’s look at five of the key benefits.
1. Improved Experiences
AI enhances consumer interactions by offering personalized responses based on past behavior, preferences, and real-time data. It can seamlessly route consumers to the appropriate agent, or even resolve simple queries automatically through chatbots or virtual assistants. This ensures that customers get the help they need quickly, without unnecessary delays.
2. Centralized insights
Whether end-consumers reach out via chatbot or phone calling, AI in omnichannel contact centers ensures that interactions are logged, analyzed, and accessible. Solutions like VCC Intelligent Workspace not only consolidates data but also delivers it in a single dashboard. This means that agents always have the context they need to address questions without toggling between platforms. In short, centralized insights keep agents informed and consumers satisfied.
3. Enhanced Collaboration
Collaboration is a critical success component, particularly for companies with complex supplier ecosystems and partner networks. Need to address supply chain concerns or troubleshoot a partner issue? Ensure that all key players have access to real-time communication and data-sharing tools to foster collaboration. For example, VCC Intelligent Workspace connects your teams across channels and provides them with AI-powered capabilities for seamless support and reduced workflow disruptions.
4. Smarter Routing
Smarter routing matters. AI-optimized routing ensures consumers queries are sent to the most qualified agents instantly. VCC Intelligent Workspace uses AI to streamline how service requests are routed, allocating tasks based on skills, availability, and priority — all while keeping valuable contextual information readily available.
5. Strategic Optimization
AI-powered solutions also enable strategic optimization across departments and roles, all helping to advance businesses forward.
- Agents: AI collects vital consumer details like order history or prior sentiments, so agents can make informed decisions during each interaction.
- Managers: Advanced reporting tools deliver interaction summaries, call performance, and agent metrics, allowing supervisors to optimize their teams' workload and growth more effectively.
- Executives: AI reporting can identify key trends in areas like consumers’ needs and operations. These insights can help guide strategic company decisions and prioritizations.
VCC Intelligent Workspace 101
VCC Intelligent Workspace is a cloud-based solution that is powered by AI. Its goal is to redefine contact center experiences across channels. It was recently recognized by the Cloud Awards as the Best Use of Artificial Intelligence in Cloud Computing 2024.
Intelligent Workspace uses AI to personalize customer conversations with actionable analytics and capabilities such as next best step, real-time transcriptions, and advanced queueing. Intelligent Workspace also integrates with 13 CRMs, including Salesforce, ServiceNow and HubSpot, and productivity tools such as Google and Microsoft Teams. This removes tech from IT teams and makes it easier for agents to access customer data in one interface.
Mixed-Mode Capability
No overview of Intelligent Workspace is complete without noting mixed-mode capabilities.
Businesses often use different software across internal teams depending on their roles, such as Salesforce CRM access for sales and Microsoft 365 for back office and subject matter experts. One solution with mixed-mode capabilities can help streamline interactions with easy call transfers to the right agents, valuable analytics, and quick access to customer records.
Intelligent Workspace is just one mixed-mode interface of VCC. It allows businesses to manage interaction routing, reporting and analytics, security, and recordings from a single admin console. Organizations can choose the most relevant and cost-effective access for contact center agents and agents can select the desktop interface that best matches their role. It’s a way to say goodbye to business silos.
AI Gives Experiences a Competitive Edge
Continuing to use legacy tools in a digital-first world can put the brakes on business growth. Adopting an omnichannel contact center powered by AI gives consumer interactions a competitive edge. In a time when customers are demanding seamless, personalized, and efficient communication, this can make a true difference — helping to improve customer satisfaction and reducing agent frustrations.
VCC Intelligent Workspace makes it easy to bring valuable AI benefits to the contact center, from centralizing important insights to enhancing collaboration and productivity. It provides a vehicle for Channel partners to enhance how their customers communicate with consumers and even impact the bottom line, like increasing revenue. It also offers benefits to small and mid-size businesses wanting to optimize operations.
Are your customers ready to make the call for better communication experiences? If so, explore VCC Intelligent Workspace today.
Kristy Thomas is Senior Vice President of Global Channel & Alliances, Vonage. She oversees global channels including Technology Services Distributors (TSDs), software-as-a-Service (SAAS) vendors, Independent Software Vendors (ISVs), System Integrators (SIs), resellers and hyperscaler partnerships. She is responsible for building the company’s high-growth strategy for its indirect routes to market.
