Today in its second annual Next Google conferenceGoogle Cloud has introduced Contact Center AI, a solution that combines several artificial intelligence products in order to improve customer experience and stimulate the productivity of contact centers. In addition, he announced that he had associated himself with several suppliers of Cloud contact centers on the integration of his AI capabilities in their offers.
With this movement, we have another sign than AI in the contact center, a burning subject In 2017, it is even warmer in 2018. In the pages of No Gigue, we saw a constant flow of stories on mergers activity and acquired Altocloud and the acquisition of cisco of To accompanyFor example), product improvements (Five9 engineer ad) and several partnership ads (for example, Avaya and Appearance with In foriiti).
Google hinted at its interest in customer service with its May demonstration of Google DuplexThe technology behind its new Google Assistant feature, during its Google I / S Developer conference, and has been working with several contact center partners since October 2017 to define its IA solution from the contact center. These partners include Cisco, Five9, Genesys, Mitel, Twilio and Vonage.
In a recent briefing with one of these first definition partners, I learned how vonage widens its CX Activation suite (also announced today) by integrating Google Cloud Contact Center AI with a programmable voice and a routing based on Skills provided via its Nexmo communication platform as a service. Companies can use these capacities as a superposition of the Vonage Packed Contact Center product, CX Cloud.
Here is how the three keys to the Google Center AI contact center are à la carte the Vonage Cloud contact center:
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Virtual agent – The possibility of connecting customers with a smart virtual agent by integrating the Nexmo vocal API and skills -based communications routing technology with CRM, Google Cloud Center AI and Google Dialoguegiving the virtual agent the real -time data he needs to provide contextually relevant responses
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AI analysis – Supports context routing via a connection between the communication router based on the skills of Nexmo and Dialogflow, who goes to the best agent available when a customer needs human assistance
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Agent assistance – An interface which provides a continuous and real -time transcription of a customer call and the dynamically suggested updates of responses according to the conversation in progress
Vonage worked with one of its customers in the contact center, American Financing, to create early use cases for Google Cloud Contact Center AI. In a telephone interview, I had the opportunity to speak with DUANE KIBBEEtechnology director for US fundingon the inaugural project of the company’s AI. Note that this is an implementation of proof of concept, because Google Contact Center AI is not yet generally available. US funding said it would probably deploy the AI functionality with Vonage later this year. Here is a published version of our conversation:
What commercial problems of American financing hoped to solve?
One is the customer experience, allowing a customer to call and get general answers to things without having to talk to someone. We also expect this to improve our conversations, that our customer service representatives can more easily answer everyday questions. This will help new and experienced people answer questions of how they should Be answered, to give the right answer every time a question is asked.
US funding will also use Virtual Agent to help you with support after working hours. Today, these calls go to an outsourced contact center. Customers after working hours will get answers via the Vonage / Google AI application and will receive the opportunity to plan a call the next day if they have additional questions. If they choose to speak immediately with an agent live after hours, the agent will interact with the support of the Assist agent.
What was the importance of Google’s role in the decision to be part of this test with vonage?
Google was definitely a large contributing factor. Obviously, he is an industry leader. If you are going to learn to do something, it is logical to do it with industry leaders. In addition to that, we have an excellent relationship with vonage, and when it brought us this, it was obvious. If we can solve certain problems, while working with industry leaders, why will we not do it?
Do you see AI in the contact center as something that will be able to reduce workforce, increase customer satisfaction, or both?
We don’t really see it as something to reduce the workforce. Really, it’s more a income driver. Virtual Agent allows a customer not to speak immediately to a customer service representative or to obtain answers after the hours. Assistance to the agent is a way for us to train people who respond. He will be a teacher of our customer service representatives.
US funding has gone from a contact center based on premises to a Vonage Cloud contact center three years ago. Do you think this type of project would have been possible with a premise-based system?
Honestly, I don’t do it. It is simply not that the market moves. I would be shocked if a company put a lot of R&D in a product based on the locals. The cloud allows such flexible features. We have loan agents in different states and the simple fact of being able to turn on and deactivate things is invaluable. I could never go back.
As I have noted, Vonage is one of the many contact centers companies that worked with Google while it has developed an AI contact center. In a follow -up article, I will describe how these other partners integrate the AI components of the Google contact center in their wallets.
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