2024’s Biggest Business Process Outsourcing Trends – AI and CX

The year 2024 is a wink away, and with it, the prospect of technology advancements and significant changes to contact center operations. Artificial intelligence (AI), natural language processing (NLP), and sophisticated analytics are becoming industry standards as companies place a greater emphasis on customer experience (CX). More efficient, tailored, and context-aware solutions are on the horizon thanks to these AI advancements, which are reshaping consumer interactions.

To help you plan for a customer-centric service model that runs smoothly in 2024, here are some of the BPO trends you might want to watch out for.

More and More AI and Robots

Artificial intelligence will be increasingly more important in call centers in 2024. Streamlining processes and providing individualized customer encounters, AI is powering chatbots that handle initial consumer questions and complex algorithms that forecast client demands. More complicated jobs should be handled by automation, with the help of AI, which should improve efficiency, decrease reaction times, and eliminate human error.

Generative AI will be used by at least 70% of customer service and support firms by 2025. This will help increase agent efficiency and the customer experience.

More than half of residential consumers are in favor of using AI to improve customer service, according to a new survey by UnitedCallCenters. While the majority of respondents (80%) still prefer live support over AI, the study found that AI can successfully carry out many automated tasks within a self-service system. These include tracking the progress of an order, scheduling appointments, reconciling and checking data, and preparing requests for live assistance.

Artificial intelligence (AI) is supposedly here to stay, in fact, it is no longer an “add-on” with the apps we use daily. Artificial intelligence (AI) is quickly spreading across many sectors, with particular promise in customer service and other areas with plenty of room to grow. AI-driven technology will soon be standard, meaning that selling your solution as “AI-driven” will soon be outdated. Consumers will assume your tech has some type of AI capability already factored in.

As technology advances, companies will have little choice but to focus on what matters most: the consumer experience.

Prime Focus on CX (Customer Experience)

AI will also play a crucial role in developing a new customer-centric service model for contact centers in 2024. What could come as a surprise is that, despite AI’s inevitable integration into contact centers, it won’t replace human agents and might even increase their demand for them.

Despite public anxiety, the majority of contact center managers anticipate an increase in the number of agents. There will be a greater need for agents who are skilled at incorporating AI into their processes and can effectively interact with clients.

In the latter part of 2023, many organizations have already placed resources into automating processes to enhance the customer experience, with generative AI driving a significant portion of this project.

(Note that the quality of the customer experience is better reflected by customer-centric key performance indicators (KPIs) like first call resolution (FCR), customer satisfaction scores (CSAT), and Net Promoter Scores (NPS), which are more customer-centric than traditional contact center metrics like average handle time (AHT).)

Multi-Channel Engagement

New research identifies three technologies that will revolutionize customer service in 2023. One of them is omnichannel communication, which is becoming more common in contact centers. This development mirrors the larger trend toward digital customer service.

Customers nowadays want businesses to provide them with consistent, high-quality service across all of their digital touchpoints. Thus this change is centered on making that happen.

Customers will be more satisfied and loyal as a result of contact centers’ efforts to improve their omnichannel strategies, which guarantee constant and effective communication regardless of the channel the consumer uses to connect (phone, social media, email, live chat, etc.). The contact center stands to gain a lot from the current trend toward digital multichannel customer service, which includes:

• A Streamlined Experience Across All Channels: Customers may find themselves putting in more work when they switch between different digital platforms, even though this trend ultimately benefits businesses. Therefore, making sure there is no friction when moving between channels is a big deal for digital customer support.

• Living Up to the Rapid Service Expectations of Customers: Responding to customer questions nowadays is all about efficiency and speed. The widespread availability and accessibility of digital platforms have greatly influenced customer expectations, leading firms to quickly respond by providing choices for rapid service. Digital customer service strives to simplify the customer experience across all channels to avoid extra effort and friction. If you want to increase customer happiness and loyalty and decrease turnover, this strategy is for you.

• Chatbots with Self-Service Integration: New interaction models are emerging as a result of self-service preferences and the proliferation of conversational AI. More natural and instantaneous interactions with customers are the result of these technological advancements.

• The adoption of digital customer service solutions is anticipated to have a profound effect on the results of the customer experience. Businesses may improve the quality of their customer service encounters by reducing consumer frustration and catering to their digital engagement preferences. 

Arm yourself for a streamlined, technology-forward, competitive, and customer-centric 2024.