Contact Center Research Articles

Enhancing Customer Experience with Generative AI in Financial Services Contact Centers

This article explores the transformative impact of Generative Artificial Intelligence (Gen AI) on customer service operations in financial services contact centers. Through a comprehensive case study approach, we examine the implementation of a Gen AI system designed to handle complex financial queries, provide personalized guidance, and ensure regulatory compliance. The article investigates the system's architecture, key features, and integration with existing infrastructure, while analyzing its performance across critical metrics such as First-Call Resolution rates, call handling times, customer satisfaction scores, and operational costs. Our article reveals significant improvements in these areas, with FCR rates increasing by 50%, call handling times decreasing by 40%, and customer satisfaction scores improving by 45%. The article also addresses the challenges and ethical considerations associated with AI-driven customer service in the financial sector, including data privacy, algorithmic bias, and the need for transparency. By providing a detailed analysis of both quantitative improvements and qualitative benefits, this article offers valuable insights for financial institutions considering the adoption of Gen AI technologies to enhance their customer service capabilities and maintain competitiveness in an increasingly digital financial landscape.

The Influence Of Career Development, Work Environment And Workload On Job Satisfaction And Its Impact On Employee Performance

Objectives – Company performance is highly dependent on public administration personnel, including individual resources to work in all organizations. Management performance can be improved by ensuring that each level of the organization has adequate business requirements and clear plans to support management objectives. This research uses a quantitative approach with a type of causal research. This research focuses on PT. SSP contact center employees. as a population of 100 individuals. The saturated sampling method was used to select the research sample, which means the entire population was included. The questionnaire uses a Likert scale which is one of the questionnaire measuring tools. SmartPLS version 3. is software used to analyze data related to various variables. Innovation/Value - Learning organizations and employee empowerment drive continuous improvement, innovation and adaptability, enabling employees to make informed decisions and contribute to organizational goals. This helps organizations align and maintain competitive advantage by improving careers, environments and jobs.

Factors influencing physical activity and sedentary behaviour in contact centres during the COVID-19 pandemic and their relevance for the future of hybrid working.

The COVID-19 pandemic changed the way many industries work, including contact centres, with some employees working from home and new on-site restrictions/measures in place representing even greater challenges for employers around staff engagement and wellbeing. This study aimed to understand the interplay of individual, social, environmental and organisational factors influencing physical activity and sedentary behaviour in UK contact centre employees, how the pandemic impacted these factors, and their relevance for the future of hybrid working. Individual interviews (n = 33) were conducted with participants (staff working full and part time, on site and from home) from four UK contact centres. A topic guide based on the ecological model was developed to understand current barriers and facilitators to physical activity and (reducing) sedentary behaviour during and outside of working hours. Thematic analysis was carried out using a codebook and a deductive coding approach to identify themes. Three key insights are provided. First, participants felt they were generally sitting more and moving less since the first UK-wide lockdown. Second, factors which negatively impacted on these behaviours were evident across all levels of the ecological model. These included individual and social barriers (e.g., lack of motivation and preferable physical activity options) as well as environmental and organisational barriers (e.g., poor home office setup, back-to-back virtual meetings). There were a mix of new and existing barriers (exacerbated by the pandemic) and several of these were linked to homeworking. Third, organisational support requirements (e.g., homeworking ergonomic support) and existing facilitators (such as the provision of informational support and flexible working arrangements) were identified. Solutions to reduce sedentary behaviours and increase physical activity in contact centres need to address barriers from the individual to the organisational level. Whilst the study was undertaken in the UK, the results are like to be applicable globally. Clinical trial registration: The trial for the wider project has been registered on the ISRCTN database: http://www.isrctn.com/ISRCTN11580369.

