The rise of artificial intelligence has already had massive impacts on our lives, from how we drive to how we communicate with each other and access information. And now AI is set to reshape customer service as well. Businesses shift from providing one-to-one customer service to large volumes of customers at once.
While some businesses will be able to employ large call centers in the future, it’s likely that many more will opt for artificial intelligence tools to provide their customers with top-notch customer service experiences, regardless of the volume of interactions they have on any given day.
A.I + Customer Service
AI’s (artificial intelligence) ability to handle repetitive and time-consuming tasks frees up agents to have more meaningful conversations with customers. That means better customer experiences.
The big challenge for companies using AI in customer service today is finding the balance between efficiency and relevance, says Justin Gilchrist, Vice President of Product Management at Aivo. We want to make sure we’re focusing on what matters most: having a great conversation with our customers, whether they are businesses or consumers.
We want to deliver them exactly what they need when they need it. It’s important to think about how you can use technology like artificial intelligence in ways that add value for your customers without taking away from your human touch.
For example, if an agent has an open chat window on their screen where they can see every interaction a customer has had with your company. It will be easier for them to provide high-quality support; however, if you put too much information on one screen, you could overwhelm your agent and cause errors by asking him or her to multitask too much. When thinking about artificial intelligence and how it can help your business. Remember that there are some things humans do better than machines.
Your employees will always be able to connect with customers on a deeper level than any computer program ever could. While artificial intelligence is certainly changing customer service, it’s not going to replace real people anytime soon. In fact, artificial intelligence can actually free up your team members. So they can focus on more complex interactions with customers. Instead of handling simple questions over and over again.
The Rise of Chatbots
In today’s globalized and internet-driven economy, customer service doesn’t just mean responding to customers by email. AI text tools like chatbots and FAQ websites allow businesses to operate 24/7 with global reach and minimal human resources.
They also offer automatic, algorithm-driven responses so that your staff can focus on building relationships with customers. These tools save time, reduce costs and help achieve customer satisfaction objectives more quickly than ever before. When used correctly, these customer automation technologies will transform your business in no time.
So how exactly do they work? Let’s take a look at some of the most popular ones out there right now.
Chatbots (Artificial Intelligence)
The first type of customer automation tool we’ll cover are chatbots. Virtual assistants use artificial intelligence to automate tasks such as customer support or lead generation. Essentially, you set up automated conversations between customers and bots via messaging apps such as Facebook Messenger or Slack. Which then helps your team respond faster and smarter to customer queries without having to hire additional support staff.
Some companies have even started using chatbots for sales purposes. For example, Kik recently launched a bot store where brands can create their own chatbot to interact with customers in Kik’s network of 300 million users. Other examples include Microsoft’s Xiaoice bot. Which has been used by over 40 million people since its launch in 2014. And was even cited as the most active and influential account on Chinese social media last year.
What kind of results can I expect from my chatbot? This depends largely on what kind of customer interactions you want your bot to handle. If you’re looking to increase customer engagement and boost conversions, a conversational chatbot might be best for your needs. If you want your customers to receive answers to specific questions about your products or services quickly and easily. An FAQ chatbot might be better for your needs.
However, if you’re looking to improve customer retention rates and provide real-time customer support. Then perhaps a combination of both types would work best for your business.
The Future of A.I. in Customer Support
Every year, thousands of customer support employees and executives from top companies meet in Las Vegas for Customer Support Leaders Conference. This year, Artificial Intelligence was one of the main focuses of discussion.
According to Gartner Research, by 2020, two-thirds of all customer interactions will be managed without a human involved at all. The customer service industry has already started to embrace automation with AI text tools and customer automation software becoming more prevalent than ever before.
