Changing the Conversation – My New Gig with [24]7.ai

Anyone who knows me will tell you that I am passionate about three things: 1) exceptional and differentiated customer experiences; 2) helping people and businesses be successful; and 3) diversity in the workplace and developing women into top leaders. Now, let me tell you how they all fit together, and why they led me to join [24]7.ai.

First, [24]7.ai is a strong leader in providing exceptional and differentiated experiences, not just through operational excellence in its contact centers, but through its widely recognized technology leadership. Of the top 10 AI trends in 2020, [24]7.ai very strongly ties into three of them:

1. Humans and machines converging in contact centers – we call this AI + HI (human insights) blending, it’s the key to providing a great customer experience.
2. Automation going into overdrive – as humans and AI work seamlessly to provide a great experience, we’re seeing more companies automating the more routine aspects of customer service, freeing up human agents to provide the more high-touch, concierge-like experiences. This not only improves the experience for customers, but decreases costs over time.
3. Operationalization – [24]7.ai is on the leading edge of operationalizing AI and business messaging in contact centers. With more than 20 years’ experience operationalizing contact center operations, [24]7.ai provides intent driven data that sets us apart from others.

Second, when it comes to helping individuals and businesses be successful, [24]7.ai is not only helping major Fortune 500 brands including Discover, Capital One, Target and United Airlines, but it is actively looking at the needs of consumers and thinking about what is best for them. Customer experience is changing rapidly, and the ability to provide personalized experiences and effortless journeys are now crucial to business success. Businesses must now meet customers where they are, and this is especially true in mobile and digital channels. 

This isn’t the future. This is now. For example, my children ages 22, 17 and 15 avoid talking on the phone at all costs. They expect every experience to be digital – text, messaging, video chat and social apps – easy, fast and visual. These young consumers are the rising leaders of the next generation. We think they’re supposed to learn from us, but we’re not grasping that we have to move this way because that’s where our kids are already. Too few companies are embracing that, and while they are being conservative and cautious, they’re not thinking about the 22 year old who is about to attain significant spending power. Meeting the rapidly evolving demand of this new set of consumers requires a special convergence of AI + HI (mentioned above) that works across both voice and digital channels.

Third, [24]7.ai is a company that embraces and celebrates diversity, which is not only key for how a company should operate, but it’s also how a company should provide customer experiences. Every customer is different, and understanding those differences is key to understanding intent. The dialogue and the increasing focus on diversity and equity in the world is critical, and it’s long overdue. What does this have to do customer service experience, you ask? I’ll tell you. Because diversity and a changing world demands specific, meaningful experiences that meet people where they are in an intelligent, unique and respectful way. When you think about how to provide experiences for different people (generational, cultural, and along gender lines including gender identification), you need to be smart about how you interact with them. Everyone’s perspective is different, and that impacts how they behave.

Knowing customer intent, and anticipating and understanding what different people want is the foundation of providing great service. Not to mention, customers will buy more from the companies that do three things successfully: 1) meet them where they are; 2) predict what they want and 3) make it easy for them to get. [24]7.ai is making experiences better for all kinds of people as we are help businesses thrive during a challenging time.

[24]7.ai sits at a unique inflection point of both my professional and personal interests. The company delivers exceptional and differentiated customer experiences, not only for the needs of today, but for the future. We help both individuals and businesses be successful during exceptionally challenging times, and serving the needs of a broad, diverse customer base. And we are doubling down on our commitment to diversity in the workplace, developing women into top leaders, and creating opportunities for all people to be successful. For these reasons and many more, I feel that I am in the right place at the right time. 

What [24]7.ai does through conversational AI, predictive analytics and human insights, delivers what businesses need and what consumers want. We are shaping the future for our children, their children and generations to come. The release of Engagement Cloud -- the first integrated suite of conversational AI applications and tools to power both voice and digital interactions -- is just the beginning. Now, IT and CX leaders and their teams can quickly diagnose customer intents to build, automate, monitor and optimize customer service and sales journeys. Through intuitive, self-serve interfaces and tools that empower both experts and non-technical users, businesses can finally provide the personalized, predictive and effortless customer experience that consumers long for.

The future is here, and I can’t wait to see how it unfolds.