simultaneously easing pressure on call centres .
Cathal McGloin : At the start of lockdown , travel and insurance companies saw a four-fold increase in incoming customer calls , as people desperately sought advice on whether they were covered for lost holidays and cancelled events . At the same time , customer service agents were adjusting to working from home and struggling to meet demand . This created an urgent requirement for companies to explore new ways to handle sudden spikes in call volumes that threaten to overwhelm staff . Those organisations that had already started using conversational AI and RPA were able to rapidly set up automated workflows to deflect calls from the IVR ( interactive voice response ). These automated systems provided customers with timely resolutions to their queries , while
Neil Murphy : While it ’ s true that the pandemic has accelerated the plans for many companies to reduce their reliance on sub-optimal processes and manual tasks , just investing in RPA is not the end of a business ’ automation story . Right now , many business leaders still don ’ t know much about the AI behind the human and its potential to transform their business . This needs to change .
Chris Huff : Without a doubt , COVID-19 has accelerated a ‘ digital awakening ’ among boards and C-suites . The days where point solutions like RPA were given months and years to scale are over . Boards are demanding a holistic digital transformation strategy that uses integrated automation platforms with robust ecosystems to drive efficiency gains and delight their customers . Given all the disparate data , systems , and the new dislocated workforce , digital workflows serve as the connective tissue and new digital frontier for businesses seeking a competitive edge .
53 insurtechdigital . com