Your customers don’t sign off at 5 p.m. Why should your contact center?

Customers rank availability and speed as two of the most important elements of great customer service. We’ve all needed immediate support or had a pressing question about a purchase, only to realize we’ve just missed the “business hours” window. In a world that is always connected, this is a frustrating customer experience because customers expect real-time assistance, regardless of the time of day. Traditional nine-to-five businesses will lose out; in today’s digital age, waiting hours for an answer is completely unacceptable. Research shows that 52% of customers expect instant service, yet 73% of businesses still rely on limited operating hours, creating a big gap between customer expectations and reality.

The cost of limited availability.

Restricted business hours are not sustainable in a 24/7 world. More than an inconvenience, limited service represents a significant financial and reputational liability.

Customer frustration is one of the most immediate consequences of delayed service, which fuels churn. When customers can’t get the help they need, when they need it, they become dissatisfied. This dissatisfaction leads to increased customer churn as they look for other companies that offer more accessible and responsive service. Every delayed interaction is a potential loss, leading to significant revenue impacts—especially for businesses that serve late-night customers or international markets where time zones are a challenge. In addition to lost revenue, restricted hours reduce lead generation due to missed sales opportunities if prospects can’t get their inquiries addressed promptly.

Operationally, the effects of limited availability are just as damaging. Backlogged support requests and increased customer demand during peak hours lead to overwhelmed agents and longer wait times. In addition to increasing operational costs, agents are at risk of burnout, which reduces their performance and drives up turnover rates.

Customer experience is often a key differentiator and limited availability can severely damage loyalty and trust. Businesses that prioritize accessibility and offer 24/7 service gain a substantial advantage, capturing market share and building stronger customer relationships.

Talkdesk After Hours, your round-the-clock AI workforce.

Your customers don’t sign off at 5 p.m., so why should your contact center? It’s a simple question, but delivering seamless, personalized service around the clock without exorbitant costs or sacrificing the human touch isn’t that easy. Until now.

Talkdesk After Hours is like a workforce that never sleeps. It extends contact center availability beyond business hours by using AI to address customer needs and resolve issues when human agents are off the clock. It can successfully manage a variety of customer queries—such as orders, returns, and billing—with natural, conversational responses. If an issue requires assistance from a human agent, Talkdesk After Hours captures key customer details and enables customers to schedule a callback, helping businesses stay responsive 24/7 without adding headcount.

In industries where responsiveness is critical—such as healthcare, retail, and financial services—failing to provide timely service has severe consequences. Whether they’re patients, customers, or members—they expect immediate assistance, whether they’re looking for urgent care information, buying a product, or making a financial transaction. If assistance is not available, customers will likely turn to competition. According to PwC, 32% of customers will leave a brand they love after just one bad experience, which often includes delayed responses. In such high-demand sectors, AI ensures businesses stay competitive by offering round-the-clock service and responsiveness.

Talkdesk After Hours transforms the customer experience.

A 24/7 service model, powered by AI, offers a wealth of tangible benefits, and our customers are already seeing incredible results.

• Reduce wait times. Evara Health reduced wait time by 98% and achieved a 45% self-service rates.

• Maximize revenue. Republic National Distributing Company (RNDC) saved $17 Million in annual expenses and improved agent productivity by 50%.

• Lower operational costs. Career Certified increased the average productivity rate to 82% and dropped the average handle time by 30 seconds.

• Exceed customer expectations: improve satisfaction and loyalty. Ouro has improved the first contact resolution (FCR) rate and reduced the average handle time.

Always-on customer engagement.

Customer engagement requisites clearly transcend the limitations of traditional business hours. Offering immediate, seamless, and personalized experiences is no longer a nice to have but a non-negotiable element of the customer journey. AI plays a crucial role in this transformation by enabling businesses to be available 24/7. Those who fail to keep up won’t be able to anticipate customer needs, personalize customer service at scale, and achieve operational excellence.

Let us show you how to use AI to build a responsive, competitive, and customer-centric organization.