How AI Customer Service Agents Can Help Your Business – Business News Daily
Artificial intelligence (AI) offers a world of possibilities for improving daily life. From speech recognition to automated stock trading, computers are becoming increasingly capable of understanding and conducting tasks that once required human involvement.
For businesses, AI can offer invaluable help in streamlining common customer service functions via tools like chatbots. These solutions have drawbacks ― no fix is perfect. But with the right knowledge and planning, you can implement an AI customer service solution that helps your bottom line and keeps your customers happy. We’ll explore the AI customer service landscape and share tips for successfully implementing AI customer service solutions.
AI’s workplace automation capabilities can save small businesses significant time and money when implementing support solutions. Many organizations already use AI tools to increase efficiency and accuracy when addressing customer service inquiries. But the general public hasn’t yet reached a consensus on how they feel about these machine-automated tools.
If you’ve ever utilized a chat help feature to track an order or reset a subscription password, you’ve interfaced with AI. A 2023 Ipsos survey found that 68 percent of respondents have interacted with an AI chatbot. These automated customer service agents are versatile tools for addressing common customer inquiries. Jonathan Shroyer, chief customer experience officer of Arise Games, explained that chatbots can save time for business owners and customers.
“Many customer requests involve simple questions about a product or service,” Shroyer noted. “These can be about operating hours, pricing, locations, order status and more. Automated solutions, such as AI chatbots can effectively handle these inquiries by providing quick, accurate answers, thus reducing wait times for customers.”
Shroyer noted that AI customer service tools can be particularly useful for straightforward tasks like appointment scheduling and password resets. Organizations may also be able to use AI as a tech support entryway. Automated agents can be trained to answer simple troubleshooting questions before identifying issues that require human evaluation.
Businesses also use AI tools to learn more about their customers and better meet their needs. According to a 2023 Smart Communications study on financial institutions and AI, 77 percent of respondents see AI as a high investment priority for better understanding a customer’s conversational intent and improving outcomes. When AI systems can decipher the full meaning behind a request, they can determine more easily which questions must be directed to a human representative. This includes picking up on positive or negative language, so you know when de-escalation might be necessary.
Customer service is one of many ways AI is transforming business. Cybersecurity, data research and CRM solutions are also benefiting from AI technology.
While many people have directly interacted with an AI customer service tool, these interactions don’t always leave customers happy. The Ipsos survey found that 88 percent of respondents still prefer help from a human agent over a chatbot. That said, customer opinion of AI tools may hinge on the specific task they’re trying to accomplish. Shroyer described the many nuances behind common AI customer attitudes.
“On the positive side, many customers appreciate the speed and convenience of AI solutions,” Shroyer explained. “They can get instant responses at any time of day, which can enhance their experience and lead to higher overall satisfaction. However, some customers might find AI impersonal or frustrating, particularly if the AI does not understand their query or if they have a complex issue that requires human intervention. Privacy concerns are also a factor, as some customers may feel uncomfortable interacting with AI due to data security issues.”
AI customer service solutions have enormous potential for businesses. But if you don’t want your new AI tool to result in negative customer reviews, keeping these concerns in mind is crucial.
AI is in a nascent phase ― nascent at best. Only 35 percent of Ipsos respondents felt that businesses’ AI chatbots have addressed their inquiries effectively.
Integrating AI into your customer service approach has advantages and disadvantages. So, how do you know if AI is right for your business and its unique customer service needs? Below, you’ll find examples of when an AI solution is a great idea ― and when you might need to involve a human customer service representative.
Here are a few upsides of integrating AI into your customer service approach.
AI technology can help if your business is expanding internationally. You can offer customer support in multiple languages, making your business more accessible.
AI is still in its infancy; as with any emerging technology, there’s still much to improve.
