S5 | 405: AI in the Contact Center with Mary Nelson, Chief Customer Officer, Aircall

Digital StrategyTechnologyConversational AI

Aug 11

About the Episode

Today we’re going to talk about AI in the contact center and how to balance voice AI, machine learning, and other types of automation with human contact center agents to deliver the optimal customer experience.

To help me discuss this topic, I’d like to welcome Mary Nelson, Chief Customer Officer, Aircall.

About Mary Nelson

Mary Nelson is an insightful and versatile business leader best known for successfully scaling high growth, technology and SaaS companies through IPO and beyond. A pragmatic problem solver, Mary effectively leverages data, builds company talent, and fosters cultures of collaboration and accountability. Currently, Mary is Chief Customer Officer at Aircall, a $100M Annual Recurring Revenue (ARR) global cloud-based call center and phone system. Leading a team of 180 professionals, she is positioning Aircall to achieve aggressive customer satisfaction, retention and growth targets.

Previously, Mary was the Chief Client Officer at Alkami (Nasdaq: ALKT), a $226M ARR digital banking SaaS company. Mary delivered the highest user growth in the digital banking industry during her seven-tenure. She accelerated growth while efficiently scaling towards gross margin targets which positioned Alkami for its successful Nasdaq IPO in April 2021.

Earlier in her career, Mary held executive leadership roles in global and domestic technology companies in breakthrough industries including mobile digital banking, B2C text messaging and broadband deployment. With a passion to help others succeed, Mary coaches rising stars and develops talent pipelines that drive high performance outcomes. Further, she appreciates that positioning customers at the heart of strategy and culture leads to operational and business performance. When Mary is not talking about customers, she also enjoys traveling the world in pursuit of amazing wine, food and culture.

Resources

Aircall AI research report: https://pages.aircall.io/ebook-business-sentiment-toward-ai.html?utm_medium=referral&utm_source=press&utm_campaign=fc--06-aiindexgkpoadcast-usa

Aircall website: https://www.aircall.com

The Agile Brand podcast website: https://www.gregkihlstrom.com/theagilebrandpodcast

Get the latest news and updates on LinkedIn here: https://www.linkedin.com/company/the-agile-brand/

For consulting on marketing technology, customer experience, and more visit GK5A: https://www.gk5a.com The Agile Brand podcast is brought to you by TEKsystems.Learn more here: https://www.teksystems.com/versionnextnow

The Agile Brand is produced by Missing Link—a Latina-owned strategy-driven, creatively fueled production co-op. From ideation to creation, they craft human connections through intelligent, engaging and informative content. https://www.missinglink.company

Synopsis

In this episode, the importance of effective communication and education when implementing AI strategies is emphasized. Mary Nelson from Aircall highlights that educating and coaching team members about AI is now more crucial than ever. This involves clearly explaining why AI is being used and the organization's goals for its implementation. By involving team members in the testing and experimentation process, they can become more familiar with AI and understand its potential benefits.

Furthermore, the speaker suggests that sharing the organization's vision for AI is essential. This includes improving team productivity and creating a rewarding experience for employees. By involving team members in the process and sharing the vision, they can feel more engaged and motivated in their work.

Additionally, the episode acknowledges that employees may have concerns and fears about AI and job replacement. To address these concerns, the speaker emphasizes the importance of empathy and thoughtfulness. Properly managing the change that AI brings and ensuring that team members understand how AI can be used as a supplement to facilitate more meaningful connections with customers, rather than completely replacing customer-facing teams, is crucial.

Overall, the episode highlights the significance of communicating with and educating team members when implementing AI. By involving them in the process, sharing the organization's vision, and addressing their concerns, organizations can create a more positive and productive environment for the integration of AI technologies.

In this episode, the speaker emphasizes the importance of gathering feedback from both teams and customers when experimenting with AI. They recommend involving teams in the planning and evaluation process, ensuring that they understand the objectives and are part of the testing and experimenting phase. This not only helps in finding a balance between people and AI but also improves the employee experience.

Additionally, the speaker suggests defining the ideal customer experience and customer journey as a starting point. By identifying areas where AI can help achieve the desired outcomes, businesses can leverage AI capabilities to enhance customer interactions. However, it is crucial to educate and coach teams about the purpose and potential benefits of using AI. This helps alleviate any fears or concerns that employees may have about AI replacing their roles.

Furthermore, the speaker acknowledges that there is a level of concern and worry about AI advancements. They emphasize the need to properly manage the change associated with implementing an AI strategy. By educating teams and ensuring their adoption of AI aligns with the business outcomes, companies can mitigate resistance and maximize the benefits of AI implementation.

Overall, the episode highlights the importance of gathering feedback from teams and customers throughout the process of experimenting with AI. This feedback not only helps in refining AI strategies but also ensures that employees are engaged and customers have a positive experience.

In this episode, the guest speaker, Mary Nelson, emphasizes the importance of continuously evaluating and iterating on an AI strategy to ensure its evolution. She suggests that as companies experiment with using AI, they should gather feedback from their teams and even their customer community. This feedback will provide valuable insights into the effectiveness of the AI strategy and help identify areas for improvement.

Nelson also highlights the need to communicate and educate team members about the AI strategy. By involving the teams in the planning and evaluation process, they will have a better understanding of the objectives and goals of the AI implementation. This involvement will also contribute to improving the employee experience, which is an important aspect of finding the right balance between people and AI.

Furthermore, the guest speaker acknowledges that AI capabilities are constantly advancing, and there may be concerns and worries associated with its implementation. To address these concerns, it is crucial to properly manage the change and ensure that teams are educated and prepared for the integration of AI. This proactive approach will help alleviate fears and ensure a smooth transition.

Overall, the episode emphasizes the need for continuous evaluation and iteration of AI strategies to keep up with advancements and maximize the benefits of AI implementation. By gathering feedback, involving teams, and addressing concerns, companies can ensure that their AI strategies evolve and align with their desired business outcomes.