Today's digital era has a plethora of communication channels available. Although it’s not wrong to think many customers might prefer email or SMS chats for customer support, it comes as a surprise that a decent number of customers still lean toward the traditional voice channel for their customer support needs. According to recent research by Statista, despite the rise of digital alternatives, a little less than half of customers prefer voice channels. Sure, it’s not the majority, but being around 45% still constitutes a big chunk of any business’ customer base.
And here’s why that percentage prefers voice channels.
Customers appreciate the opportunity to explain their concerns in detail and receive tailored assistance, providing a human touch that other channels often lack. Immediate response time also plays a crucial role in the enduring popularity of the voice channel. Emotional expression represents yet another factor that contributes to the continued preference for the voice channel. The voice channel also remains accessible to a diverse range of customers. It accommodates those who may feel less comfortable with written communication, as well as individuals with visual impairments who rely on accessibility-friendly auditory channels.
The issue, though (when it comes to many customers preferring telephony), is that a lot of the calls are misrouted. The result is usually an angry customer. No business wants that.
So, to avoid that issue, Teneo.ai, a brand from Artificial Solutions and innovator in the field of AI, joined the Google Cloud Partner Advantage Program as a technology partner. The plugin integrates Google Cloud services with Teneo’s Conversational IVR solution, OpenQuestion, and enables call centers to decrease call misrouting and reduce costs through natural language automation.
OpenQuestion, built on the Teneo SaaS-platform, is a solution that enables organizations to replace outdated phone touch pad-based menus with conversational routing and automation. It seamlessly integrates with the Google Cloud ecosystem and supports 86 languages and dialects.
By leveraging Google Cloud's AI services such as speech-to-text, text-to-speech and DialogFlow, OpenQuestion focuses on routing users to the right agent through natural conversations powered by AI.
OpenQuestion also provides its own Voice Gateway, allowing direct connectivity between traditional telephony and Google Cloud. This is particularly beneficial, as telephony remains a preferred choice for many customers.
With its pre-built flows for routing, conversational clarification and handling common situations, such as empty inputs or user-requested repetition, OpenQuestion's Conversational IVR solution offers improved NPS, increased automation and reduced misroutes, redials and transfers between agents. It also includes additional features such as callback functionality, sentiment analysis and summarization before transferring the conversation to an agent.
“Investing in modernizing existing IVR technology for customer engagement is essential to help drive productivity, reduce cost and boost customer satisfaction in the contact center,” said Mykola Sochynskyi, Global Partner Manager of Artificial Solutions.
Teneo joining Google Cloud as a partner combines the extensive reach and capabilities of the Google Ecosystem with Artificial Solutions' two decades of expertise and intellectual property in conversational AI. This partnership holds the potential to deliver value to their shared partners and clients.
Edited by
Alex Passett
