According to the “State of the phone” report, people receive an average of 117 calls per month, and roughly 12% of those are considered unwanted ones ─ whether these are telemarketing or spam calls. Each of such calls causes a distraction and a waste of time, which results in scattered attention and lowered productivity. Recent research shows that a single distraction interrupts your working day by around 25 minutes.
This is why 75% of millennials tend to avoid answering phone calls, especially if they’re coming from unidentified numbers. However, in this case, the issue of missing important calls is arising.
Unlike voicemail or IVRs, which have been the only options to deal with incoming calls for a long time, modern conversational AI agents are capable of answering calls in a manner that makes them indistinguishable from a human. In fact, such a virtual agent can serve as a personal assistant, freeing up your clients from an avalanche of phone calls and saving their time for more important things.
Today, we’ll look into how AI virtual assistants can benefit telecom companies and their clients.
Anti-spam and fraud prevention
According to Truecaller, the number of spam calls worldwide increased by 25% between 2019 and 2020. So, there is an apparent problem that seems to have emerged on a global scale now. How can telcos deal with this issue? Well, many of them have been offering a blacklisting option to their customers, but as spammers are getting more technically advanced, this might not work as well as it used to.
An innovative way to cut down on spam calls is to use conversational AI solutions, like those provided by Neuro.net. An intellectual virtual agent will answer all incoming calls, detect spammers and block them, no matter how many new phone numbers they use. Besides, a VA can “listen carefully” to the whole spammer’s pitch and even simulate small talk before blocking them so that they have less time to call other people.
All calls are answered
Another benefit of implementing an AI virtual assistant is that subscribers no longer need to worry about missed calls. Virtual agents are online 24/7 and are never tired or unwilling to pick up the phone. Unlike a simple answering machine, they can hold a full-fledged conversation, determine the caller’s intent, make pauses where necessary, and respond in a human-like manner. For example, Neuro.net’s virtual agents have proven to be 99% indistinguishable from humans.
Even if a customer’s phone is dead or switched off, a virtual agent will answer all calls, find out who’s calling and why, clarify the details, and send a text transcript of the call to the customer’s messenger or a dedicated app. Basically, it can do the same job as a human secretary or assistant ─ but cheaper and at any time.
Increased customer loyalty
The competition in the telecom industry has become more intense in recent years. A lot of telecom providers experience increased pressure from multi-service cable operators (MSOs) like Comcast. Therefore, telcos need to adapt to the rapidly changing environment and do their best to gain new customers and prevent their churn.
Implementing cutting-edge conversational AI solutions as part of a provider’s offering can become a great competitive advantage since it provides customers with a new experience while meeting their need for intellectual call processing. The benefits they get from a virtual personal assistant can really make the difference when they’re choosing between different providers.
Additional monetization options
Apart from all the reputational benefits, telecom providers can yield additional income from offering AI solutions to customers. For example, they can offer a free basic version of a virtual assistant to all customers and also develop a premium subscription plan featuring additional options.
These can include detailed parameters’ customization, personalized behavior of the assistant, more conversation scenarios and voice options, alternative call presentation views, etc.
Final thoughts
Artificial intelligence solutions have been rapidly permeating our everyday life and transforming customer experiences across multiple industries. In telecommunications, intellectual virtual agents powered by AI are the game changers, enabling telcos to provide their subscribers with the most advanced technology to handle their calls.
