Virtual Call Center

Virtual call center software offers an advanced technology solution essential to the day to day operations of a communications operation. Many suites offer a variety of automatable tools and services that can direct customer request and in some case even answer basic customer questions. But while computers are faster and smarter than ever before, there are still things that a good old fashioned mammalian encephalon does better. Agents might be reliant on some of these technologies to facilitate the tasks of a call center but ultimately they’re the ones that make the final decisions, and rightly so.

As Meghdutt Brahmachari of Contactual (News - Alert) points out, “IBM’s Watson created a buzz with its winning performance on Jeopardy two weeks ago. However the game showed that although superior in terms of speed, Watson could be tricked into jumping to inferior answers. Just like any other revolutionary technologies, we should use this technology to leverage human performance not replace it.”

The communicative nature of the human mind allows it to detect subtleties that would otherwise be missed by artificial intelligences, essential cues like voice tone for example. Even with advancements, relying completely on a computer to tell the difference between a satisfied customer and a furious one is generally not a risk that call center managers are willing to take.

Technology by definition is an augmentation to the limits of the human body. Call centers increases a group of people’s capacity to communicate but they cannot (at least in the foreseeable future) replace them. In fact in most instances these technologies make the person using them more powerful.

Take call recording, for example. This fairly simple technology empowers supervisors to constructively manage agent performance and improve service levels.Unified communications allows different mediums to converge on a forward facing user interface. CRM and its Integration with screen pops can save agents up to 15 percent of crucial customer servicing time. Last but not least remote agent technologies allow a corporation to communicate with a diverse and geographically decentralized customer base.

These technological advancement facilitate feats that were unthinkable only a short time ago, but it’s important to note that without a human being at the helm they would be all for naught. At last count the sum of the world’s total computing power is equal to only one human brain. For better or worse we're still a long way off from an AI controlled call center operation.