Why Customer Service Agents Love Agent Assist
In this era of increasing automated customer service, customer service agents might feel afraid of being replaced with artificial intelligence customer service. They wonder if their job is still necessary, or if it will still be around in the next few years.
At the same time, customer service continues to be stressful and frustrating work at times, because human reps are still responsible for handling irate customers, confused clients, and, at times, an insufficient amount of time and resources to solve problems.
Given that background, it’s not difficult to understand why many customer service agents love agent assist. The phrase refers to a family of tools designed to provide suggestions and recommendations to customer service agents to resolve problems in real-time and deliver a memorable customer experience.
But what exactly makes agent assist so valuable? And how might it improve the agent experience and workplace environment for your customer service agents?
The Perks of Agent Assist
Take a look at the many perks for customer service agents who use agent assist:
- Reduced workloads. To start with, customer service representatives will enjoy reduced workloads in a contact center or call center. They spend less time hunting down specific information, and they use AI-powered products or services to improve their own efficiency. They spend less time on tedious manual tasks, and more time on higher-level duties that are more important to them. As a result, customer service agents who are supported by the agent assistant typically feel less stressed and less overwhelmed, even when their department is buzzing with activity.
- Immediate information. Finding the information you need, when you need it, can be challenging, especially if the only tool you have is an outdated and disorganized knowledge base. With an agent assist, your source of backup information becomes much more organized and readily accessible. Customer service agents work gets augmented with machine learning tools to access information when they need it and stop worrying about finding the right answers.
- Assistance with autonomy. Autonomy is one of the most important factors for job satisfaction. When your employees feel empowered to make their own decisions and choose how they work, they end up feeling better about their responsibilities and workplace. One great feature of agent assist is that it provides support to customer service agents without robbing them of any autonomy: Agents may continue to make decisions in real-time and use agent assist tools however they see fit. They’ll remain within the parameters you set for them, but they’ll feel empowered to choose how they approach at least some of their interactions.
- Feelings of support. Providing your customer service reps with high-tech tools indicates that you care about their workload and performance, as well as their feelings on the job. When this is framed the right way, your agents will feel more support from the organization and their supervisors.
- Easier customer conversations. Some customer conversations are inherently difficult, either because you’re dealing with a complicated subject matter or because the customers themselves are making the interaction difficult. Agent assist can make these exchanges smoother by providing the correct information at the right time, or furnishing tools that agents can use to navigate these situations with greater skill and empathy. In other words, one of the most stressful facets of the job will become less fraught.
- Expedited resolutions. For the most part, agent assist leads to expedited customer resolutions. This is beneficial for your customers, of course, but it’s also good for your customer service agents. They can move quickly to the next task and are likely to feel more engaged with their work.
- Happier customers. As a business owner, you already know the value of having happy customers. But happy customers are good for your agents as well. When agent assist produces happier and more satisfied customers, your service reps will have a better experience and feel like they’re having a more positive impact.
- Opportunities for growth and refinement. Agent assist doesn’t have to be a stationary, unchanging tool. It can and should evolve constantly to serve your needs better and provide better tools and more robust knowledge to your agents.
Why It Pays to Keep Customer Service Agents Happy
Why is it so valuable to keep your customer service agents happy?
- Mood and customer interactions. When customer service agents feel better about their work and believe they have greater support, their mood will be elevated. They’re going to be more resilient about negativity, more optimistic, and more energized in the performance of their daily work. That means they’re also going to have more positive interactions with customers, even if those individuals are difficult. Those positive experiences can make a big difference in customer satisfaction.
- Productivity and performance. When customer service agents have all the tools they require to provide excellent service to customers, there’s nothing to stand in the way of their greatest performance and productivity. Your agents will be able to achieve their true potential, and serve a greater number of people in less time. Engaged, satisfied employees also tend to be more productive than their disengaged, unsatisfied counterparts, resulting in a multiplicative increase in productivity.
- Satisfaction and employee retention. Satisfied customer service agents are more likely to stay with your business. Employee retention is extremely valuable. Recruiting, interviewing, hiring, onboarding, and training are all time-consuming and costly. Every existing employee you lose represents a substantial financial hit for your business. When you use agent assist, your customer service reps will be more satisfied, which will reduce these potential expenditures.
- Social factors. In terms of team dynamics, attitudes and moods tend to be contagious. If there’s even one customer service agent who feels happier and more satisfied in the job, that positive disposition could spread to others. With the right tools and enough time, your entire team could become more enthusiastic, more optimistic, and more positive overall.
Agent assist makes customer service agents happier. Happier customer service agents lead to happier customers.
It’s a positive feedback loop your business needs in order to save money, encourage repeat purchases, and maximize profitability. So how do you get started with agent assist? Schedule a demo of our Conversational AI solution today!