Transforming Contact Centres

In the realm of technology adoption and enhancing service delivery, contact centres have been quietly leading the charge for many years. Few sectors have had to adjust so rapidly to meet the demands of modern, connected consumers. They have transitioned from traditional voice services to omnichannel platforms, evolving into interaction hubs that facilitate a diverse range of proactive customer engagement channels.

For some time now, the contact centre industry has been at the forefront of embracing a significant technological trend. As these centres adapt to become the central interaction points of the digital enterprise, they have swiftly integrated AI technologies. By utilizing image recognition, natural language processing (NLP), and data analytics, contact centres can now anticipate call volumes, implement automated self-service options for customers, and enhance the effectiveness of their agents.

When the pandemic emerged, contact centres demonstrated remarkable agility in adjusting to the ‘new normal’, inspiring other industries to adopt similar AI innovations pioneered by contact centres for improved operational effectiveness in the post-COVID landscape.

Evolving Omnichannel Retail

In light of frequent national lockdowns, retailers were compelled to rapidly adapt their omnichannel service offerings to meet the shifting shopping behaviors of consumers. To optimize on-demand home deliveries and enable click-and-collect services at stores acting as virtual warehouses, retailers employed AI to synchronize inventory data across their store and distribution networks.

Additionally, AI technologies play a crucial role in autonomously detecting and mitigating inventory shortages while aggregating and analyzing consumer demand to accurately project ideal product assortments and manage supply chain challenges.

To further enrich online shopping experiences, many retailers are investing in AI solutions that allow customers to create virtual representations of themselves using their mobile or laptop cameras. This innovative approach enables customers to ‘try on’ products such as cosmetics, hairstyles, and clothing from the comfort of their homes, and even visualize how furniture and accessories would look in their spaces through interactive 3D ‘photos’.

Revolutionizing Healthcare Delivery

The COVID-19 pandemic has expedited various NHS initiatives aimed at enhancing patient care to be more predictive, preventive, and personalized. Intelligent automation (IA)—a technology akin to AI that merges robotic, intelligent, and autonomous systems—has laid the groundwork for this swift digital transformation. IA is not only facilitating quicker and more precise disease diagnoses but also optimizing the management of beds and personnel, ensuring the NHS is better prepared for future health crises.

Beyond clinical pathways, the NHS is pioneering the application of these technologies to enhance the performance of the NHS 111 service. By utilizing automatic call routing, the service can respond more promptly and effectively, prioritizing at-risk patients with complex health conditions and directing them to the right healthcare professionals along with their complete patient records.

These technologies have been crucial in enabling collaboration among healthcare providers and government agencies for critical decision-making on resource allocation in emerging coronavirus hotspots. Moreover, digital agents have streamlined management processes for patient prescriptions and online consultations with healthcare professionals.

Financial Services Adopting AI

The COVID-19 crisis spurred an unprecedented increase in customer engagement through contact centres and digital channels. Some banks reported a staggering 400% rise in incoming calls by March 2020. In response, financial institutions rapidly adopted AI technologies to support new operational paradigms and enhance service efficiency.