EMPLOYEE EXPERIENCE
How AI Will Impact The
Employee Experience
BY : JOHN DIJULIUS
While artificial intelligence ( AI ) is already improving the customer experience , it will dramatically improve the employee experience over the next decade . Tedious tasks that once took agents hours upon hours to complete — be it boring data entry or replying to repetitive questions — will be relegated to computers . Along with its subfield of machine learning ( ML ), there are numerous ways in which AI will impact the employee experience and boost employee satisfaction , in turn helping them create a best-in-class customer experience .
AI will make the role of customer service agent far more rewarding and enjoyable . “ When you put the employee first ,” explains Harald Henn , CEO of Marketing Resultant , “ it can help turn the modern contact center workplace into a synergistic powerhouse where people produce consistently incredible results . Who is going to go out of their way for your customer — an employee who is underpaid , overworked , and doesn ’ t feel appreciated ? Or an employee who ’ s treated like a valued member of the company ?” There is power in exceeding employee expectations .
GENUINE HAPPINESS VIA ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE
When it comes to how AI can make employees happier , Henn brings up some of the biggest factors that make an employee frustrated and unhappy , including tasks filled with monotonous repetition and too much time spent info-searching across numerous systems . He points out that “ AI can support employees by eliminating tedious search tasks . AI-based ‘ internal search systems ’ will find relevant information in a fraction of the time .” AI chatbots will handle those simple , monotonous tasks in real-time , freeing the employee from the tedium of repetition and creating a more positive employee experience .
HOW AI CAN HELP WITH DEMANDING , EVEN ANGRY , CUSTOMERS
Another example of how AI can help reduce employee stress is when customers get angry or become very demanding . Employees feel pressure from the customer to find the necessary information as fast as possible . And during peak days or seasonal rushes , answering the same question 8100 times a day doesn ’ t make any employee happy . AI will eliminate most if not all these transactions , such as delivery status questions , freeing up customer service representatives to focus on the more complex , rewarding tasks that require human attention and a deep understanding of customer needs .
In her blog How AI Will Improve the Employee Experience This Decade , Kaila Krayewski shares , “ The capabilities of AI can go far beyond automating simple , repetitive tasks if we consider how AI can work together with humans to create a team of what are essentially super employees . AI will also help to guide employees through more complex customer journeys .”
Krayewski believes AI will be a supportive , cooperative ally to agents , doing everything from offering advice to initiating related processes to updating CRM info . “ And as chatbots and virtual agents are adopted more widely and become better , automation rates will increase , escalation rates will decrease , customer service will become more efficient , and everyone will be happier .”
And Henn predicts , “ AI chatbots will identify a customer ’ s intent , and based upon what the customer needs , pass this request on to robotic process automation ( RPA ).” At times , AI will even successfully take care of requests without an employee being aware of it . “ This will give a lot of extra time for employees to do what human beings can do best : engage with a customer , empathize , and build a strong relationship .”
Krayewski agrees . “ Improving the employee experience can boost your business in a big way . It ’ s clear that AI can make employees happier . By taking away repetitive tasks , AI can work together with humans to augment their work , making them faster and more effective at every task .” Krayewski also believes AI will boost employee engagement . It will allow team members to bring their best traits to the workplace , with less focus on routine tasks leading to more time for solving customer issues and genuinely being there for them on an emotional level . Employees will bring the best of their humanity to each customer interaction . In theory , at least , this scenario will work well for everyone , particularly frontline employees . Competitive
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