РЕКЛАМНО-КОМУНІКАЦІЙНА ІНДУСТРІЯ УКРАЇНИ: ВПЛИВ ФАКТОРІВ МАКРОСЕРЕДОВИЩА

The article examines changes in the structure of the advertising market and its synergy with Digital. It was established that the structure of the advertising market, as of 2023, consists of four directions: media advertising, marketing services, digital advertising and PR market. In turn, media advertising includes: TV advertising (direct advertising, sponsorship); digital TV; advertising in the press (national, including sponsorship, regional, specialized); radio advertising (national, regional, sponsorship); OOH Media (outdoor advertising, transport advertising, DOOH, Indoor advertising); advertising in cinemas; Digital (Internet) Media advertising. Marketing services include: Trade marketing (Merchandising, Trade promo, Personnel motivation and control programs); Loyalty marketing (Mailing, DB management, Contact Center); Consumer marketing; Event Marketing and Sponsorship. Digital advertising includes: banner advertising, ads in social networks, rich media; digital video, incl. Youtube; search (paid publication in search engines), including part of GDN; influencer marketing and other digital. Quantitative indicators of the advertising market were studied and significant growth of Digital advertising in 2013-2022 was revealed. The influence of macroeconomic factors, in particular, digital technologies, the COVID-19 pandemic, the Russian-Ukrainian war on advertising and communication activities is analyzed. The study showed that the COVID-19 pandemic contributed to the development and increase of market volumes, and the war led to a significant decrease in the quantitative indicators of the media advertising, marketing services and PR market. The digital market also declined, but only to the indicators of the pandemic period. It was established that the technological factor had a significant impact on the advertising market, not only by changing traditional platforms, but also by additional opportunities in the field of production of advertising materials and creativity. The changes in the legislation of Ukraine introducing the norms of the European legislation into the national legislation through the implementation of certain provisions of the EU legislation in the field of audiovisual advertising are indicated.

Damage evolution simulation and lifetime prediction for composite blades under continuous droplet impacts

Offshore wind power generation is a promising technology in renewable energy applications due to its high reserves of wind energy in sea areas. To improve the energy transformation efficiency, the blade length of the offshore wind turbines has become larger and larger, and it has made rain erosion be one of the most frequent failures during the turbine operation. As the natural rainfall is stochastic in spatial and time domains, it is difficult to depict the damage evolution process caused by rain impact exactly. Therefore, regular and continuous droplet impact simulation and experiments present an alternative methodology for this issue. With the composite structure of the blade and deformability of the liquid droplet in consideration, a fluid solid interaction model will be established to investigate the impact response and subsequent damage evolution. In which, the Smooth Particle Hydrodynamics (SPH) model is utilized to depict the constitutive relationship within the droplet, and Finite Element Method (FEM) is used to construct the Representative Volume Element (RVE) model of the blade leading edge. The impact process is simulated first to obtain the impact pressure distribution at the contact center and velocity field in the droplet. Furthermore, the stress wave propagation in the blade multilayer structure can be analyzed. Owing to the multiaxial fatigue feature of the continuous droplet impact, the continuum damage mechanics is integrated with the fatigue criterion and the Jump-in-Cycle procedure is used to simulate the high-cycle fatigue process. The damage factor distribution on the blade coating surface and its influence on mechanical properties are analyzed. Thereafter, the droplet impact fatigue life can be accumulated based on Miner’s linear rules. The theoretical achievements are validated by experimental data provided by Rain Erosion Testing (RET), which shows a good agreement between each other. As a result, V-N curves and D-N curves, i.e. quantitative relationship between droplet falling conditions and impact fatigue life, are established. The achievements in this study can provide an effective tool for rain erosion mechanism analysis and life prediction in industrial applications.

The strength of an adhesive contact in the presence of interfacial defects

Adhesive contacts which possess a dominant stress concentration, such as at the contact edge in spherical junctions or at the detachment front in a peeling film, are well studied. More complex adhesive junction geometries, such as mushroom-shaped fibrils in bioinspired micropatterned dry adhesives, have exhibited a complex dependence of adhesive strength on the presence of interfacial defects within the contact. This has led to the emergence of statistical variation of the local behavior among micropatterned sub-contacts. In order to examine the interplay between geometry and interfacial defect character in control of the adhesive strength, the model system of a stiff cylindrical probe on an elastic layer is examined. Both experiments (glass on PDMS) and cohesive zone finite element simulations are performed, with analytical asymptotic limits also considered. The thickness of the elastic layer is varied to alter the interfacial stress distribution, with thinner layers having a reduced edge stress concentration at the expense of increased stress at the contact center. The size and position of manufactured interfacial defects is varied. It is observed that for the thickest substrates the edge stress concentration is dominant, with detachment propagating from this region regardless of the presence of an interfacial defect within the contact. Only very large center defects, with radius greater than half of that of the contact influence the adhesive strength. This transition is in agreement with analytical asymptotic limits. As the substrate is made thinner and the stress distribution changes, a strong decay in adhesive strength with increasing center defect radius emerges. For the thinnest substrate the flaw-insensitive upper bound is approached, suggesting that this decay is dominated by a reduction in the contact area. For penny-shaped defects at increasing radial positions, the adhesive strength for the thinnest substrates becomes non-monotonic. This confirms an intricate interplay between the geometry-controlled interfacial stress distribution and the size and position of interfacial defects in adhesive contacts, which will lead to statistical variation in strength when defects form due to surface roughness, fabrication imperfections, or contaminant particles.

