ANYONE in the Philippines understands how important the growth of business process outsourcing (BPOs) is to the country’s economy.
Imagine yourself in the year 2016, and realize that BPOs are being projected to bring $25 billion into the national revenue. Now, flash forward 10 years later, and this number explodes to roughly $30 billion per year with over 1.3 million people finding gainful employment in BPO companies. The BPO industry is so big that it has its own Wikipedia article.
But massive growth means massive competition; hundreds of new companies are constantly springing up.
To differentiate themselves and make their services appealing to clients — American or otherwise — these BPO companies need to use the latest tools and technology in order to be able to produce the highest-quality results.
One such tool is modern call center software. A basic phone, or even a basic computer phone, simply no longer cuts it and does nothing to help BPO companies stand out; even arguably, these basic, outdated gadgets slow the BPO agents down.
To explain the technological transformation in this vital industry, Dmitri Lepikhov, CEO of telephony company MightyCall, talks about essential technologies reshaping the industry.
So, what key pieces of technology should BPO companies consider adopting?
The first two are varieties of auto dialers: preview and predictive.
“A preview dialer,” Lepikhov explains, “lets agents make calls with an added personal touch.”
That’s because before each call begins, the dialer allows the agent to read up on basic information about the person being contacted. This helps the call feel less formulaic and more meaningful.
Predictive dialers, by contrast, allow agents to rip through the call lists.
Lepikhov points out how these are very beneficial, saying: “These dialers use a smart algorithm to make more calls than there are agents, carefully calculating; so that no one waits on hold for too long.”
If a call campaign is the type that needs to be gotten through as quickly as possible, this dialer type is a fantastic choice.
The next pair of technologies, artificial intelligence (AI) transcript and sentiment analysis, is something Lepikhov understands why they make people wary.
“Yes, lots of people are worried about AI’s impact on jobs, but they should not be. It will ultimately make the jobs of your agents easier, and will let them focus on what they do best,” says Lepikhov.
Call transcript summaries, even for dozens of lengthy calls, enable agents to quickly understand the context of communication with a specific client. AI-powered sentiment analysis further improves service quality by analyzing not only words but also intonations, helping call center supervisors assess whether the customer was satisfied or less so.
Overall, Lepikhov is optimistic, stating: “Emerging technologies over the next decade will transform our industry in ways we cannot begin to imagine.”
The future looks promising for an industry that has become vital to our nation’s economic growth.
