AI is Positioned to Bolster Contact Center Services

Having extensive experience in the domain, how would you describe the development of contact center space to this day?

I have over 20 years of experience working in various roles in contact centers, primarily in the private property deals industry. My expertise ranges from operational to customer experience (CX) management, including managing large onshore and offshore teams.

During my career, I have worked across different industries, such as finance and travel, with a significant focus on the CX space. I have lived in the Philippines for over five years, assisting in outsourcing operations for finance. I now hold the position of regional director of member experience, a paid loyalty subscription program by Accor, one of the world's largest hotel companies.

The core objective of Accor Plus is to provide maximum value to our members throughout their membership journey, always prioritizing customer satisfaction. In line with this, we have embarked on a customer-led transformation journey over the last few years. My role, in particular, involves transforming the member journey through an integrated omnichannel customer experience strategy that operates across all regions in the Asia Pacific in multiple languages.

Our omnichannel approach includes various platforms such as phone calls, emails, web, Facebook, Instagram, live chat, and messaging apps, allowing us to engage with our customers on their preferred channels and provide the best service possible. Our focus is to meet our customer’s needs and help them make the most of their membership.

What are the key roles and responsibilities within your organization?

In 2018, I joined Accor Plus as the Director of Member Services, and my role has since expanded to cover the Asia Pacific region as the Regional Director of Member Experience. At the time of my appointment, the company had embarked on a customer-led transformation journey. My primary responsibility was to improve the customer experience and foster a cultural transformation to prioritize our "members first" philosophy.

As the Regional Director of Member Experience, I oversee the day-to-day operational management of multiple teams across several countries and languages, ensuring that our members' needs are met and that the customer experience journey is optimized. I am also responsible for creating and implementing the broader customer experience strategy, continually evolving to keep pace with changing customer expectations and technological advancements, particularly in light of the pandemic.

My role is thus part operational and part strategic, focusing on delivering the best customer outcomes while managing resources effectively. This includes ensuring members can contact us through their preferred channels and driving revenue generation through customer experience initiatives. Over the past few years, we have successfully transformed the customer experience and service from a cost center to a profit center, demonstrating a return on investment on both the omnichannel strategy and the entire department through digital revenue channels.

Can you shed light on the current project initiatives you've participated in?

The Omni-channel approach has been a vital component of the customer experience strategy that I have been working on. When I first joined the company as the Director of Member Services, it was apparent that the traditional channels of voice and email were not meeting the desired response rates, and there was an increase in volume. Therefore, I focused on delivering the best customer experience while managing volumes efficiently by implementing an Omnichannel strategy. 

This project has been ongoing for the last three to four years and has been a major part of my strategy. I was responsible for finding the best fit for our business and the product, which involved attending vendors, workshops, and rollouts. The product we chose was Zendesk, which we use as our omnichannel CX platform. We initially implemented it to broaden our channels of operation for our members, but it has since been used for live digital revenue, leveraging artificial intelligence and a knowledge base to drive the deflection of tickets and queries that are high-volume, low-touch tickets. We have been able to deflect a lot of these tickets through our knowledge base, resulting in an estimated headcount savings of about 25 Full Time Equivalent (FTE) across the Asia Pacific. 

This project has also enabled us to integrate our system vendors into different products and systems within the core eco structure to deliver the best customer experience. Last year we sold over 6000 units through these new digital revenue channels, generating significant revenue. Overall, this project has allowed us to drive key efficiencies while improving the customer journey, which has been a substantial success for our business.

How do you envision the future of contact center space?

One of the most crucial factors for the upcoming years in the customer experience industry is the advancement of artificial intelligence (AI), conversational AI, and automation. There has been significant interest in Chat GPT and other tools that have the potential to provide better experiences than traditional answer bots or chatbots and require very little manual training of bots. However, it is essential to note that these tools should not replace conversations with customers entirely. Being digital-first is essential, but being human when needed is equally important, especially when handling complicated queries that require a human touch. Building solid relationships with customers is a significant aspect of increasing retention rates. We have seen that customers who contact us at any point in their lifecycle are 15 percent more likely to renew the partnership. 

AI can free up resources, enabling companies to focus on value-adding elements such as inbound and outbound engagement activities focusing on delivering the best value for customers. Moreover, the use of AI in measuring quality conversations and real-time sentiment analysis is another emerging trend that is likely to provide the most value to businesses like ours in the upcoming years. Although several technologies exist, real-time sentiment analysis is the most promising and can significantly improve the customer experience industry.

What is your advice for budding professionals in the field?

The key consideration when evaluating technology solutions is ensuring optimal outcomes for both the company and the customer. However, it is equally important to recognize that such solutions require continuous improvement and evolution rather than being implemented and forgotten. As customers become increasingly demanding, leveraging technology to enhance their experience is essential. Demonstrating a clear return on investment is crucial, and the data generated should be made available to the relevant stakeholders, including senior executives. Effective communication and celebration of successful outcomes should occur at all levels of the organization.