I think there is a profound and enduring beauty in simplicity; in clarity, in efficiency. True simplicity is derived from so much more than just the absence of clutter and ornamentation. It’s about bringing order to complexity.
In Hollywood, it was traditionally seen as a rite of passage: aspiring super-agents would start their careers in the mailroom, sorting letters and pushing trolleys, before working their way up to the heights of the industry. In the digital age, the young and ambitious may consider staying put, because the humble mailroom is becoming the testing space for some of the most innovative and groundbreaking technology, from natural language processing to artificial intelligence (AI)-based virtual assistants.
The major technological advances of the past three decades have centred around communication. Starting with mobile phones, then moving to the internet, SMS, social media and voice/video messaging, information and communications technology (ICT) has transformed every sphere of life. Nowadays, interacting with someone thousands of miles away can be done instantaneously and at virtually no cost.
However, this era of connectivity poses a number of challenges for companies. The first is the explosion in volume of communications they are receiving from customers, who can contact them with ease through multiple channels. In 2010, the number of global customer interactions was 100 billion. By 2027 it will have increased to an estimated 3 trillion.
The second is the wide array of new digital channels that customers are using. Most companies have well-established workflows for letters, faxes and even emails. But what about WhatsApp messages, social media queries or pictures and emojis? According to Dimension Data, companies are now having to support an average of seven channels.
Most companies have well-established workflows for letters, faxes and even emails. But what about WhatsApp messages, social media queries or pictures and emojis?
The second is the wide array of new digital channels that customers are using. Most companies have well-established workflows for letters, faxes and even emails. But what about WhatsApp messages, social media queries or pictures and emojis? According to
Dimension Data, companies are now having to support an average of seven channels.
Dealing with the data explosion
As a result, mailrooms are under great pressure to process incoming communications quickly and accurately. As David Ziltener, Head of Global Go-To-Market at Swiss Post Solutions explains: Companies that can’t respond to customer interactions in a timely fashion are going to damage their reputation and lose out to those digital-first competitors that can.
One of the most pressing issues surrounds data management; whether it is sending a quick text or recording a voice message, the way humans communicate is naturally unstructured and irregular. To process this information efficiently, companies have
to be able to turn it into a format that is understandable by computers. Presently, this is mainly done manually, with workers extracting information and placing it in forms. With data volumes increasing exponentially, this is becoming ever more costly and untenable.
As a result, some companies are looking to technology to help manage this process. One exciting area is natural language understanding – a type of AI that can comprehend language and figure out its meaning. It works by recognising patterns instead of keywords, therefore even complex issues raised by customers can be understood, says Lukas Hebeisen, Head of Solution Development and Digital Transformation at Swiss Post Solutions. By working out the intent of the communication, the computer can then take action, for example, re-routing an email to the correct person.
Automating customer communication
As AI increases in power, computers will be able to understand the meaning behind a greater range of documents, from simple emails to detailed insurance claims. This leads to the potential for greater automation throughout the organisation, explains Ziltener, which can increase overall productivity and speed.” In this sense, the mailroom is the starting point for wider digital transformation.
How companies respond to customers is also being digitalised and automated. Natural language generation is an exciting form of AI that enables computers to make clear, human-like replies to communication. This is particularly hard as people are often abstract and ambiguous in the way they ask questions and communicate. Being able to understand the nuances of conversation and respond with coherent, accurate and contextual answers, will allow machines to cope with a much broader range of queries and interact more naturally with people.
Combining human and artificial intelligence
These are some of the most difficult challenges facing computer scientists. Indeed, according to Dr Nicola Millard, Principal Innovation Partner with BT, mailrooms and contact centres have always been at the forefront of automation as more and more is pushed into the digital self-service space.
Yet a future of AI-enabled bots answering all customer’s needs is some way off. Presently, 70% of documents that companies receive are still physical, although this is set to fall significantly in the coming years. For more complex queries and exceptions it is still more efficient and accurate to use people. Human channels can cope with complex, unpredictable and emotive contact – the contact that machines still struggle with, says Millard.
In the coming years, the most effective mailrooms will involve a combination of artificial and human intelligence working together in harmony. It almost sounds like a movie.
Category: Tech
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