Kiwis Take Global Lead In Contact Centre AI Innovation

The New Zealand contact centre industry is leading global efforts in innovating artificial intelligence (AI) in the workplace as a tool to restore the industry’s reputation and create more employment.

The October Future Contact Centre New Zealand Summit in Auckland will feature the pioneering efforts of many leading New Zealand brands, including speakers from NZQA, Honda New Zealand, Mercury NZ, Kiwibank and the Warehouse Group.

Customer Contact Network New Zealand (CCNNZ) CEO, Elias Kanaris, says local companies are delivering incredible technology improvements in the contact centre environment.

“For example, while it usually takes five to six weeks to train a contact centre agent, we’re pioneering technology that can have our agents trained in three weeks or less—these developments are already increasing accuracy, speed and fulfilment for customers.

“The AI listens to a call and automatically retrieves accounts, information, and answers in the background, leaving the agent free to concentrate on the customer. Humans can only remember two or three things, but AI recalls everything and notes the next actions and follow-up on behalf of the agent,” he says.

AI will also end the painful decision tree process, in which callers are asked to press one, three, five, and so on.

“AI can identify the caller’s emotions and deal with them appropriately. If somebody has been scammed and is panicking, AI can understand customer sentiment and prioritise the call to be connected to a fraud specialist within four seconds.

“It creates a more enjoyable experience for both the customer and the agent and will help to remove much of the emotion, anxiety and stress out of contact centre engagements.”

Kanaris says the Future Contact Centre New Zealand summit—of which CCNNZ is an endorsing partner—aims to set the record straight on AI’s role in the industry, highlighting how it leads to more employment and better outcomes.

“Despite a challenging year, New Zealand companies have delivered significant technology improvements in contact centres, enhancing customer experiences through AI.

“AI’s application in contact centres is not about job displacement but about improving roles for frontline staff. AI augments and supplements their work, making it more interesting and efficient.”

Kanaris says New Zealand’s early adoption of AI, including voice bots and generative AI chatbots, has positioned it ahead of many countries.

“New Zealand’s proactive approach to technology adoption, similar to its early embrace of EFTPOS, has set a high standard in the customer service environment.”

The summit will provide a platform for industry professionals to network and learn from each other.

“It will demonstrate New Zealand’s capability and positive attitude towards leveraging global technologies for better outcomes and how we are setting the benchmark for productivity and technological adoption.”

6th Annual Future Contact Centre New Zealand Summit

23 – 24 October

Hilton Hotel

Tamaki Makaurau/Auckland

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Contact Centre Network New Zealand was established in April 2009 by Contact Centre professionals, created and nurtured by a group of dedicated Contact Centre professionals. Our community thrives on collaboration, shared knowledge, and the mutual goal of elevating customer contact standards across industries.

At CCNNZ, we are unwavering in our commitment to promoting excellence in every customer interaction. We believe every call, email, or chat presents an opportunity to create a positive impact, and we strive to empower our members to make the most of these interactions.

We serve as a dynamic network dedicated to inspiring, engaging, and connecting customer contact professionals from various fields and backgrounds.

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