EDUCATION AND JOB SATISFACTION IN U.S. CONTACT CENTERS

Objective: The objective of this study is to investigate the relationship between the level of education completed after high school graduation and the level of job satisfaction among U.S. contact center employees. Theoretical Framework: In this topic, the main concepts and theories that underpin the research are presented. Herzberg’s Two Factor Theory stands out, providing a solid basis for understanding the context of the investigation. Method: The methodology adopted for this research comprises a quantitative correlational approach. Participants include U.S. contact center employees. Data collection was carried out through questionnaires distributed to contact center employees. Results and Discussion: The results obtained revealed that the level of education completed after high school graduation does not significantly impact the level of job satisfaction for U.S. contact center employees. In the discussion section, these results are contextualized in light of Herzberg’s Two Factor Theory, highlighting that education completion cannot be utilized as a motivator factor in this context. Possible discrepancies and limitations of the study are also considered in this section. Research Implications: The practical and theoretical implications of this research are discussed, providing insights into how the results can be applied or influence practices in the field of business and education. These implications could encompass human resources, management, and post-high-school education. Originality/Value: This study contributes to the literature by offering a practical contribution to contact center professionals and educational institutions. The relevance and value of this research are evidenced by its potential to impact contact center hiring processes and assessing the value of post-high-school education for contact center employees.

Integrating tele-urgent care in undergraduate medical education: a partnership between the US Department of Veterans Affairs and academia

Background: The COVID-19 pandemic made clinical rotations for medical students difficult to maintain in person. Several medical schools adapted to the pandemic by providing some training in telemedicine. The use of telemedicine has grown exponentially in the United States in recent years and COVID-19 acted as an accelerant for its growth. What remains largely unknown is the longterm value and sustainability of telemedicine in medical education. This study aims to address this gap in the literature by examining the value of integrating a clinical virtual urgent care rotation in the training of medical students. Methods: The authors examined retrospective descriptive data from Veterans who utilized telemedicine services from a virtual urgent care clinic. The analysis included 2,512 patient episodes with 23 medical students between July 1, 2020 to April 30, 2023. The study examined trends in monthly average first contact resolution (FCR) and tested whether the first contact resolution from the medical student rotation was statistically different from the Clinical Contact Center (CCC) overall. Results: The retrospective descriptive analysis found that the monthly first contact resolution for patients seen by medical students was approximately 80%. This average was not statistically different than the 18,000 patient episodes that occurred within the CCC during the same period. Informal feedback from the students was positive, and they all presented on wellreceived capstone topics such as tele-critical care, tele-cardiology, tele-orthopedics, and a history and critical analysis of telemedicine. Conclusions: This study confirmed the value of telemedicine in medical education and the call to medical schools to consider incorporating formal education on telemedicine in the medical student curricula. As medicine moves toward incorporating telemedicine in specialty practices, having it as part of medical education will be a valuable inclusion for future physicians.

