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What is Multimodal Communication & Why Your Workforce Needs It in 2025

Understanding ‘Multimodal’

Multimodal communication is about seamlessly integrating various communication channels into a unified platform, empowering employees with a toolkit they can use to address customer needs in real-time. Connect with customers via:

  • Phone calls
  • Video meetings
  • Instant messaging
  • Screen sharing
  • And more!

These multimodal options work across a mix of devices – from traditional desktop and mobile devices to industry-specific devices such as DECT phones in hospitality settings or HiMed Bedside Terminals in healthcare organizations.

Think of it as equipping your workforce with a Swiss Army knife of communication tools, each designed for a specific purpose and ready to be used at a moment’s notice.

Why Multimodal Matters

  • Breaking Down Silos: Multimodal communication bridges the gap between teams, knowledge workers, and back-office staff. It enables instant access to experts, information, and support, fostering a more collaborative work environment.
  • Empowerment Through Information: Multimodal tools allow employees to quickly access knowledge bases, product information, and training materials, empowering them to handle inquiries more effectively.
  • Enhanced Customer Experience: Multimodal communication improves customer interaction. Imagine an employee using video chat to demonstrate a product or screen sharing to guide a customer through a complex process.

The Power of Partnership: Humans and Virtual Agents

AI-powered virtual agents can handle routine tasks, answer frequently asked questions, and even triage customer inquiries, freeing employees to focus on more personal issues that require a human touch.

When a virtual agent encounters a situation that requires human intervention, it can seamlessly transfer the interaction to a live agent, along with all relevant context and information.

Implementing for Success

Your local TCI experts make adopting new technology easy. We work with you to design the right communication experiences so you can achieve your business objectives:

  • Choosing the Right Platform: The ideal multimodal platform will meet your customers where they are and integrate with existing business systems. We focus on solutions that provide the resiliency, security, and compliance required to protect your customer data during normal day-to-day operations, and that can adapt during crises.
  • Training and Adoption: It’s essential to equip your employees with the skills and confidence to use new communication tools. TCI gets your team up to speed on our services’ intuitive interfaces, and we provide ongoing support and training sessions to maximize the benefits of multimodal communication.
  • Multimodal communication is more than just a technology upgrade; it’s a strategic investment in employees and customers. By empowering teams with the right tools and information, you can unlock new levels of efficiency, collaboration, and customer satisfaction.

    Reach out to TCI to discuss technology solutions that will help your business get ahead in 2025. Contact us today at (703) 321-3030 or info@tcicomm.com.

     

How Real-World AI is Transforming the Fast-Paced World of Contact Centers

Thanks to Hollywood, it’s easy for many people to think of artificial intelligence as a sentient, self-learning technology that inevitably runs amok with the intent of wiping out humanity. This makes for fun movies, but what about the practical applications of AI in the real business world?

AI enables a computer or application to perform tasks commonly done by human beings – such as carry on conversations, discover meaning, and generalize or learn from past experiences. So, it should come as no surprise that AI is becoming a valuable tool in Contact Centers where such tasks have traditionally been carried out by human Agents to assist customers.

With more businesses looking to leverage AI’s capabilities, Mitel has partnered with tech leaders like Google to deliver AI-driven improvements across their core contact center solutions…

AI-enabled Chatbots accelerate Implementation

With a traditional chatbot, a contact center team is responsible for predicting what their customers are going to ask, and painstakingly scripting each interaction. With AI in the mix, the customer is connected directly to your company’s knowledge base, simplifying and shifting chatbot implementation time from months to days.

Natural Language Processing enables Virtual Agents

Using natural language processing, an intelligent customer experience solution understands what your customers are saying, chatting or texting – without requiring specific phrasing – and a virtual agent responds in real-time – whether a human agent is available or not.

Whenever the virtual agent reaches a question or situation it cannot handle, it can involve a human Agent in the conversation and feed its conversation details directly to that Agent.

Machine Learning improves the Customer Experience

Leveraging machine learning, the AI solution will continue to observe the customer-agent interaction, suggesting relevant options or content to the Agent and monitoring which responses come to a successful conclusion. This real-time coaching from AI Agent Assist results in more accurate, more responsive follow ups and an improved customer experience.

Webinar recap: The Intelligent Contact Center [57:30]

This in-depth webinar will show you how AI provides valuable insight into customer behavior so your contact center can deliver the best customer experience every time.

Among the topics covered:

  • Utilize IVR and CRM data to intelligently route incoming calls, offer predictive recommendations and drive up first call resolution
  • Save time and money by automating responses to common queries, improving resolution time and customer satisfaction (CSAT) scores
  • Identify trends, monitor performance and unlock deep insights into agents and customers

Video Demo: AI in the Contact Center [4:56 min]  

This video overview shows how Google AI & Mitel technology…

  • Uses the virtual agent chatbot and AI analytics to respond to common customer issues
  • Stays with each call, SMS or chat to find the best information for each customer
  • Learns what works and what doesn’t to improve future customer interactions
  • Simplifies agent workflows with smart virtual agent assist

New use cases will continue to emerge as the technology becomes more advanced. That means the definition of AI will continue to evolve, and you’ll want to keep pace to reap future business benefits.

Ready to improve your customer experience with real-world AI now? Contact TCI today: (703) 321-3030 or info@tcicomm.com.