CIO OPINION
What now for the BPO industry ?
Rather than see this as a threat , the sector could look to this as a major opportunity . Third generation virtual agents resolve queries , issues and complaints that require no human differentiation . They simply apply rules and process actions . This means the calls that do come through to human agents require something different . Customers do not simply want to get something resolved . They want to be heard . They are looking for a human connection to their service provider . It is this ‘ x factor ’ that builds true brand loyalty by tapping into the customer ’ s emotions . And it is this experience where South African agents excel .
Rather than fight the expansion of virtual agents , BPOs should embrace them . They should invest into digital teams that specialise in building and optimising virtual agents so they can process more service requests digitally , at a fraction of current costs . And they should then be investing more into their human agents to equip them with the skills required to offer culturally relevant , hyper-personalised customer experiences that really matter . p
40 INTELLIGENTCIO AFRICA www . intelligentcio . com