How AI is transforming enterprise operations and customer experience
With enterprise operations and customer experience evolving in the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic, we explore the roles that AI has played
To navigate through the worldwide Covid-19 health crisis, organisations from every sector have needed to adapt enterprise and customer-facing operations using AI, the cloud and other technologies, to stay relevant for employee and consumer behaviours. The shift to remote working has meant that plans for digital innovation needed to be accelerated, and AI has been key to easing transitions and improving customer experience.
Initially, fears were frequently expressed about the evolution of AI meaning that human workers would no longer be needed. But with flaws such as bias and inaccuracies remaining common, the contrary has proven to be the case.
“If you’ve watched any sci-fi film or TV programme, you’ll be aware of the fears around AI.,” said Samantha Humphries, senior security specialist at Exabeam. “Most commonly, this centres on AI becoming self-aware, overruling humans, and eventually rendering us obsolete. But, in the words of HAL 9000 in Space Odyssey: ‘I’m sorry Dave, I’m afraid I can’t do that.’
“These concerns have become so widespread that it’s created a sort of moral panic around the term. Needless to say, these concerns are for the most part unfounded. AI today offers huge practical benefits – both in terms of a vastly improved customer experience and as a support mechanism for the entire workforce.
“The power and potential of AI may seem scary, but by helping operational staff to do a better job, more accurately and more efficiently the technology is providing huge value across all industries. There will always be controls around AI – there has to be. Artificial intelligence is actually a misnomer; humans control AI and that will always be the case. The technology is there to support us, not control us.”
This article will explore some of the most prominent cases of AI transforming enterprise operations as workforces continue to work from home, and improving customer experience.
One area of the enterprise that’s seen notable transformation is HR. With organisations continuing to hire, onboard and retain the best possible talent, AI has helped HR departments to facilitate these operations remotely, while monitoring the experience of current staff.
Data insights can be used to train models with the goals of keeping employees engaged and productive, finding job candidates that are the best fit for the role and organisation, and onboarding those new hires with minimal disruption.
Malcolm Ross, vice-president of product strategy at Appian, explained how AI capabilities has worked its way into HR operations, and made them more efficient: “We now see many consumer-facing AI technologies permeating into back office and enterprise operations, such as intelligent chat bots for HR to employee communications.
“AI done right is transparent. Organisations seeking transformative impacts need to first get a hold of their overall workflows and processes, and then decide where AI decisions can be injected to deliver the best results.
“For example, an organisation can look at a recruiting process and identify a point in the process where initial resume and work history is evaluated. That decision can be augmented by AI services using natural language processing and entity analysis to assist HR recruiters to prioritise possible candidates.”
Research conducted by ContactEngine revealed that 90% of brand interaction is initiated by customers, making it critical for consumer-facing teams to be prepared for any queries about their services.
As the range of ultilised devices for shopping has widened during the pandemic, so has chosen channels, meaning that brands need to be accessible using any possible method, and have the right information in real time. Hosts of customer-to-brand conversations in today’s world include the company’s website, social media and over the phone.
