Business solutions powered by Artificial Intelligence has transformed all aspects of the business for the better. It is hence no wonder that the customer support industry has also benefitted immensely because of the implementation of AI. Companies have started utilising AI in significant ways to improve the customer experience. It is predicted that by the year 2020, 85 percent of all customer service operations will be done by Artificial intelligence, without the requirement of a customer service rep. But why is it so that the use of AI is burgeoning? Could it be because it provides revolutionary benefits for the company? Let us look at the way in which the implementation of AI for customer service is a game changer to find out if that is the case.
- Uninterrupted Customer service.
When a customer has an issue, they want it to be resolved immediately. No matter what the time of the day it is, it is imperative that they get immediate attention. This makes around the clock customer support necessary. But this is easier said than done.
A customer service executes, no matter the amount of customer services skill that he/she possesses, has limitations in terms of energy which limits the time for which they can work. Hiring more people is not economically viable for the company. This is where AI comes in. Chatbots, that are AI enabled devices, are able to provide round the clock customer service for clients in a seamless manner.
- Opportunity for self-service
A staggering number of people nowadays (72%), especially millennials, believe that a phone call is not the best way to resolve their issues. Being tech-savvy, they prefer self-service options. This demand for human fee customer service can be met by companies by means of FAQ’S, online chatbot services that are powered by AI. It would be an understatement to say that companies that do not invest in the automation of customer services face a high risk of losing their customers.
- Ability to customize the customer service experience
Customers service representatives may sometimes come across really unique issues that a customer is facing. It is a test of the customer service skills of the representative to figure out the solution for that specific issue, even though he/she has not encountered it before. When a human agent tries to go through the history and profile of the customer and try to better understand the issue of the customer for better issue resolution, AI can help compile that data easily and swiftly. This enables the agent to provide a customized solution to the customer. When this happens the customer is left feeling satisfied, which in turn leads to brand loyalty.
- Faster responses and scalability
Effective utilization of AI can lead to a significant reduction in the response time. This is due to the fact that AI can analyze the history of customers, diagnose issues and even predict customers who might be in distress. When this is the case, quicker responses can be sent out and the issue can be resolved not just quickly but also in a satisfactory manner. FAQs can be utilized to meet the high volume of customer support requests without the necessity of human involvement. Also, chatbots can engage in customer support activities with large numbers of people just by means of utilizing another server to ramp up productivity.
Another advantage of AI is its scalability. Usually, companies spend lots of money and time to scale their services to meet the demands. Since AI enabled chatbots to learn from each interaction and get smarter, it becomes easier to explore new geographic markets without having to train new people in the new language.
- It is enough to train AI just once
Companies often spend vast amounts of money and time to train the customer service representative to equip them with the right customer service skills to make the customers happy by efficiently resolving their issue. These costs may only increase as the customer base expands. The requirement of having customer service representatives with skills that are up to date with the rapidly changing needs of customers is a huge challenge. There is a demand for technology that brings down the cost and makes the process more streamlined so that the company can become more competent. AI-powered devices can cut those costs drastically. Empowering customer service executives with AI enabled devices can have a game-changing effect for the corporation.
AI-powered devices learn from each interaction and they only have to be taught once for them to perform in an ideal manner. Also, they can be programmed with a cutting-edge, industry-level knowledge so that they are prepared to tackle all kinds of issues efficiently and without much human involvement.
It is for these reasons that AI has exploded onto the customer service scene. Contrary to popular belief, AI is not there to replace humans but is merely a means to augment human effort. The usage of AI-powered technologies leads to better results both for customer and companies, both in the short and the long term. This is in terms of smoother customer support, better service for customers reduced costs for companies and an overall streamlining of the way the industry functions.
