BCP allows Uniphore to stay in constant conversation with customers: Umesh Sachdev

A leader in conversational AI, Uniphore offers distinct solutions in conversational automation and analytics, security and as a virtual assistant, that enrich the customer service experience.

Conversational service automation gives customer service agents improved quality of agent conversation, automating agent tasks, automatic disposition capture and after call work.

Here, Umesh Sachdev, Co-founder, and CEO of Uniphore, tells us more. Excerpts:

DQ: How are you and your organization handling the Covid-19 outbreak?

Umesh Sachdev: At Uniphore, we have a People First policy! Ensuring that our people stay safe is our biggest priority currently. In India and globally, Uniphore employees are urged to follow all the recommended guidelines issued by WHO and CDC to help contain the spread of the virus.

Some of the initiatives we have put into place includes remote working from home. We have instituted regular online group and company meetings to ensure that we stay connected and supported. Additionally, managers work in close coordination with their respective teams and staying abreast of all the activity being undertaken. This is not limited to work alone but more importantly, the health and well-being of our team.

Despite the limitations placed on us by the outbreak of COVID- 19, we not only concentrate on delivering excellent support to our customers, but are also working with them to help address some of the problems they have seen arise from this situation.

DQ: What are the short- and long-term strategies that you have now taken for the organization?

Umesh Sachdev: For the long term, we have instituted a well-thought-out business continuity plan (BCP) that will allow for us to stay in constant conversation with employees, partners, customers, government agencies, industry leaders and investors alike.

We are committed to bringing the latest breakthroughs in automation and AI capabilities, thus saving money and delivering a more efficient and improved customer experience not just for this current need, but for whatever comes next.

DQ: How are your solutions helping the contact centers? Elaborate.

Umesh Sachdev: First and foremost, conversational AI can allow call center agents to work remotely, thus ensuring their safety, while work is not negatively impacted.

There is an emerging category of solutions that are made up of conversational AI and automation capabilities, called conversational service automation, which has the ability to cut the time spend of every call center agent, on every call, -- almost by half, with the use of AI and automation.

Conversational AI could radically increase the efficiency of an enterprise’s customer journey, in difficult times like this, as AI can address routine queries without the need of a human agent while being geared to transfer the call to a human- seamlessly, if required.

Automation removes the mundane such as after call summaries that take time if a human agent had to draft it. This means that agents can be more effective and process more dialogues, while keeping the conversation personalized, empathetic and efficient with the customer. Doing what humans do best. This makes the process faster than older, traditional systems.

Voice biometrics allows us to authenticate the customer using his/ her voice thus saving on time spent in authentication.

The layers of emotion detection: sentiment analysis, allows for the agent to gauge the true intent of the customer in real time, thus helping to stir the dialogue to a frictionless and productive space. Agents can even cross sell or upsell.

AI can monitor the entire volume of interactions addressed, bringing in massive improvements in agent interactions. It can also provide enterprises with hitherto unavailable insights on what customers want and how their contact center agents deliver.

Until now, call quality was determined by a human analyzing a small cross segment of daily calls, as the entire volume would be physically impossible. Now technology could provide insights into how an enterprise could improve their business processes and eliminate human error. Conversational AI and automation also allow for significant cost saving.

Last, but not least, conversational AI can also be used in multiple languages. Uniphore has the capability to deliver conversational AI in 100 different global languages including 17 Indian languages and multiple dialects.

DQ: Explain the benefits of conversational AI.

Umesh Sachdev: Conversational AI is only one piece of the puzzle. Uniphore currently leverages AI, automation, and machine learning, which really provides the foundation for conversational service automation. This platform provides solutions that are helping customers meet the challenges of fragmented user journeys and solutions that operate in silos, which is a significant pain point.

Our products provide the following benefits to enterprises.

Aumina – Conversational automation and analytics to transform customer service with real-time insights. Drive performance, efficiency, engagement with focus on intelligent front-office automation

Akeira – Conversational assistant to drive premium customer engagement across channels. It enables you to have an automated, intelligent and highly personalized conversation with your customer.

amVoice – Conversational security to prevent fraud and identity theft.

The overall conversational AI can effectively address customer / enterprise requirements even in a time of business and social stress caused by pandemics such as COVID-19.

DQ: How can conversational AI and automation be a complete game changer in the customer service industry?

Umesh Sachdev: Innovation is the result of people, processes, technology, and resources coming together in new, unique and transformative ways. The COVID-19 outbreak is certainly impacting every critical sector including healthcare, financial services, and government support to name a few. These are such needed resources and our entire team from the executive level to our strategic partners are actively engaging these organizations to gather, analyze, and leverage data in order to create real solutions for these real problems.