Ask any star athletes what’s the secret of their success and most likely it will be practice, coaching, and feedback. Yes, many have raw talent, but more do great on the field because they’ve trained on what works best before showtime. Why should it be any different for the modern contact center?
For associates, practicing before they hit the floor has become key in today’s contact center environment. But conventional training practices haven’t kept up with modern demands. As automated solutions increasingly handle routine transactions, associates are being asked to handle more and more complex interactions across various channels and ramp up faster than ever.
We’ll explain how AI removes the friction from conventional customer support training while increasing efficiencies to make the training process seem, well, magical.
AI lends a helping hand
The traditional classroom training environment is dull, disengaged, and relies on text-heavy practices that do not correspond with the learning methods of the next generation of associates. And even the best training programs are often burdened by back and forth role play that takes time.
Our patent pending solution is TTEC’s RealPlay bot. With the dawn of natural language processing and automated responses, AI can now play the customer, cutting training time by 30 to 50 percent due to not needing someone to play the ‘other side.’
In our own space, the AI-powered RealPlay solution employee learning model is designed to be an innovative simulated learning model that allows participants to interact in real time with an AI bot conducting training scenarios.
In these scenarios, the bot plays the role of a customer. It reacts to the accuracy, confidence, word choice, sentiment, and behaviors of the learner, replicating a real customer experience. This allows associates to learn and accelerate through training at their own speed. Facilitators also have opportunities to work with medium- and low-level performers to improve their training experience.
Additionally, the platform supports voice and chat simulations and is completely on-demand. Trainees are in control of which scenario to run, with each interaction being captured and available through an analytics engine. The results are ready for the trainee and his or her supervisor immediately after each RealPlay interaction.
The data is presented in an engaging and practical way. Game-based mechanics drive real-world behavior change using points, badges, rewards, and status to encourage users to interact with the company, all compiled with the AI and real-time analytics. Meanwhile, feedback and analytics fuel the RealPlay bots. Specific to knowledge management, gamification practices are then employed to motivate and reward employees and customers for providing feedback.
Winning in the classroom
By using RealPlay AI to streamline employee learning, your organization can find results at all stages of your student’s introduction:
1. Training time: Today’s associates are tech savvy and like to operate on their own pace on their preferred device. Learners can self-pace their training, which can be done during breaks or at home, so learners can be more productive during working hours. This also gives the facilitator the chance to oversee more students, rather than stand in the front of the room and teach students in a static, classroom environment.
2. Real-time feedback: Digital training optimizes your students learning the right behaviors. Immediate coaching can shorten onboarding and nesting periods by up to 20 percent. And the AI-driven environment also focuses on lessons, so students achieve operational and quality KPIs in less time.
3. New skills: By using intelligent machines, your organization can quickly ramp requirements and rapidly pivot service associates to be proficient in new service skills every year.
Humanity + Digital = Best of Class
No matter how automated the contact center space becomes, people will always have a place at the forefront of every customer interaction. But do not forget how valuable AI can be in getting your associates there in the first place. The contact center of the future demands that humans and AI work together to achieve the best results from the most complex to the simplest transactions. In order for the workforce of tomorrow to hit the ground running, they need to use the best of technology today.
Is your customer experience strategy stuck in practice mode? Take this quiz to get ‘unstuck.’