Study on the vacuum arc characteristics between novel straight slot transverse magnetic contacts with auxiliary slots on the back

The motion stability of the vacuum arc between TMF contacts significantly affects the breaking capacity of vacuum switches. The vacuum arc movement can be effectively controlled by slots on the TMF contacts to provide the necessary driving force. However, the necessary cross-slot movement of the arc affects its stability. In this paper, a novel straight-slot transverse magnetic field (SSTMF) contact structure with additional auxiliary slots on the back is proposed to improve current distribution and avoid stagnation at the contact center. The simulation analysis was conducted on the force acting on the arc at different positions and the magnetic field distribution between the contacts. Additionally, the arcing experiments were performed in a demountable vacuum chamber for both novel and traditional SSTMF contacts. The SEM analyses were carried out for the contacts after the experiments. Combined with simulation and comparative experimental results, it is verified that the auxiliary slots can improve the control and driving effect on the arc. This can provide ideas and references for future contact design and improve the breaking performance of vacuum circuit breakers.

Study of Patients’ Satisfaction with different types of Telemedicine Services provided by the Ministry of Health in Saudi Arabia

One way to gauge the quality of healthcare is to look at how satisfied patients are with the system overall. Finding out how happy patients are with various telemedicine services offered by Saudi Arabia's Ministry of Health is the main goal of this research. The satisfaction of Saudi Arabian customers using telemedicine services was assessed in a cross-sectional survey. Customers of the 940 medical contact centre and the Sehha app, two telemedicine services, were surveyed using a rigorous random selection technique. Two hundred and fifty users of the 940 medical contact centre and the Sehha app were selected at random to fill out a pre-designed survey about their level of satisfaction with various aspects of the two health services. Out of 250 people who used telemedicine services, 83.14 percent were happy with the care they received overall, while 8.03 percent were unhappy. These days, telemedicine apps are employed by a lot of wealthy nations and even some underdeveloped ones to help provide healthcare to people faster for all sorts of medical issues. In Saudi Arabia, telemedicine services generally had good satisfaction ratings, with no discernible variation in ratings between the 940 medical contact centre and the Sehha app. Customers who used telemedicine services were generally pleased and were even willing to recommend them to others.

Comparative study on tribological behaviors of interproximal tooth enamel against zirconia under fretting and sliding conditions

Interproximal contact loss (ICL) between zirconia crown and adjacent natural teeth is a common complication that could lead food impaction and compromise the periodontal/peri-implant tissue health and patient’s satisfaction. Both fretting and sliding wear mode can be found in the frictional pair between zirconia crown and interproximal enamel during mastication. In this study, fretting and sliding wear behavior of interproximal enamel against zirconia in artificial silva was investigated. The wear damage of the interproximal enamel in a sliding movement was higher than in a fretting movement. In fretting mode, the running condition fretting map (RCFM) composed of partial slip regime (PSR), gross slip regime (GSR), and mixed fretting regime (MFR) was constructed depending on different normal loads and displacement amplitudes. Intact surface was observed in the PSR. Plastic deformation at contact center and microcracks at contact margin were detected in the MSR. Severe wear damage occurred in the GSR, predominated by microfracture, brittle deformation. Macroparticles generation, fatigue delamination and abrasive wear prevailed in sliding mode. In contrast, enamel debris could be transferred on zirconia surface while the material loss of the antagonist zirconia was negligible in both fretting and sliding test.

Effect of the Sauvé–Kapandji method on the wrist contact surface for distal radial ulnar joint disorders

BackgroundThe Sauvé–Kapandji (S-K) method is a surgical procedure performed for chronic deformities of the distal radial ulnar joint (DRUJ). Changes to the joint contact surface from pre- to postoperatively under physiological in vivo conditions have not yet been determined for this useful treatment. The aim of the present study was therefore to compare the articular contact area of the wrist joint between before and after the S-K method for DRUJ disorders.MethodsThe SK method was performed for 15 patients with DRUJ osteoarthritis and ulnar impaction syndrome. We calculated the Mayo Wrist Score as the patient’s clinical findings and created 3-dimensional bone models of cases in which the S-K method was performed and calculated the contact area and shift in the center of the contact area using customized software.ResultsThe Mean modified Mayo Wrist Score improved significantly from 60.3 preoperatively to 80.3 postoperatively (P < 0.01). Scaphoid contact area to the radius increased significantly from 112.6 ± 37.0 mm2 preoperatively to 127.5 ± 27.8 mm2 postoperatively (P = 0.03). Lunate contact area to radius-ulna was 121.3 ± 43.3 mm2 preoperatively and 112.5 ± 37.6 mm2 postoperatively, but this decrease was not significant (P = 0.38). Contact area ratio of scaphoid to lunate increased significantly from 1.01 ± 0.4 preoperatively to 1.20 ± 0.3 postoperatively (P = 0.02). Postoperative translations of the center of the scaphoid and lunate contact areas were decomposed into ulnar and proximal directions. Ulnar and proximal translation distances of the scaphoid contact area were 0.8 ± 1.7 mm and 0.4 ± 0.6 mm, respectively, and those of the lunate contact area were 1.1 ± 1.7 mm and 0.4 ± 1.1 mm, respectively. This study revealed changes in wrist contact area and center of the contact area before and after the S-K method.ConclusionThese results may accurately indicate changes in wrist joint contact area from pre- to postoperatively using the S-K method for patients with DRUJ disorder. Evaluation of changes in contact area due to bone surface modeling of the wrist joint using 3DCT images may be useful in considering surgical methods.

