Chatbots more complementary than competitive for call centers
Rather than representing a threat to call center employment levels, Artificial Intelligence (AI) could instead complement the function of existing staff, according to Albert G. Sarabia, a Philippine AI developer. Currently employed as business development manager at ChatbotPH, a Pasig city based creator of chatbots, Sarabia said robots, in general, should work with humans, with outsourcing workers likely to welcome any technology that allows them to dispense with their more repetitive tasks and focus on their higher-value responsibilities, In light of this, he said BPO employees should prioritise adapting and learning new skills, including how to make the best use of chatbots, in order to increase their efficiency.
Echoing Sarabia’s sentiments, Bench R. Cosme, ChatbotPH’s engineering director, said chatbots represent a more personable alternative to less interactive mobile applications rather than posing any risk to the BPO industry. Rather than seeing them as potential competitors, he said, call center operators should be more concerned by the likely incursion of mobile apps, with chatbots simply another service interface that websites and apps could choose to deploy. In terms of its own focus, ChatbotPH develops chatbots with the facility to understand and respond to human speech, frequently working closely with clients to create bots with brand-specific personalities.