AI tools aren’t better for any one particular industry. If you’re considering an AI-based tool for your business, evaluating the customer requests you receive is more important. Joe Wheeler, author and chief experience officer at CX/Digital, emphasized that AI implementation is smoother when customer requests are straightforward. Your product and service offerings often dictate the complexity of your customer service questions.
“Companies that serve a narrow set of customers with specific product [and] service offerings offer a limited number of choices,” Wheeler explained. “IKEA is a good example of a company with lots of products [that] limits the number of colors and materials within a product line to reduce the complexity of ordering, assembling and servicing. Simplifying product offerings leads to customers encountering fewer problems, which leads to being able to automate more parts of the service experience.”
When deciding whether to implement AI chatbots, review your common customer questions and examine your responses ― how complex or straightforward are they? If the same easy-to-answer questions eat up half your workday, AI chatbots could be worth the investment.
AI customer service solutions work best for uncomplicated, frequently asked questions. They free the customer service team to deal with complex requests ― and help you keep your customers happy.
Since AI for customer service is still experimental, making mistakes during rollout is expected. However, if you know how to plan ahead and what to look out for, you can implement a customer service tool that works. Keep the following in mind if an AI solution makes sense for your customer service strategy.
One of the biggest missteps a company can make is assuming AI is a set-it-and-forget-it solution. In reality, AI is meant to support, not replace, your overall customer service plan. Ruoall Chapman, senior project manager and implementations engineer at Sendmarc, stressed that AI is not a complete substitute for your other customer service efforts.
“One common mistake companies make when implementing AI customer service solutions is neglecting the human touch,” Chapman noted. “AI should augment human service, not replace it. To avoid this, businesses should ensure there’s a seamless handoff between AI and human agents when needed.”
When training new employees, understand they’ll need time to feel comfortable in their new roles. From learning industry vocabulary to understanding the nuances of your customers’ needs, there’s much to teach them. Training your AI solution is equally important. If you want your AI solution to save you time in the long term, training your AI model can’t be rushed.
One of the best ways to ensure you’re correctly training your AI model is to slowly introduce the tool to your customers. This allows you to see if there are any significant gaps to fill without upsetting most of your customers. Increditools editor-in-chief Kelly Indah learned firsthand that a hasty AI customer service rollout caused more challenges than it solved.
“The best approach is to start slow, let the AI learn the business nuances and then progressively scale up,” Indah advised. “I gleaned this insight from a project where an early chatbot deployment resulted in numerous incorrect responses, triggering customer frustration.”
One of the benefits of a staggered implementation is that you can gradually get a sense of the customer experience and address problems accordingly. This way, you won’t have to manage a deluge of frustrated customers if your AI rollout doesn’t go according to plan. Instead, you can take time, with less pressure, to fix any issues that arise from a small group using the tool. From there, ensuring the next phase of your AI rollout meets all your customers’ needs is much easier.
Have an open dialogue with customers about your AI tool. Communicate your plans to implement an AI solution and request feedback upfront. If your customers know you care about their opinions, they’re more likely to provide constructive criticism.
Transparency is also crucial for building customer loyalty and trust. As Shroyer noted, privacy and data security are significant concerns for customers interacting with AI. Customers in all industries ― especially finance and healthcare ― want to know you’re protecting their information. If you let customers know you prioritize cybersecurity with your new AI tool, they may be more willing to use it.
There’s always room to make your AI customer service solution more efficient, so regularly monitor your AI system and evaluate where you need to improve. Customer feedback should remain integral to this process. If you lead with the mindset that your AI tool can improve continually ― for you and your customers ― you can develop a real winner.
Customer surveys are among the easiest ways to get feedback on your AI chatbot implementation. Most survey platforms are highly user-friendly and low-cost ― or, in some cases, free.
AI customer service solutions are rife with potential for business use. However, they take time and effort to implement. If your business handles many straightforward customer requests, AI chatbots could be well worth the long-term investment. With the right planning and research, AI customer service tools can benefit you, your team and your customer base enormously.
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