6 Benefits of AI-Powered Agent Assist Software

Agent Assist Software (AAS) is an AI-driven tool designed to aid customer-facing agents. AAS can be divided into two main types:

• Standalone software, which is used alongside or on top of existing tools.
• AAS features that are bundled with other products like Customer Relationship Management (CRM) or Contact Center as a Service (CCaaS).

With Agent Assist, agents can resolve issues more quickly and focus entirely on satisfying customer needs. This leads to increased contact center efficiency, reduced operational costs, and an improved experience for both agents and customers. When CF teams are handling thousands of interactions daily, these small improvements snowball into serious impacts.

The entire concept of AAS is not solely about minor enhancements, but the accumulative impact of these enhancements on the performance and consistency of CF teams. It generates a positive feedback loop resulting in more satisfied agents and customers.

Reduced Average Handling Time (AHT)

Agent assist software automates repetitive tasks and supplies agents with timely and relevant information. This enables them to handle customer inquiries more efficiently and effectively. Automatically streamlining agent tasks on a micro scale means a significantly smoother experience for customers. By providing agents with instant access to customer information, past interactions, and personalized recommendations, agent assist software enables agents to deliver more personalized and tailored customer experiences, leading to increased satisfaction and reduced average handle time (AHT). According to a study by Aberdeen Group, companies that implement agent assist technologies experience a 32% reduction in average handling time compared to those that don't utilize such tools.

Faster Issue Resolution

Agent assist software empowers agents to quickly access relevant knowledge bases, troubleshooting guides, and best practices, enabling them to resolve customer issues faster and more accurately, reducing call handling times and improving first call resolution rates. Smart reports and alerts allow CF team managers to respond to issues faster and with confidence. Research by ICMI (International Customer Management Institute) indicates that organizations with agent assist capabilities achieve a 25-30% improvement in first call resolution rates, leading to higher customer satisfaction and loyalty. Agent assist software enhances customer satisfaction by providing agents with the necessary tools, resources, and support to handle customer inquiries more efficiently and effectively, resulting in improved issue resolution.

Enhanced Personalization and Contextualization

Agent assist software can enhance personalization and contextualization in customer interactions by providing agents with access to relevant customer data, interaction history, and real-time insights. By leveraging customer data, real-time insights, and dynamic scripting capabilities, agent assist software helps agents build stronger relationships with customers and drive higher levels of satisfaction and loyalty. Research by Forrester Consulting shows that organizations using agent assist software report a 20-25% improvement in customer perceptions of personalized support, attributed to the software's ability to provide agents with contextual information and insights during interactions.

Reduction in Customer Effort Score (CES)

Customer Effort Score (CES) quantifies the effort a customer must exert to achieve their goal with your company. This could involve resolving a problem, finding an answer to a question, or completing a particular action. The primary purpose of CES is to ensure that customers have a low-effort experience. Agent assist software can enhance the Customer Effort Score (CES) by simplifying the support process. It equips agents with necessary tools and resources to help customers more efficiently and effectively, thereby reducing the overall effort needed for customers to solve their problems. According to a Gartner study, 96% percent of customers with a high-effort service interaction become more disloyal compared to just 9% who have a low-effort experience.

Enhanced Customer Experience

By providing agents with the tools, resources, and support they need to succeed in their roles, agent assist software helps organizations differentiate themselves in today's competitive marketplace and build lasting customer relationships. A study published in the Journal of Service Research found that companies that deploy agent assist technologies see an average increase of 10-15% in customer satisfaction scores compared to those without such tools.

Improved Agent Experience

Traditional training methods necessitate a 2-3 month period for contact center agent onboarding while an agent typically stays at one call center for a period ranging from 6 months to 1 year. This means agents might spend 50% of their tenure completing onboarding and training. That's where AAS comes in. Agent assist software significantly improves the agent experience by equipping them with necessary tools, resources, and support. By enabling agents to work more efficiently, effectively, and confidently, this software results in higher job satisfaction, retention, and performance among call center agents. Onboarding is accelerated with AAS guiding new agents through more complex cases without the need for direct guidance. Real-time intelligent compliance reminders reduce the risk of mistakes. 

• Instant Knowledge Base Access
• Real-time Guidance and Recommendations
• Automated Routine Tasks
• Consistency in Process
• Training and Development