How Virtual Agents Help the Live Agent Workforce

Since the dawn of conversational AI integrating into contact centers, one thing has been heard repeatedly…

The robots are here to take our jobs!

– Someone in recent history at some point or another

Yet when examining the facts versus fiction that sentient bots are here to end the live agent workforce, the opposite is true.

In over 100 deployments from small companies to large enterprises, SmartAction has yet to see a layoff en masse after deploying virtual agents. In fact, contact center leaders have let the natural course of agent churn occur until they are right-sized.

In a study conducted by DailyPay, it’s noted that small-sized call centers see a turnover of 17%, medium-sized call centers see 37%, and large-sized call centers see 44%. Several industries see 100% churn, with some as high as 352%. In a time where 61% of consumers prefer phone support, contact center leaders need to harness the power of virtual agents and promote a symbiotic relationship between AI and humans.  

Virtual agents are here to help, not stop, live agents. They take on the tasks that have long been cited as the reason for high agent churn to make life less hard for both the contact center leaders and their cohorts.

But how exactly does the real relationship between virtual and live agents play out?

Think of virtual agents as task relievers. They take over to remove the monotony of the job by:

• Authenticating callers & collecting information
• Handling common, repetitive issues that can be automated

So live agents can focus on more fulfilling and diverse duties like:

• Handling complex tasks that require critical thinking
• Defusing and resolving emotional situations

It really is that simple.

For contact center leaders whose number one most significant issue is agent churn, AI is meaningful for more reasons than increasing contact center production per headcount. It improves the overall responsibilities for a live agent, giving them the time and ability to take on more purposeful assignments while virtual agents manage the necessary evil of repetition.

Our “The Coming Live Agent Apocalypse” webinar goes in-depth about the way conversational AI is changing the role of both agents and contact center leaders along with the nature of the 4th industrial revolution and the connection to contact centers, how much tension is real between progress and jobs, and why modern contact centers leader need a historical perspective on current trends. Check it out here!