Call Center Philippines: Automation, Cost-Savings and CX

Technology is advancing at lightning speed, and artificial intelligence-driven automation is literally changing the face of customer care. Along the way, it’s prompting a sea change in how call centers in the Philippines are doing business. “As technology continues to evolve, the massive BPO industry in the Philippines is evolving right along with it,” says Ralf Ellspermann, CEO of PITON-Global, a leading mid-sized call center in the Philippines.

That’s because the contact center outsourcing industry in the Philippines is a crucial part of the country’s economy. It will generate close to US$30 billion by the end of 2022. The country is now the world’s largest call center outsourcing destination. It is popular with U.S companies that can save up to 60% on labor costs. With so much of the country’s economic future at stake, the Philippines must do whatever it can to stay ahead of the game. 

Contact centers are embracing automation

It’s only natural that call centers in the Philippines would go all-in with automation. It is crucial to raise efficiency, boost customer satisfaction, and measure important metrics. All of which lead to enhanced customer experiences and satisfaction. And these days, nothing is more important to businesses than an excellent customer experience.  

“According to Gartner, 72% of customers expect excellent contact center service, but only 49% actually receive it. Long wait times, operational inefficiency, or customer frustration from bad customer service can wreak havoc on the customer journey. In addition, it can also ruin a company’s reputation. Automation gives call centers in the Philippines the means to solve and improve these challenges,” explains Ellspermann.  

What is contact center automation?

Automation uses robotic process automation (RPA) technology to perform tasks that might otherwise be done by humans. Website chatbots are the most familiar form of RPA technology.

“Chatbots can interact with a customer using real-time chat, offer assistance with common questions, automate front and back-office processes, and assist agents with simple and highly repetitive tasks. In this way, bots act as virtual assistants and a digital support team that gives customers more self-service options. Then, agents can focus on working directly with customers to resolve more complex issues,” says Ellspermann.

Improved metrics through automation 

Automation is also instrumental in measuring the metrics that help a contact center further improve the customer experience. These metrics gauge the overall effectiveness of customer service teams. Customer service managers monitor key performance indicators (KPIs) metrics. This is in order to track how effectively and efficiently a contact center solution achieves business goals. 

“Metrics are essential to measuring performance, agent productivity, and other activities that lead to increased customer satisfaction (CSAT). Metrics can also measure and improve important call center aspects like average response and handling times, net promoter score, average call abandonment rates, and first-call resolutions. Optimizing call center solutions through automation can also help achieve a higher ROI and improved customer experiences,” says Ellspermann.

By leveraging automation to measure metrics, contact centers can speed up time-consuming tasks, resolve customer service issues faster, save time and money, and lead to more streamlined and efficient processes.

The flip side of automation 

While automation has obvious benefits, just because something in the contact center can be automated doesn’t mean it should. Before implementing automation solutions, contact centers must determine how automation can improve metrics and customer experiences. “Poorly executed automation can actually complicate the customer journey, leading to frustrated customers and potential brand abandonment,” cautions Ellspermann.

“For instance, interacting with bots might not work for customers who would rather resolve issues by talking with a human agent. Since bots only function in a linear manner, they don’t have the capabilities for creativity, empathy, or out-of-the-box solutions that can only come from agent-to-customer interactions. While AI-powered bots certainly have their place in call center operations, they can never fully replace the human touch,” he adds.

 Automation benefits contact centers and their clients

Contact centers in the Philippines are deftly maneuvering that fine middle ground between automation and the human touch, all to the benefit of companies that outsource their BPO requirements to the Southeast Asian nation. “By embracing this new style of customer service, contact centers are offering clients world-class service while ensuring that the call center outsourcing industry in the Philippines continues to grow and thrive” concludes Ellspermann.