transcosmos and NTT Communications have partnered on a pair of experiments to create a virtual contact center and a virtual store in the metaverse. The test is part of the two Japanese companies' efforts to create new methods of communication via the metaverse.
One part of the test aims to overcome some of the employee-related problems with operating contact centers remotely, including a feeling of isolation and difficulties with information sharing, escalation, operating rules, and technology usage.
For the experiment, transcosmos is responsible for operating the virtual contact center and collecting and analyzing operational data. NTT's role is the installation and operation of telephone and communication functions, including its Arcstar IP Voice, toll-free numbers, etc., and provision of metaverse service with NTT XR Coworking.
"At transcosmos, we are promoting home-based contact centers and are targeting 4,000 seats for home-based contact centers this fiscal year," said Takeshi Matsubara, director and executive vice president of transcosmos, in a statement. "To eliminate the sense of isolation in the workplace, we will make full-scale efforts to build a virtual contact center in the metaverse that allows employees to experience working in the same place and provide higher quality services in a home environment. By doing so, we will continue to accelerate the diverse working styles of contact centers."
"NTT has provided a variety of services to realize work style innovation. Hundreds of operators gather in a virtual contact center built on the metaverse to eliminate the operator's sense of isolation when working from home, which makes it possible to work together as if it were a large-scale contact center in the real world," said Satoko Takahashi, general manager of communication and the application service department at NTT Communications, in a statement. "We aim to create an experience that makes you feel as if you are there. NTT will actively develop services to realize this new work style and contribute to the realization of next-generation contact centers."
Another part of the test involved virtual customer services in online stores using avatars, noting that to deliver online services similar to real-world experiences, customers need to see and feel non-verbal communication, such as gestures and facial expressions. To achieve this, as well as to verify appropriate distances between customers and store staff for improved virtual experiences, the test is using full-body tracking avatars in the metaverse. It will also assess and verify the design and features of a virtual store in the metaverse, verify the level of customer satisfaction with virtual customer services by avatars using full-body tracking, and assess and verify the ability of customer-service agents to use digital technologies, such as text data/video clip sharing and AI-powered speech recognition.
For this part of the experiment, transcosmos is deploying and managing transpeech, its speech-recognition and emotion-analysis solution, and its virtual communication services, including customer-service agents in the metaverse.
"transcosmos is helping businesses drive their digital transformation initiatives. We aim to deliver optimal customer service experiences via enjoyable virtual communication online. To achieve that goal, we will apply our online-communication expertise based on proven experience to make online business-to-customer communication as real as possible," said Kenshi Matsubara, representative director and an executive vice president at transcosmos, in a statement.
"NTT Communications is working to create a smart world by helping clients to achieve digital transformation for new business creation and stronger competitiveness. In this test, NTT and transcosmos aim to create customer experiences that go beyond the real world in ways only possible with virtual communication," NTT's Takahashi added.