At the recent analyst and investor day hosted by AT&T, Chief Technology Officer Jeremy Legg presented a series of guidelines aimed at measuring the success of artificial intelligence (AI) and generative AI (GenAI) within the telecommunications sector. These guidelines include key performance indicators that are crucial for understanding the impact of these technologies on customer experience and overall business health. The five metrics identified by Legg are an increase in the number of customers taking convergent offers, a rise in net promoter score (NPS), improved penetration, heightened average revenue per user (ARPU), and enhanced customer lifetime value.
The emphasis on adopting a business value approach serves to align new technologies with customer experiences when engaging with communication service providers (CSPs). According to the 2024 State of AI in Telecoms report by Nvidia, approximately 49% of respondents cited that they utilise AI to enhance customer satisfaction. The report highlighted the broad scope of what "customer experience" encompasses, which spans all interaction points, including websites, mobile applications, and customer care systems.
A notable focus of the report was on the areas where CSPs are making investments in GenAI, revealing that 57% of CSPs are directing resources towards enhancing customer service and support through generative AI technologies.
One of the primary applications of GenAI in customer care is the development of customer care copilots, which support both self-service and assisted support options. These GenAI driven systems enable chatbots and digital assistants to handle customer queries by analysing an extensive amount of data to answer questions and resolve issues. In scenarios where human intervention is necessary, GenAI copilots can assist customer care representatives by summarising past interactions, conducting sentiment analysis, and suggesting responses based on customer intent. This capability not only streamlines the resolution process for customer care representatives but allows them to explore upselling opportunities during interactions, which could lead to further increases in customer satisfaction and retention.
In addition to enhancing first-line support capabilities, the implementation of AI technical customer care represents an emerging frontier in the telecommunications industry. Traditionally, customer service representatives would escalate complex network inquiries to specialised engineers, creating delays in issue resolution. However, AI technical care leverages advanced analytics to quickly identify network problems, assess customer impacts, and determine appropriate next steps. This technology enables immediate notifications to affected customers and ensures that resolutions are implemented efficiently, all while being supported by AI copilot tools.
AI technical care thus significantly reduces the response time for customer inquiries regarding network and service issues, increases the first call resolution rates, and enhances the overall customer service experience. The integration of AI into customer care processes has the potential not only to deliver substantial business value but also to improve customer engagement metrics that reflect service quality.
By continuing to explore innovative applications of AI and GenAI, telecommunications companies are positioning themselves to respond more effectively to customer needs while harnessing technological advancements for operational improvement. As these trends continue to evolve, the impact on business practices within the telecommunications sector is expected to be profound.
Source: Noah Wire Services