Within contact centers, clarity of communication stands as the cornerstone of customer satisfaction. Yet, amid the bustle of a busy contact center floor, agents find themselves grappling with background noise from customers that limits their ability to hear customers clearly. This scenario not only frustrates agents but also poses significant challenges to delivering a positive customer experience.
Voice AI technology brings new, innovative solutions to tackle this age-old problem, and Krisp’s background noise and voice cancelation removes unwanted noise around agents in the call center. And now, Krisp’s inbound noise cancellation technology is available for integration so that only the customer’s voice is heard by the agent, even if the customer is in their car, on a street or at the airport.
By leveraging advanced algorithms and cutting-edge audio processing techniques, noise cancellation is a key technology supporting the way agents interact with customers, while improving key metrics that drive contact center performance.
The impact of noise on contact center operations
In dynamic contact center environments, noise pollution poses a dual challenge:
- Outbound noise, generated by agents’ surroundings, including background chatter, ringing phones and keyboard typing, creates an environment that disrupts agent concentration and customer satisfaction.
- Inbound noise, originating from the customer’s environment,, makes it difficult for agents to comprehend customer inquiries and requests. Inbound noise impedes effective communication by muddling the clarity of the customer’s voice, leading to misunderstandings and longer handle times.
Harnessing noise cancellation technology
Krisp’s inbound noise cancellation technology, a sophisticated, AI-powered solution, mitigates the disruptive effects of ambient noise on inbound audio streams. By employing a combination of advanced Voice AI algorithms, Krisp’s Inbound SDK analyzes incoming audio signals in real-time, identifying and suppressing background noise while preserving the clarity and intelligibility of the primary speaker’s voice.
The benefits of applying noise cancellation to the inbound stream in contact centers are compounding.
Enhanced Agent Performance:
- Noise-free communication empowers agents to focus their full attention on the customer’s needs without distractions.
- Improved comprehension leads to quicker issue resolution and higher first-call resolution rates.
Elevated customer satisfaction:
- Clear, uninterrupted conversations foster a positive customer experience, and enhance satisfaction levels and brand perception.
- Customers feel heard and valued when their concerns are addressed promptly and accurately.
Increased efficiency and productivity:
- Improving communication streamlines workflow processes, leading to shorter call durations and increased handling capacity.
- Agents handle higher call volumes effectively, contributing to overall contact center efficiency.
Enhanced metrics and performance indicators:
- Key performance indicators (KPIs) like average handle time (AHT), customer satisfaction scores (CSAT), and Net Promoter Score (NPS) see tangible improvements with the implementation of noise cancellation technology.
- Agents demonstrate higher levels of engagement and confidence, resulting in improved performance across the board.
Advanced optimization and specialized features
While the concept of noise cancellation technology is not new, its application within contact centers demands a level of sophistication and adaptability that sets it apart from conventional solutions. In the context of inbound noise cancellation, several additional optimizations and specialized features contribute to its effectiveness and versatility in addressing challenges found in contact center environments.
1. Network-aware AI models:
- Unlike outbound noise cancellation which primarily focuses on optimizing audio quality from the user’s microphone, inbound noise cancellation technology considers the impact of network conditions as well as various codecs applied to the audio stream by communication systems.
- Advanced Voice AI models are trained to dynamically adapt to varying network latency, jitter, and packet loss, ensuring optimal performance regardless of the communication platform or network infrastructure.
2. Tailored models for contact center use cases:
- Recognizing the diverse audio streams encountered in contact center environments, specialized Voice AI models are trained to accommodate both mobile and landline audio signals.
- These tailored models optimize noise cancellation algorithms for specific bandwidth constraints, ensuring consistent audio quality across different devices and communication channels.
- CPU-efficient models are developed to cater to thin client environments, where computational resources may be limited without compromising on performance or accuracy.
3. Ringtone detection AI model:
- In addition to noise cancellation, inbound stream processing incorporates a dedicated Voice AI model for ringtone detection.
- This sophisticated model identifies over 600 international dial tones, bypassing noise cancellation temporarily when a dial tone is detected.
- By enabling contact center agents or specialized software to recognize tone-based cues, like call waiting signals or IVR prompts, ringtone detection enhances call handling efficiency and enables proactive call management.
4. Integration with web-based contact centers
- In response to the rise of web-based Contact Centers as a Service (CCaaS), Krisp is committed to ensuring web accessibility of its Inbound Noise Cancellation technology.
- Krisp has prioritized the integration of this technology into its JavaScript SDK, empowering developers to seamlessly incorporate noise cancellation capabilities into web-based contact center applications.
- This proactive approach underscores Krisp’s dedication to meeting the evolving needs of modern contact center environments, where web-based solutions are increasingly becoming the norm.
Note that Krisp’s Inbound SDK is also available for native desktop apps – Win, Mac and Linux.
Pioneering the future of contact center communication
The integration of advanced optimization techniques and specialized features within inbound noise cancellation technology underscores its power to improve customer and agent communications. By addressing the nuanced intricacies of audio processing and network dynamics, these innovations empower contact centers to deliver unparalleled clarity and efficiency during customer interactions, translating to more effective agents and more satisfied customers.