Text-Based Detection of On-Hold Scripts in Contact Center Calls

Text-Based Detection of On-Hold Scripts in Contact Center Calls

Key factors influencing long-term retention among Contact Centre employee in Malaysia: a Delphi method study

Key factors influencing long-term retention among Contact Centre employee in Malaysia: a Delphi method study

Strategi Social CRM Dalam Menangani Keluhan Pelanggan Pada Instagram Pos Indonesia

Every day, many customers submit complaints through the comment section on Pos Indonesia's main Instagram account (@posindonesia.ig). This study aims to understand how Pos Indonesia designs its Social CRM strategy to address customer complaints on the Instagram social media platform @posindonesia.ig. The theory employed in this research is the Social Media SOME model (Share, Optimize, Manage, Engage) developed by Luttrell (2018). A qualitative approach with descriptive research is utilized in this study. Data collection methods involve in-depth interviews, observation, and document analysis. The findings of this research reveal that the Social CRM Strategy implemented by Pos Indonesia's internal communication and contact center includes four main activities: (1) Share, where internal communication strives to reduce negative sentiment by paying attention to the content liked by followers, (2) Optimize, where internal communication focuses on educational content presented in a socializing format, (3) Manage, where internal communication monitors social media content to assess the level of impressions and sentiments from followers, and (4) Engage, where internal communication involves internal buzzers to provide positive comments with the hope that customers planning to express negative complaints will change their minds.

The Co-Production of Service: Modeling Services in Contact Centers Using Hawkes Processes

In customer support contact centers, every service interaction involves a messaging dialogue between a customer and an agent; together, they exchange information, solve problems, and collectively co-produce the service. Because the service progression is shaped by the history of conversation thus far, we propose a bivariate marked Hawkes process cluster model of the customer-agent interaction. To evaluate our stochastic model of service, we apply it to an industry contact center data set containing nearly 5 million messages. Through both a novel residual analysis comparison and several Monte Carlo goodness-of-fit tests, we show that the Hawkes cluster model indeed captures dynamics at the heart of the service and surpasses classic models that do not incorporate the service history. Furthermore, in an entirely data-driven simulation, we demonstrate how this history-dependent model can be leveraged operationally to inform a prediction-based routing policy. We show that widely used and well-studied customer routing policies can be outperformed with simple modifications according to the Hawkes model. Through analysis of a stylized model proposed in the contact center literature, we prove that service heterogeneity can cause this underperformance and, moreover, that such heterogeneity will occur if service closures are not carefully managed. This paper was accepted by Elena Katok, operations management. Funding: The authors are grateful for the generous support of this work by the National Science Foundation Division of Graduate Education [Grant DGE-1650441] (A. Daw), the Israel Science Foundation [Grant 336/19] (G. B. Yom-Tov), and the United States-Israel Binational Science Foundation [Grant 2022095] (A. Daw, G. B. Yom-Tov). Supplemental Material: The online appendix and data files are available at https://doi.org/10.1287/mnsc.2021.04060 .

