November 14, 2024

Let’s be honest, working in a utility call center can be incredibly challenging. Agents are often under immense pressure, managing long onboarding processes, high turnover rates, and rising operational costs, all while striving to meet ever-increasing customer expectations. But here’s the silver lining: advancements in AI technology are transforming this landscape. With our AI Agent Assist solution at Neudesic, we’re leveraging both Generative AI and Agentic AI to not only enhance customer experiences but also significantly improve the agent experience. 

The Challenges Utility Call Centers Face

High Turnover Rates 

The call center industry is notorious for high turnover, often reaching 30-45% annually. This constant cycle of hiring and training disrupts workflows and adds pressure on the remaining staff. Frequent departures can lead to inconsistent customer experiences and increased stress for those who remain. 

Lengthy Onboarding Processes 

Bringing a new agent on board can be a costly endeavor, often ranging from $10,000 and $20,000 and taking weeks or even months. This extended onboarding period not only delays productivity but also adds to the workload for seasoned agents who are already stretched thin.

Rising Operational Costs

According to a survey by E Source, in utility call centers, the average cost per call is around $9.54—far higher than the general call center average of $2.70 to $5.60. As customer inquiries grow more complex, controlling these costs becomes essential for sustainability and efficiency.

Transforming Agent Productivity with AI

Enter Neudesic’s AI Agent Assist solution. This isn’t just about answering customer inquiries; it’s about completely transforming the call center experience. By providing agents with quick access to information and real-time support, we’re fundamentally changing how they interact with customers.

AI-driven automation is reshaping the way utility call center agents manage customer interactions. According to a Gartner study, the rate of automated agent interactions is expected to increase fivefold, reaching nearly 10% by 2026, up from just 1.8% in 2022. This growth is fueled by advanced AI technologies that efficiently handle routine inquiries and provide agents with real-time insights and recommendations, reducing the need for human intervention on simpler tasks. By 2026, this increase in automation is predicted to save call centers roughly $80 billion in labor costs, allowing agents to focus on more complex customer issues. 

Elevating the Agent Experience with AI  

1. Empowering Agents with Real-Time Support

Imagine a utility call center agent fielding a call about a high bill. Neudesic’s AI Agent Assist receives large language model (LLM) guided responses and prompts tailored to the conversation at hand. This means agents can resolve complex issues more effectively and confidently, leading to a notable increase in successful payment plans and a reduction in average handling time—resulting in happier customers and less stress for agents. 

2. Boosting Productivity through Intelligent Automation

Our solution integrates two AI concepts: Generative AI and Agentic AI. Generative AI is used to understand and generate natural language responses during agent-customer voice interactions, while Agentic AI focuses on data analysis and decision-making. It analyzes customer data and previous interactions to provide real-time, context-aware suggestions or personalized next best actions—such as offering Level Billing, Low Income Assistance Programs, or Demand Response Programs. Additionally, it automates routine tasks like updating customer records and processing service requests directly from the agent’s desktop console. This enables agents to concentrate on more complex inquiries, improving service quality by 40% and reducing average handle time for use cases like payment extensions by 25% 

3. Streamlining Onboarding for Long-Term Success

Given the high turnover, effective onboarding is crucial. Our AI-powered onboarding tools can reduce training time by 25% and cut costs by 15%. With AI-guided learning, agents quickly acquire the skills needed to handle complex calls, increasing retention rates and creating a more stable workforce. 

4. Automating Multi-Step Processes for Efficiency

By combining Generative AI and Agentic AI, our Agent Assist solution can automate multi-step processes such as managing billing inquiries and payment arrangements. For example, if a customer calls to set up a payment arrangement, the AI can recognize their request, understand their financial circumstances, automate the necessary steps to establish a payment arrangement, and keep the customer informed throughout the process. This allows the agent to continue to focus on building rapport and address any additional customer concerns or challenges. 

Future Utility: Next-Gen Agents & Cognitive Call Centers

Neudesic’s AI Agent Assist solution transforms call centers by improving agent productivity and providing staff with valuable, data-driven insights. The market for AI tools in call centers is growing, valued at $1.8 billion in 2023 and projected to exceed $17 billion by 2032. This trend reflects a shift towards equipping agents to provide better service and enhance customer satisfaction. 

As utility providers embrace digital transformation, Neudesic’s AI Agent Assist simplifies the agent’s role, cuts operational costs, and enhances the customer experience. By integrating Generative AI and Agentic AI, our solution recognizes customer needs, understands their concerns, automates tasks, and takes action to resolve issues. This ongoing learning enhances AI accuracy, streamlining operations and supporting agents effectively. 

Together, we can create AI-powered next generation agents and build a cognitive call center that meets the evolving demands of the new energy consumer. 

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To find out more about Neudesic’s Utility AI Agent Assist solution, contact Colin Dvorak, colin.dvorak@neudesic.com or Onye Ifemedebe, onye.ifemedebe@neudesic.com 

To learn more about how Neudesic helps the largest utility customers navigate their disruptive challenges, visit https://www.neudesic.com/industries/utilities/.