With Power Virtual Agents and Nuance Mix on the Microsoft Digital Contact Center Platform, organizations now have a single platform for conversational AI tooling covering the needs of use cases, from the simplest chatbot to the most complex, hyper-personalized digital experience. From no-code and low-code to pro-code, we look at when to choose each solution.
To meet rising customer expectations, modern interactive voice response (IVR) systems must offer intelligent self-service and seamless agent escalation when needed. We look at the vital role of conversational IVRs in the digital contact center, and how the Microsoft Digital Contact Center Platform helps organizations engage customers in their channel of choice while increasing self-service.
Today’s customers expect more engaging, personalized service experiences from the brands they choose. They want intelligent self-service that offers always-on digital convenience. And they expect agents, whether human or virtual, to not just know who they are, but to already have an idea why they are reaching out and how to help.
Field service organizations have traditionally operated under the break-fix model—that is, responding to a device failure after the customer reports an issue. This operating model has grown antiquated due to rising costs and inefficiencies in labor and operations. It is also proving less than effective in satisfying the customer’s growing expectations.
The momentum of e-commerce continues. In fact, McKinsey & Company has stated that e-commerce shopping has 30 percent higher penetration than pre-COVID-19 pandemic, and that this pandemic has also accelerated e-commerce growth by five years.1 The COVID-19 pandemic certainly explains part of the growth in the demand, but it is not the whole story.
We understand that for customer experience (CX) leaders everywhere, this feels like a precarious time. As we stare down a recession and navigate the lasting effects of COVID-19 on supply chains and the way we work, digital acceleration continues throughout every business. Disruptions to customer engagement are adding similar instability.
The “changing technology landscape” has become a common trope when discussing the cloud. I understand why—it helps contextualize the disruption and advancement we’re experiencing. But you know as well as I do, this “change” has happened.
Manufacturing supply chains are experiencing a post-pandemic paradigm shift. As business models evolve to solve market disruptions, such as changing or adding direct-to-consumer (D2C) to a business-to-business (B2B) model, supply chains require agility and innovation to build resiliency and stay ahead of trends.
For decades, companies have relied on skilled technicians to repair equipment and engage with customers in the field. While these technicians were often the only representation that the customer would see, their skills, processes, and systems were seldom seen as critical aspects of the company’s revenue cycle.
These days, customer experience is everything. Happy customers are loyal customers, but, as a group, they can be an elusive audience. Three quarters of consumers have tried new shopping behaviors since the pandemic started and 73 percent expect to continue to incorporate different brands they’ve tried into their routines.
The role of the chief financial officer (CFO) has been evolving for some time, from hindsight report generation to forward-looking advisor, business innovator, and change agent. During the pandemic, many finance leaders took ownership of large-scale digital transformation efforts––a trend that is only accelerating.