Study on the wear resistance of micro-arc-oxidised ceramic films on the surface of TC4 titanium alloy oil well tubing in the Ordos Basin

The use of titanium alloy oil well pipes in conventional and unconventional oil and gas explorations, developments and drillings in gas fields in the Ordos Basin is increasing. However, ensuring the safety of titanium alloy tubing is challenging because of the poor friction and wear resistance of these alloys. Herein, we strengthened the surface of a TC4 alloy oil well pipe through micro-arc oxidation to prepare oxidised ceramic films (MAO-TC4). Further, we investigated their friction and wear behaviours under different normal loads to analyse related mechanisms and improve the safety of titanium alloy oil well pipes. The results reveal a positive correlation between the coefficient of friction and wear volume under the normal load. In addition, the wear characteristics of MAO-TC4 are superior to those of the TC4 alloy in all contact forms. When paired with TC4 alloy balls, the adhesive wear and abrasive wear are dominant wear mechanisms. Meanwhile, when paired with Si3N4 ceramic balls, the wear mechanism is abrasive wear at the contact edge and slight oxidative and fatigue wear at the contact centre. Moreover, the MAO-TC4 alloy can effectively reduce oxidative wear. The cutting-to-plasticity ratio ( fcp) of MAO-TC4 is 0.8, and we weakened the micro-cutting mechanism to prevent material loss compared with TC4, which has an fcp of 0.95. In conclusion, MAO-TC4 can resist frictional wear at the alloy end face of titanium alloy oil well pipes. In addition, this study provides design concepts for improving the performance of the end face in the oil and chemical design for titanium alloys.

Unleashing the potential: harnessing generative artificial intelligence for empowering model training

Abstract Recent strides in generative artificial intelligence, particularly large language models, have been propelled by foundation models – learning algorithms trained on extensive and diverse datasets encompassing various subjects. This technology, inspired by the complexity of the human brain, unveils a new frontier in generative Artificial Intelligence (AI), showing its potential in creativity by generating innovative content based on absorbed data and user prompts. It is forecasted that the conversational AI and virtual assistant segment is experiencing the highest growth rate within the contact center industry, projected to fuel a 24% increase in the market during 2024. In spite of all remarkable performances, the incipient stage of generative AI calls for a careful consideration, as technological and ethical challenges demand attention and awareness. This research delves into the base principle which empowers users to build personalized chatbots trained on your data. This stand-alone footprint can further exemplify the transformative potential of generative artificial intelligence, extending its reach beyond professionals to individuals and tremendously remodeling the landscape of chatbots. Text generation lies at the intersection of computational linguistics and artificial intelligence, forming a specialized area within natural language processing. It implies a thorough procedure where a model is trained to be able to recognize and interpret the context of specific input data, subsequently generating text that pertains to the input’s subject matter. We have identified gap areas that require in-depth research. For instance, a broader number of papers relies solely on architecture optimization, performance comparison or application-specific studies. Therefore, this paper gives a bird’s eye view of the effective algorithm flow of a traditional generative model, using Long Short-Term Memory networks – part of the recurrent neural networks part family. The purpose of the current study focuses to enrich the existing body of knowledge on how a response generation-based model operates, therefore paving the way for chatbots development and deployment.

English

English

Optimising workplace health programmes using organisational culture: Post-COVID perspectives from managers and workplace health experts from the UK contact centre industry

Contact centre workers experience disproportionately low physical activity levels and high sedentary behaviour levels, as well as an increased risk of negative occupational health outcomes such as anxiety and depression. Organisational culture factors such as strict work schedules and pressure to maintain productivity often impede the effectiveness of programmes to reduce these health risks. Despite its significance, organisational culture is often overlooked during the development and implementation of workplace health programmes due to its conceptually complex nature. The COVID-19 pandemic further complicated organisational culture-related associations to workplace health programmes in contact centres. This study investigated how organisational culture influences the existence and effectiveness of workplace health programmes in contact centres and if/how COVID-19 disrupted these associations. Fifteen interviews were conducted with contact centre managers and workplace health experts between February and June 2021. Findings indicate that employee well-being is increasingly being prioritised within contact centres, especially post-pandemic, and that there is a legacy of COVID-19 to learn from the spotlight that was placed on employee well-being during the pandemic to improve workplace conditions for contact centre employees. Further, to maximise effectiveness and support positive organisational culture change, these findings should be considered during well-being programme planning, delivery, implementation and evaluation.