In a recent report, Gartner® (a company that delivers actionable, objective insights to executives and their teams) has provided much-needed insight into the future productivity and success of Contact Centers. In particular – and of great interest to all at Speechmatics – Gartner has delved into the benefits of artificial intelligence (AI) for Contact Center as a Service (CCaaS) providers and partners. Let’s look in detail at what they’ve discovered and why we feel it’s so important.

Competitive Landscape: Contact Center as a Service

For Independent Software Vendors, differentiating your Contact Center solution is never easy. We recently wrote a blog on how to add and offer value in this area. It’s our opinion the Gartner® report (above) shows exactly how instrumental AI is for those trying to achieve this.

The report found that providers often looked to enhancements linked to natural language technologies to find a point of difference, be that text analytics, speech recognition, insight engines, or emotional analysis. In the majority of cases, providers saw the greatest benefits when they combined these technologies.

Finding the Perfect Service

To provide the perfect service for Contact Centers requires a combination of factors. Proactivity is labeled a key driver for differentiation, with an emphasis on detection, redirection, and summarization of calls. This fits with the Speechmatics principle that speech-to-text is a key provider of data. Within the Report’s section on ‘Reporting and Analytics AI’, Gartner clarifies that, “Data and analytics obtained from customer data and interaction journeys empowers efficiency and customer service improvements within contact centers.”

In the competitive profiles curated for the report, there’s an emphasis on having a system that suits the size of the company. With our new Real-Time SaaS offering, we’ve lowered the barrier to entry for smaller businesses, making cloud-based speech-to-text more accessible and inclusive. Whatever the size of the business you’re serving, Speechmatics can help you set them apart from the competition. You can get direct integration through our self-service portal today and see for yourself the benefits available to your organization.

Making the Right Decisions

In a recent LinkedIn Live with Speechmatics, Mariano Tan, CEO & President of Prosodica (part of Vail Systems), offered his views on the ever-changing Contact Center landscape. Tan’s viewpoint was, “Customers are taking one of two paths. One path is to use speech analytics to measure and improve the employee experience. Use those tools to understand where your employee might be struggling to make their lives better. That’s the approach we take.” He continued, “The other approach is the opposite. Assuming your employees are a volatile asset – that they can leave – automate them out of the business.”

Decisions like the one above should not be taken lightly. But ultimately, they are decisions that need to be taken. The report itself makes a case for the former approach, arguing that, “In live agent use cases, AI will increasingly be used to supplement the agent interaction.” The final decision will come down to using the right data to make the right choices, and that data comes from the conversations within the Contact Centers themselves.

Independent Software Vendors know – the future for the companies they serve is more secure with better equipped, best-in-class speech-to-text, supported by incredible AI.

Luke Scott-Crowley and Kallan Lee – Contact Center Solution Experts

Book a Meeting today with a Contact Center Solutions specialist and we’ll help you understand what you need to differentiate your Contact Center solutions in market. We can aid you to deliver on constantly evolving customer expectations.

Gartner, Competitive Landscape: Contact Center as a Service, By Megan Fernandez, Drew Kraus, Daniel O'Connell, 4 December 2021

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