What is AI engagement?

As a member of the TTEC AI Center of Excellence, it’s my responsibility to consider some of the big, overarching questions surrounding our delivery of artificial intelligence. One question that I’ve been considering lately is: How does TTEC Digital think about AI engagement?

Let’s ask AI

Before I put my own brain to work, I thought I’d turn to the “experts.” I asked Bard and ChatGPT:

“What is AI engagement?”

I found it interesting that I got different answers. Bard’s answer focused on the efficiency of conversations, while ChatGPT’s answer centered much more around organizations’ willingness to adopt AI. I thought both were interesting answers, but neither one really hit the mark as to what we at TTEC Digital consider AI engagement.

First, start with a great customer experience

Before I explain how we think about AI engagement at TTEC Digital, I want you to take a walk down memory lane and I want you to recall a truly memorable, or outstanding experience you had as a customer. I bet what you’re thinking about is a time and a place, but more importantly a brand and a person who delivered an amazing experience for you.

What most of us never really think about is the technology behind a person’s or brand’s ability to deliver that experience. (Well, we here at TTEC Digital think about that, but I don’t think the vast majority of people do!)

So, when I think about AI engagement, I think about how AI technology can be seamlessly infused to enable the delivery of those memorable customer experiences. Technology like conversational AI, chatbots and virtual agents helps customers resolve their issues quickly and easily. Natural language understanding (NLU) in a speech enabled IVR (interactive voice response) allows customers to interact with the IVR and simply state their request instead of pushing buttons. However, those technology-enabled customer experiences are only amazing when the technology works – and that’s what TTEC Digital does. We help our clients make that technology work so they can create customer-worthy interactions.

When I think about AI engagement, I also think about applying AI to data and analytics. With AI, we can analyze large data sets that are often unstructured and get meaningful insights out of that data. We can then use that data to improve customer experiences, products and services. For example, we can use AI and data to create agent assist tools that can offer up knowledge to an agent in real time based on the conversation or interaction they are currently having, so they can deliver that experience more seamlessly.

Additionally, I think about AI tools that can automate repetitive, often time-consuming tasks that distract associates from delivering awesome experiences. This improves not only the customers’ experiences, but the experiences of our customer-facing colleagues while improving accuracy and compliance.

AI engagement in a nutshell

So how do I answer the question “What does TTEC Digital consider AI engagement?” AI engagement is simply the application of advanced technology capabilities in delivering customer-worthy interactions.

At TTEC Digital, we’ve been delivering AI solutions in the contact center for more than a decade. If you’re interested in understanding the role that AI can play in your organization, take our Readiness Assessment or contact us today.