Are chatbots set to take over call centres?

Dubai - Chatbots can perform tasks that were previously the exclusive domain of humans.

Will chatbots - those automated interactive tools that use artificial intelligence (AI) to conduct a conversation via auditory or textual means - render (human) call centre agents obsolete?
The answer, according to a human customer service and tech expert, is a categorical yes. Chatbots can perform tasks that were previously the exclusive domain of humans.
Giving a talk on 'How bots are taking over the live chat experience' at the 38th Gitex Technology Week, Hamza Nasir, general manager at LiveAdmins, a technology solutions company based at the DMCC, said that over the years, "live chat has become the preferred mode of customer service available round the clock".
In the local front, digitisation has given more convenience to both Dubai residents and tourists and the government is at the forefront of promoting the shift to smart channels by endorsing the multitude of e-government services.
Talking to Khaleej Times, Nasir said that with chatbots, the quality of customer service is actually never compromised. With the click of a button, visitors to online sites do not have to wait as they are proactively attended to with accurate information and are also guided throughout their browsing experience. But why are chatbots replacing humans? Nasir replied bluntly: "Essentially, as human beings, we are not polishing our human skills. We have stopped learning."
"Half of the problem is that humans are no longer learning at speed they need to learn - we do not improve our skill sets and have soft skills - to be able to adapt to the fast changing environment. The other half is, every single day, chatbots are vastly improving," he added.
Nasir said humans are not just being replaced by chatbots but "are being made irrelevant" in some job sectors. "So what humans should do is to look at their expertise and figure out what can be automated and which points you can learn more."
Nasir explained that chatbots can only replace the ordinary tasks that humans do but when relevance, connection and emotional intelligence are needed, that's the time when humans should rise up to the occasion.
angel@khaleejtimes.com

Online-only week in Dubai
For a full working week, from October 21-25, doing transactions in over 1,000 Dubai government services will only be made available trough smart channels.
The 'online-only' week is aimed at making the usual tasks - from paying bills to registering customer queries - digital.
The initiative called 'A Day Without Service Centres' was launched and implemented for a day last year. It came as a directive from His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, and was hailed a success that saw the participation of 36 government entities processing 31,000 smart transactions in a single day.
Next week, 40 public departments will be part of the initiative led by the Department of Finance to boost the use of government apps and e-services.

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