AI transforms contact centers in 2023, says report
CALIFORNIA, UNITED STATES — A new report by omnichannel customer experience platform Ozonetel analyzed 10 million calls made across various industries and found significant improvements in contact center performance this year due to AI-enabled automation.
Customer engagement rose sharply, with a 41% drop in abandonment rates as intelligent call routing prioritized customer calls. Agents answered calls 10% faster on average, now taking just 6.9 seconds versus 7.7 seconds last year. This was facilitated by auto-answer and “webrtc” calling features that instantly connect customers to available agents.
Additionally, AI-powered conversational intelligence reduced average talk time to 2.64 minutes, down from 3.7 minutes in 2022, through smart suggestions and deep CRM integrations that help agents resolve queries faster.
Meanwhile, wrap time also declined to 43.6 seconds from 47.4 seconds in 2022, as AI conversation transcripts and insights automated after-call work. Outbound call connection rates also jumped to 45% versus 39% last year, indicating higher customer engagement.
According to Ozonetel Chief Product Officer Prashanth Kancherla, the report revealed that contact centers are adopting a more strategic role, interacting with customers at key moments to drive growth.
Kancherla added that AI has boosted efficiency metrics across the board and will continue improving experiences in 2024 by freeing up agents for high-value conversations while still providing personalized service.
