Customer Contact Week 2024, set to take place in Las Vegas from June 4th to 6th, is gearing up to be an important gathering for more than 5,000 professionals passionate about their work in customer experience. This year, attendees can anticipate the usual blend of informative sessions, networking opportunities, and the latest innovations in customer service technology, but with an extra helping of artificial intelligence (AI) across nearly every vendor in the expo. Whether you’re a seasoned attendee or a first-timer, here are some insights and tips to make the most out of your experience, especially when navigating the buzz around AI in customer service.
Key Highlights of Customer Contact Week 2024
Comprehensive learning tracks
The conference will feature a variety of learning tracks tailored to different aspects of customer experience. These range from operational efficiency to digital transformation, with a significant focus on the integration of AI technologies. These sessions are designed not just to inform but also to provide actionable insights that you can apply directly to your operations.
Showcase of cutting-edge customer experience technology
Expect the expo hall to be brimming with the latest solutions from leading tech and customer experience companies, as well as business process outsourcers (BPOs) from around the globe. Innovations in AI, such as customer experience analytics, automated quality assurance, and real-time customer analytics, and advanced CRM integrations, will be on full display, providing a hands-on opportunity to see the future of customer service.
Networking with industry leaders and peers
Networking events are one of the main reasons to attend any event, but especially Customer Contact Week. The sheer volume of attendees offers a unique chance to share experiences and strategies with peers from various industries. Whether it’s a panel discussion or a casual meet-up, the insights gained from these interactions are invaluable.
Schedules will fill up fast, so reserve some time with the Loris team ahead of time. Stop by booth #1201 and we’ll see you there.
Tips for Seeing Through the AI Hype
If you thought making small talk with strangers was the hardest part of a conference, I’d challenge you that understanding AI fact from fiction is probably tougher. Here are some tips to help you evaluate the various technologies you’ll see at Customer Contact Week:
1. Question the claims
AI technology often comes with bold claims about transforming the entire customer service experience. When assessing these claims, it’s crucial to ask vendors for specifics—how does their technology work, what are the integrations like, what real-world results have they seen? Getting to the specifics can help you sift through what is marketing fluff and what is reality.
2. Understand the different between the demo and the actual product
Most vendors will have a good looking demo (as they should!) But that doesn’t always translate to scalable products in the real-world. Companies that have robust case studies or can show you a live demo of their technology in action are often more credible than those that rely solely on theoretical benefits. Asking about technical requirements like implementation time and resources will help you determine how much of the product is fully baked and how much is still being created.
3. Evaluate AI in the context of the outcomes
AI should ultimately serve to enhance some aspect of your customer experience, whether that’s overall customer satisfaction, operational efficiency, agent engagement, etc. You should come with a specific problem you’re trying to solve – and consider how these technologies have improved metrics such as customer satisfaction scores, response times, and resolution rates in other organizations.
4. Question scalability and integration
While not as exciting as other topics in AI, having a frank conversation on how well a solution scales and whether it can integrate seamlessly with your existing platforms is critical. Scalability and integration capabilities can determine whether a solution can adapt to your business’s growing needs and work seamlessly with your current systems, or if it is a nice idea that may grow into a product by Customer Contact Week 2025.
5. Analyze the support and training
Finally, consider the level of support and training the AI vendor offers. Effective implementation of AI technologies may require substantial training and a good support structure. Or it can be relatively turnkey and intuitive. Understanding your own organization and the skills you have in-house will help determine whether you have the capacity to handle a product or a project.
Before you go
As you’re preparing for Customer Contact Week 2024, equip yourself with these insights and tips to critically assess the flood of information you will encounter, particularly regarding the promises of AI. This approach will ensure you can make the most informed decisions for your organization’s customer service strategy.
