The challenge

A major bank faced unprecedented call volume at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic. Restricted access to brick-and-mortar branch banking created enormous backlogs at the bank’s contact centres, as customers called in to complete in-branch transactions, while other customers called to negotiate delays in loan and credit card payments.

Contact centre agents struggled to keep up with the increased call volume, growing call complexity, and the sudden shift to work-at-home arrangements. The company needed a fast solution for deflecting calls and providing customers with rapid support.

The solution

To relieve pressure on the bank’s call centre associates, TTEC implemented LivePerson’s Conversational AI solution and launched in just three weeks. We also updated the bank’s interactive voice response (IVR) system to inform callers that they could message an agent for a faster response.

The bank’s previous chat platform required customers to wait at their computers for an associate to become available. If the chat box was closed, the conversation was lost and customers would have to start over from the beginning.

Now, customers could send questions as text messages instead of waiting on hold. Bots and AI fielded basic questions while the bank’s associates handled more complex enquiries. The platform also enabled customers to resume a conversation wherever they left off and associates could quickly review the history of a conversation to deliver uninterrupted support. Associates handled four messaging sessions concurrently — 400% faster than the rate of a live chat channel — allowing them to respond to more customers in less time.

The results

After deploying the solution, 20% of inbound calls were immediately deflected as customers selected the messaging option. The deflection rate increased to 30% in one month and continues to rise. Customers quickly adopted the messaging function and customer satisfaction (CSAT) among those who selected messaging has consistently exceeded 95% (prior CSAT was in the 40% range). We are now working with the client to replace its legacy digital communication platform within other lines of business with the more flexible and powerful AI solution.