Do voice-bots really help take the load off of call centers?
Pam, I assume since you posted in e-commerce you are referring to the voice bots on websites, versus on call center phone queues. In either case though, they can be effective at handling some things. However there are a few things to consider that can easily result in just providing more frustration for customers than value: 1. Intelligence: While the artificial “intelligence” that powers these things *can* be quite strong, often it tends to be only effective for remedial support/service issues. And, even the best AI engine if not programmed with the right set of semantics and knowledge to begin with lacks real value. Thus, only remedial issues are likely to be handled by it. In some cases this may have potential to significantly reduce call center load, but may not be effective at it (see issues below). 2. Consumer confidence: Most consumers don’t have a great deal of faith in automated support. The consumer understands their problem from one perspective and many consumers have had to
