Virtual agents help contact centres deal with unreachable customers
Ask the average South African how load-shedding is affecting businesses, they’ll probably mention mining and industry or small businesses (such as hairdressers and restaurants) that rely on a consistent flow of energy. But the impact of the power outages that have...
Contact centre integration key to meeting Millennial expectations
Contact centres have evolved significantly over the years because of changes in technology, business needs and customer expectations. By Navinder Singh, GM of In2IT Technologies While voice remains a critical component, many customers now prefer to interact via email,...
Will ChatGPT kill the customer service agent?
ChatGPT, the latest artificial intelligence (AI) application, has grabbed the world's attention. You may have seen ChatGPT write new song lyrics in the style of your favourite artist (something they don't always appreciate) or read that it's passing MBA exams. By Ryan...
Is automation making contact centre agents redundant?
If you watch the customer service space closely, you may have noticed that in late November, US-based low-cost carrier Frontier Airlines shut down its customer service phone line. Anyone with a query or dispute has to now rely on a chatbot on the airline's website, a...
Virtual agents reduce costs and improve the success of outbound campaigns
When it comes to outbound sales, the traditional ways of doing things have mixed success at best. By Ryan Falkenberg, CEO of Clevva A leading mobile network, for instance, might require its outbound call centre to work through huge lists of prospects, all for a...
Zoho launches Blended Conversations for Zoho Desk
Zoho has launched new tools for Zoho Desk, the anchor application in the company's customer service platform, to help customer service teams evolve with the changing needs of customers and meet heightened business expectations. Zoho Desk, which has achieved 40%...
Aragon Research positions Avaya as a Leader in Intelligent Contact Centre Solutions
Avaya it has, for the fourth consecutive year, been named as a Leader in The Aragon Research Globe for Intelligent Contact Centres (ICC) 2022, for the Avaya Experience Platform. According to the report, authored by Aragon Research CEO and lead analyst Jim Lundy, the...
Can virtual BPO operations remedy the jobs crisis
Before Covid-19 came along, work was a place. Today, work is an activity, and loosening the physical shackles of having employees sit at desks in specific locations may help unleash a new wave of prosperity and employment for South Africa and the entire continent. By...
Why virtual agents make sense to customers and the FD
When it first became clear that various AI-enabled tools would play an important role in customer self-service, most prominently in the shape of chatbots, there was a lot of hope that they'd have a positive impact on company finances. Not only would they provide a...
Virtual agents as a service could be an ideal business model
A growing number of companies in South Africa and around the globe are looking to offer their customers significantly improved self-service. By Ryan Falkenberg, co-CEO of Clevva Many have tried, and failed to build a chatbot capable of doing anything more than...
Conference focuses on fastest-growing sector in local economy
South Africa is facing a massive crisis in the form of rising youth unemployment and scarce job opportunities. In a country where one in three people nationally is unemployed, the numbers are more alarming for the youth where 63,9% of those aged 15 to 24 are without...
Voice note vs voice call vs none of the above: the generational war rages on
There's a war underway in the communications sphere. There are at least three sides: pro phone calls; pro voice notes; and pro "anything that doesn't involve voice". Some people are fine with voice calls but hate voice notes. For others it's the opposite. Millennials...