Today’s office environment is not defined by a single geographic location, but by a common connection site for both staff and the organization’s virtual assets. The retail industry increasingly depends on cloud-based platforms to streamline communications using Contact Center as a Service (CCaaS) and Unified Communications as a Service (UCaaS).
Retailers have a unique opportunity to evolve operations by merging the extensive data available to contact centers with the insights generated through AI. This analysis will review the capabilities of AI technologies to enhance the capabilities of cloud-based communications platforms and how retail professionals can best implement them.
The potential of CCaaS and UCaaS in the retail sector
CCaaS and UCaaS include critical platforms for communication in today’s virtual work environments. With UCaaS, teams can access multiple, integrated communication channels, from video and voice to chat and conferencing tools. They also provide employees with collaborative solutions, including cloud storage, version control, and file sharing, among other tools. UCaaS aims to provide staff with all the tools needed to collaborate, communicate, and work efficiently as a team, even when working in dispersed locations.
Contact center platforms are more commonly found in industries like retail, where customer communication tools have a more significant role. The modern consumer wants an omnichannel communications experience from the brands they use. CCaaS delivers on those consumer expectations.
CCaaS streamlines contact center management, including escalation paths, reporting, and Automated Call Distribution (ACD). These functions are maintained by professionals and are cloud-based. Agents can work remotely, and supervisors benefit from an adaptable platform that serves as the foundation for delivering excellent customer service.
Also read: Technology drives success and innovation in the retail industry
How contact center data spotlights consumer behavior
UCaaS and CCaaS are cloud-based platforms offer a direct route to automation and greater efficiency for daily retail operations. In addition, both platforms also offer AI-generated data, which is a game changer for planning retail operations and marketing tactics. Contact centers are also a source of cumulative customer service analytics. AI allows retailers to identify changes and consistent patterns in customer demands.
AI tools identify consistencies in consumer behavior and demands by mining the source material of various customer interactions, including call transcripts, video, chat logs, and comprehensive metadata.
These AI tools can identify:
- Preferred products and characteristics.
- Seasonal buying trends.
- Price bundling.
- Customer opinion mining.
- Preferred product styles and features.
- Recurrent requests.
- Trends in supervisor escalations.
Read more: Bolstering productivity at work: Strengthening the digital workplace with embedded AI
Incorporating consumer data into retail strategies
Retailers can better manage their overall operations, budgets, response times, and customer service practices by leaning into the AI analytics of CCaaS data. Retail is a fast-paced industry that is known to change quickly. However, retailers can use consumer insights to forecast and strategize for upcoming market shifts, such as seasonal inventory and visual merchandising guides. Personalized promotions and offers can respond to customer sentiment or customer service queries.
Contact center data is advantageous beyond improving customer satisfaction and the Insights derived from AI can transform retail operations. Companies can leverage prognostic customer insights to enhance operations, decrease indecision, and enhance staff output. Staying on top of consumer buying habits can improve depot operations, diminish excessive inventory, and make high-demand products more readily accessible. Identifying consistencies in consumer behaviors is also a conduit to manage labor costs with the need to adjust staffing levels appropriately.
AI implementation done effectively
The prospective advantages of AI tools combined with CCaaS are nearly boundless. But retail professionals should still be considerate of a few points before they begin the implementation process:
- Interoperability: CCaaS and UCaaS are components of a modern network. Before integrating more AI solutions, they must first be deemed compatible.
- Staff engagement and training: To capitalize on AI software, employees must be acquainted with the tools and taught to use them—poorly trained staff results in underleveraged solutions. The worst-case scenario is that teams view AI tools as an obstacle or even a threat to their jobs.
- Managing and measurement: Continuous evaluation compared to success metrics is vital to realizing the objectives of implementing AI. Similarly to all tool implementation, retail professionals must outline essential benchmarks indicating the tool’s progress and continuously quantify that success. This can include improved customer service outcomes or a decrease in supervisor escalations.
Additionally, regulations will continue to evolve with the evolution of AI. Retail professionals must safeguard proprietary consumer data, stay compliant with laws protecting personal data and industry standards, and plan for possible cyber-attacks.
Retail professionals working with the OnX team and our security and CCaaS experts will benefit from vital support and experience as you navigate the complexities of integrating AI tools.
Read more: AI-driven data analytics give retailers enhanced customer insights
CCaaS and AI are key to future retail success
Managed contact center solutions ushered in a new era for retail customer service, making it more adaptable and dependable. The evolution continues with AI integration. The advancements in AI are creating an opportunity for retailers to better manage CCaaS operations through smarter automation, call escalation, and call routing. Staff can concentrate on offering customer service excellence when a more personalized approach is needed.
AI also impacts other aspects of retail operations beyond customer service, with detailed customer analytics from contact centers. Large language models (LLM) are continuously expanding their knowledge base and interpreting capabilities to better evaluate consumer sentiments and inflections in CCaaS data. This allows AI tools to make suggestions or redirect the call to a supervisor as needed. Given more business analytics, AI can cross-index business planning and customer service results for an aerial view of outcomes.
Team up with OnX to unleash the power of AI for your retail business
Today’s retail environment is competitive, and digital transformation is critical to keeping pace. OnX has over 40 years of experience working with retailers, advising them on communications platforms, and providing consultations and support, from strategizing to results.
Benefit from OnX’s expertise and skillset to develop the CCaaS solution right for your organization and outperform competitors with the latest AI-powered consumer data tools.
Contact OnX to learn how AI and a managed contact center solution can unleash powerful consumer data for your business.
