Call centers are the backbone of many customer service operations. But let's be honest, keeping your team happy and productive can feel like an uphill battle. High turnover, low morale, and frustrated customers - sound familiar?

In episode we interview Dave D'Arcy, Managing Director of Laughing Leadership, who has over 30+ years designing and managing call centers for companies like Sky, Vodafone, Vonage, and RingCentral. We delve into the secrets of building a high-performing call center team. From prioritizing agent experience to embracing new AI tech, this video offers actionable advice to elevate your call center from just functional to fantastic.

Here are some key takeaways

Employee experience is key to customer experience. Happy staff lead to happy customers.

AI is a powerful tool to enhance agent performance. It can automate tasks and provide real-time support, but it won't replace human agents.

Start small and focus on a specific goal when implementing AI. Identify a process that you want to improve and find an AI solution that can help.

Listen to your team members and empower them to make decisions. This will boost morale and improve overall call center performance.

Did you know that 78% of customers say a positive experience with a call center agent can increase their loyalty to a brand? But with rising call volumes and complex customer needs, it’s getting tougher for agents to deliver exceptional service. This begs the question – can technology, specifically AI, become the secret weapon for boosting agent experience and customer satisfaction?

In a recent interview, we discussed these topics and more with Nerys Corfield, Director of Injection Consulting Limited. Nerys’ has a quarter-century of hands-on experience consulting some of the worlds leading call centers for clients like Volkswagen, Vodafone, British Gas, the National Apprenticeship Service and Sky. She is also a leading thought leader in the space judging prestigious awards like the European Contact Center and Customer Service Awards; Chairing the DMA Contact Center Council for 3 years and being a regular on the webinar, keynote and podcast circuit.

Here are some key takeaways

Call centers are still facing challenges from the late 90s, such as lack of investment in training and supporting advisors.

The cost of managing voice interactions is rising, and businesses are looking for ways to leverage technology like AI to augment agents or to move customers to self-served channels.

It is imperative to bridge the gap between Operations and IT teams when implementing AI solutions.

AI can help agents by providing them with real-time interaction guidance and automating tasks like call summarization.

Call centers should develop a roadmap for AI implementation, which includes understanding their pain points, setting goals, and measuring success.

Call centers are experiencing an unprecedented revolution catalyzed by AI. With a vast array of solutions like call transcription, voice generation, agent assist tools, and even virtual agents, crafting a strategic and practical approach is crucial for success.

In this episode, we interview Ping Wu, the CEO of Cresta, one of the leading AI unicorns (valued at $1.6 billion) in the call center space. Prior to Cresta, Ping was a Senior Director of Engineering at Google, where he helped pioneer several AI products such as Vertex AI and CCAI.

Here are some key takeaways

Agent Empowerment. AI automates repetitive tasks like real-time transcription and cost summarization. This frees up agents to tackle complex inquiries and provide more personalized service.

Real-Time Agent Guidance. AI becomes a virtual coach, offering agents instant insights and knowledge base access during calls, leading to improved performance and resolution times.

Data-Driven Call Optimization. AI unlocks valuable insights from every call, empowering businesses to identify areas for improvement and optimize future interactions.

Starting Smart with AI. The video emphasizes starting with low-tech, high-impact AI solutions to ensure cost-effective implementation and a smooth transition.