2 hours ago
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LAGOS – Contact centres are under increasing pressure to improve customer experiences despite having fewer resources and, while 100% are turning to AI and automation for help, many face challenges due to limited in-house expertise.
This is one of the key findings of a new report from Level AI – AI’s Impact on the State of the Contact Centre.
“AI and automation are crucial for delivering high-quality service, but many companies struggle with implementation due to the complexities of customer interactions,” says Ashish Nagar, CEO of Level AI.
According to the survey of contact centre leaders, nearly 70% (69,7%) report increased pressure on their operations compared to prior years, while only 3,9% say the pressure has lessened. With performance expectations rising, every leader surveyed confirmed they are considering adopting new AI tools for their contact centres to stay competitive.
However, the survey also uncovered a significant obstacle: 43,4% of respondents said their teams lack the technical know-how and resources to effectively implement and manage these technologies – despite 36,6% naming technology adoption as their top priority.
Additional findings from the report include: Survey insights: Agent satisfaction improves when the primary focus is on customer-centric metrics like customer satisfaction (CSAT) and first-call resolution (FCR) rather than cost-driven metrics like cost reduction and average handle time (AHT).
Positive correlation: Agent satisfaction is strongly linked to increased coaching hours and the use of agent-assist AI automation, which helps agents during calls, with 93,3% of QA managers stating that manual QA and coaching remain essential for agent improvement.
Despite this, 79,3% of contact centre agents receive less than four hours of coaching per month due to resource constraints, potentially impacting job satisfaction and customer outcomes.
Shifting communication preferences: A notable 74,5% of agents now prefer text-based communication (chat, SMS, email) over traditional phone calls.
Quality metrics take priority: A significant 61,9% of contact cenrers prioritise customer satisfaction and first-call resolution, while 37,3% focus on revenue and cost goals.
