Intelligent Customer Engagement

APPLIED CUSTOMER ENGAGEMENT+ REINVENTING SERVICE WITH AI THE POWER OF AI

BUSINESS SITUATION CUSTOMER SERVICE UNDER PRESSURE The customer service function is at an inflection point. Companies are still struggling to meet customer expectations at a time when those expectations are both increasing and multiplying. Frustrations with customer service continue Regardless of investments made to improve customer experiences, companies are still receiving low Net Promoter Scores (NPS) and frustrating customers with long wait times, unhelpful representatives, 1 redundant requests, and self-service systems that don’t help. Liquid expectations are real and on the rise As digital brands extend their reach, high standards of service are becoming the norm. Customers expect companies to provide best-of-breed experiences, regardless of industry. The battleground for superiority is no longer category dominance, it is customer engagement. The digital–physical blur creates more touchpoints As the real world becomes more digital with wearable devices, smart objects, and augmented experiences, companies are striving to provide integrated and contextually relevant customer service experiences through an expanded network of platforms and devices. Traditional ways of working aren’t working The volume, complexity, and immediacy of customer-to-company interactions is increasing exponentially. The current servicing approach—automation for low-complexity tasks and human intervention for high-touch occasions—isn’t sufficient to service this growth or provide differentiating customer experiences. To meet rising expectations and compete effectively, companies need to find a way to increase the scope, volume, and quality of customer service interactions. 1 Accenture Global Customer Pulse Research (2008–2016) APPLIED CUSTOMER ENGAGEMENT+ REINVENTING SERVICE WITH AI 2

The battleground for superiority is no longer category dominance, it is customer engagement. APPLIED CUSTOMER ENGAGEMENT+ REINVENTING SERVICE WITH AI 3

KEY TENSION THE TRADE-OFF BETWEEN QUALITY AND COST Historically, customer service leaders have wrestled with a fundamental trade-off: how to provide quality customer care in the most affordable manner possible. This dilemma is amplified given the increased scope Companies need to and investment required to put service at the core of develop an entirely the business. Companies need to develop an entirely new approach to new approach to servicing that bends the cost curve while embracing an ever-increasing number of servicing. opportunities to engage and satisfy customers. They need to find a way to both lower servicing costs and improve experiences, providing customers with whatever it is they need, whenever they need it. This must be in their channel of choice, without the disappointments and pitfalls of current servicing systems. APPLIED CUSTOMER ENGAGEMENT+ REINVENTING SERVICE WITH AI 4

INSIGHT SERVICE IS NO LONGER A POST- PURCHASE SILO Companies need to rethink the role and function of customer service. What was once a support and resolution capability is becoming a proactive and pervasive differentiator. This trend will escalate as hyper-connected, intelligent products proliferate. It is central to the brand’s relationship with the customer—the bridge between brand promise and brand experience—and to the future value a company can expect to derive from an engaged customer. As such, it is transforming from a cost center to a business driver. APPLIED CUSTOMER ENGAGEMENT+ REINVENTING SERVICE WITH AI 5

OPPORTUNITY MORE INTELLIGENT CUSTOMER ENGAGEMENT Customers who are continuously connected to By embracing AI’s the company will expect an “always-on, always- newer capabilities me” experience that is fueled by deep customer companies can knowledge and broad servicing capabilities. reduce costs while In recent years, artificial intelligence (AI) has been providing integrated, used in customer service to drive self-service and improved, and improve internal efficiencies. But by embracing AI’s newer capabilities—from video processing to complete customer machine learning—companies can reduce costs experiences. while providing integrated, improved, and complete customer experiences. KEY AREAS OF VALUE: Improving automated • Take a data-driven approach to look at customer intents servicing while for all interactions. unlocking capital • Use AI as the new customer gateway to simplify choices for investment and route customers to their best experience and most efficient channel for the intent in question. • Identify use cases that can be completely automated while also enhancing customer experience (CX) (e.g. which of the intents can be served by an intelligent chatbot, or even via robotic voice-to-voice). • Improve operational efficiency and governance by removing repetitive work and empowering employees to work in new, more strategic and proactive capacities. APPLIED CUSTOMER ENGAGEMENT+ REINVENTING SERVICE WITH AI 6

Delighting customers • Augment customer care agents with AI to serve and differentiating customers better, faster, and with increased quality. from competitors And, measure their performance based on the success of their customer interactions. • Increase customer relevance by applying contextual information, including images, audio, videos, and location, to inform hyper-personalized interactions, offers, and recommendations. • Utilize voice interfaces (Amazon Echo, Google Home) to be more human, intuitive, and accessible. Enabling best-of-breed • Provide predictive, proactive care to resolve problems and holistic customer before they happen, and introduce contextually relevant, engagement that builds personalized services. brand love • Integrate fully with legacy systems and ecosystem partners to create frictionless, timely, and engaging experiences across all the touchpoints in the customer journey. Pursuing the journey to Intelligent Customer Engagement requires a blend of capabilities, from design thinking, to dialog design, and knowledge engineering. By approaching change both systemically and strategically, companies can expect to meaningfully impact customer experience metrics and reduce costs by as much as 30 percent. They will develop a powerful, enterprise-wide capability to empower employees, satisfy their customers, differentiate competitively, and drive new growth in their business. Explore how AI can transform your customer engagement capabilities. Visit www.accenture.com/ai-for-business-transformation APPLIED CUSTOMER ENGAGEMENT+ REINVENTING SERVICE WITH AI 7

CONTACT ABOUT ACCENTURE John Bolze Accenture is a leading global professional services company, Managing Director, providing a broad range of services and solutions in strategy, Global CMT consulting, digital, technology and operations. Combining [email protected] unmatched experience and specialized skills across more than 40 industries and all business functions—underpinned Sharad Sachdev by the world’s largest delivery network—Accenture works at Managing Director, the intersection of business and technology to help clients Applied Intelligence improve their performance and create sustainable value for [email protected] their stakeholders. With approximately 449,000 people serving clients in more than 120 countries, Accenture drives innovation to improve the way the world works and lives. Visit us at JOIN THE www.accenture.com. CONVERSATION ABOUT ACCENTURE @AccentureAI APPLIED INTELLIGENCE Accenture Applied Intelligence helps clients apply new data science and intelligent technology across their business, and into every function, so they can transform their business and achieve new outcomes at speed and scale. Recognized as a leader by industry analysts, the company helps clients create new intelligence using artificial intelligence, machine learning, proprietary algorithms and app-based solutions, all powered by the Accenture Insights Platform. We collaborate with a powerful alliance and delivery network to help clients operationalize within any market and industry with a focus on speed to value. Combining expertise across industries, analytics, technology and design, Accenture is uniquely qualified to drive new business outcomes with precision, at scale. Visit us at www.accenture.com/appliedintelligence. This document makes descriptive reference to trademarks that may be owned by others. The use of such trademarks herein is not an assertion of ownership of such trademarks by Accenture and is not intended to represent Copyright © 2018 Accenture. or imply the existence of an association between Accenture and the lawful All rights reserved. owners of such trademarks. Accenture, its logo, and High This document is produced by consultants at Accenture as general Performance Delivered are guidance. It is not intended to provide specific advice on your registered trademarks circumstances. If you require advice or further details on any matters of Accenture. referred to, please contact your Accenture representative. APPLIED CUSTOMER ENGAGEMENT+ REINVENTING SERVICE WITH AI 8