Facing Staff and Supply Chain Shortages and Rising Prices, Enterprises Embrace AI

Today’s enterprises face a number of large, global business challenges that are making it difficult to successfully do business.

Staffing shortages are growing rapidly as millions of employees across industries are resigning in the so-called “great resignation,” others are transitioning to part-time work, and more are out due to illness.

The staffing issue is especially problematic for call centers or support teams otherwise engaged in customer service. With fewer workers, customers are experiencing long hold times to get their issue resolved, while existing employees are overworked.

At the same time, ongoing global supply chain shortages have prompted more customers to call in to track down their orders. Revenue is impacted as customers with high expectations choose not to buy, or switch providers to get what they need on time.

Prices in general are up, too, meaning companies are spending more to both produce their products and pay their staff. Finally, enterprises are dealing with evolving business challenges. The demand is growing for customer relationship hubs that are integrated into the business, while enterprises are moving away from point solutions toward all-in-one capabilities with integrated data, analytics, technologies and tools.

What’s the Answer?

More and more companies are solving these growing challenges and finding immediate relief with technology, and especially artificial intelligence (AI). Enterprises increasingly see that AI can help them meet customer needs and ease workloads for their employees.

Virtual assistants are helping to fill the staffing gap by addressing simple customer queries such as resetting a password or checking on the status of an order. Assistants help customers self-serve, in turn freeing up agents for more complex questions, routing the in-depth issues to the live agent. A virtual assistant also helps enterprises keep costs down.

Successful companies are proactive about reaching out to customers through automation. For example, a company might use interactive voice response (IVR) to let a customer regularly check in on the exact status of their order, freeing up phone lines for complicated questions.

Currently, only one in four service organizations have fully deployed AI and chatbots. However, nearly 40% of customer service and support (CSS) leaders have started pilots programs or plan to use chatbots in their organization by 2023, according to Gartner. Around 36% of CSS leaders are doing the same when it comes to AI capabilities.

Nuance’s Answer to the Challenges

At Nuance, we seamlessly help enterprises improve customer experiences and boost agent performance by integrating AI into their operations. With our easy-t0-deploy technology, we provide a rich experience for consumers through automation that mimics a human engagement, enhances understanding, and promotes a true two-way dialogue.

Whether it’s adding a virtual assistant to a company’s website or mobile app, creating a natural sounding phone experience, or proactively sending notifications to prevent needless trips, our Contact Center AI solution works on any platform and with any Contact Center-as-a-Service (CCaaS) provider –  helping enterprises save time and money while enhancing customer service.

Technology that can adapt, be flexible, grow with you, and be portable if and when you switch providers, is key. As companies with distributed workforces continue to compete in tight markets, they need the right systems and platforms in place to ensure top customer service that’s delivered securely.

Learn more about Nuance Contact Center AI here.