How does AI help in customer service?

When it comes to attracting new clients, maintaining existing ones, and building a loyal customer base that will return time and time again, providing excellent customer service is critical.

 

Even if a company provides a great service or product, if it does not provide a positive experience for its consumers, it risks losing income. So, what AI customer service technologies do businesses employ to ensure that they are always moving and ahead of, or at least on par with, the curve of change?

 

Making the most of emerging technologies like artificial intelligence (AI) and chatbots is critical to not only surviving, but thriving.

 

How does AI help in customer service?

 

In a nutshell, AI is a catch-all phrase for a variety of technologies that imitate human cognitive capabilities including learning, problem-solving, and reasoning.

 

Conversational AI technology, such as chatbots and natural automated phone software, are commonly employed in customer support. By eliminating human error and linking companies and customers on an omnichannel level, these technologies are helping to significantly minimise customer effort.

 

 

The three primary functions of AI in contact centres include

 

Machine learning: AI algorithms can adapt to a variety of situations and data patterns using machine learning. This might include the ability to identify sarcasm, mimicry, loudness changes, and pitch changes in order to obtain real-time data into how a customer feels about a conversation.

 

Big data: AI can discover patterns in vast volumes of diverse, fast-moving data to provide real-time data to customer care agents, allowing them to provide the best possible service.

 

Natural language processing : NLP allows AI algorithms to understand human-spoken and written language and respond to them in the same way as a person would.

 

 

What are the problems that call centres face?

 

1. They are unable to cope

 

Call centres can't keep up with outsized demand in times of emergency or uncertainty. When demand drops, they have to lay off workers, which has a negative impact on morale. 

 

2. They aren't data-driven

 

Data isn't being examined thoroughly enough to yield insights that might enhance customer service, and staff aren't being trained on the most recent data because it's too costly.

 

3. Unsafe

 

Managers have less monitoring than normal since agents work from home. Many agents are accepting calls in a setting that is less likely to be monitored for quality assurance objectives, and knowledge bases are exposed outside the office.

 

Also Read | Intelligent Process Automation (IPA)

 

 

How does AI offer a solution to these problems?

 

Over the previous decade, chatbots have grown in popularity, and customers are more comfortable utilising them than ever before. 

 

Customer service departments, on the other hand, require more than simply basic chatbots. They must give clients quick access to information and solutions to problems. They require a solution that goes beyond simple responses to basic issues.

 

In a nutshell, they require conversational AI. To improve client experiences, the technology employs advanced machine learning (ML) and natural language processing (NLP). These virtual agents are capable of much more than merely chatting and relaying basic information from a website.

 

Customer self-service used to be a cause of annoyance for customers, who would frequently shout into their phones, “Just let me speak to a human!” Even skilled human agents, however, have limits when compared to conversational AI. For example, call centre agents are required to keep current on constantly changing product catalogues, resulting in significant turnover rates.

 

Having an AI-powered customer support chat available 24 hours a day, seven days a week can assist answer most questions and transfer clients to live employees when necessary. This lowers customer service expenses while also improving customer happiness.

 

Fortunately, strong conversational AI can alter this terrible scenario when combined with AI-powered search capabilities. By incorporating conversational AI and AI-powered search into your customer service platform, you can make the most of it.

 

Also Read | AI in Sales

 

Adopts social listening and ticketing systems for identifying consumer concerns

 

The first step in resolving difficulties is to recognise them wherever they arise. Customers may be identified using Natural Language Processing and machine vision, and they can be contacted and responded to automatically or assigned to suitable agents, boosting customer satisfaction. Listening to others on social media may be beneficial.

 

Millennials and AI

 

Millennials are enamoured with the new generation of smart technology, interesting applications, and linked devices that give them control and allow them to communicate with one another. 

 

Millennials also anticipate on-demand access to information that might help them manage a service or make better use of a product, in addition to these goods.

 

Since data and built-in intelligence produce faster outcomes and more logical and intuitive automation, AI is a natural fit for this generation. Amazon's Echo Dot has become a popular Christmas gift and you’ll find the Alexa app downloaded on almost every phone in today’s times.  

 

According to advantage call, the influence of Millennials and their connection with technology is a major topic to watch. Millennials are also the group most inclined to post both positive and bad experiences on social media. They are more likely to participate as brand ambassadors for firms that they enjoy.

 

So, if you're a small business looking to improve your customer service, it's critical that you look at the three aspects of Design Thinking: People, Technology, and Business, and develop an integrated strategy.

 

 

Future of AI in Customer Service

 

To be clear, AI and AI-enabled virtual agents will not be able to take the position of human call centre employees in the near future. However, the COVID19 pandemic prompted several contact centres to speed up the implementation of AI-enhanced solutions.

 

In the future of Customer Service, contact centres will increasingly use a hybrid model that blends AI and human engagement without call tracking of the users.. Human agents will continue to address more complicated issues and problem-solving, and offer the sympathetic and customised customer care that consumers desire, while chatbots and guided self-help become more efficient in answering low-level client enquiries.

 

Customer service that anticipates needs

 

With today's linked smart gadgets, it's feasible that in the future, a device may begin a customer support interaction rather than the user. For example, if your linked refrigerator senses a problem, it may automatically notify customer care. 

 

Customer care can then investigate the probable fault and contact the customer, informing them of the problem and arranging for a specialist to visit the device. These linked gadgets may collect data in real time and send it to the brand's contact centre for further analysis and insight.

 

Human agents with specialised skills

 

Human agents will require further training on the most sophisticated client interactions as AI-enabled devices get smarter and solve more complex challenges, maybe specialising in a certain product or service area. This may also involve analytics training, which would teach you how to interpret all of the data in your CRM.

 

When chatbots and other AI-assisted technologies become commonplace, human agents will need to have a variety of abilities. The job of agents will become more empathic and relationship-oriented, with a greater emphasis on upselling and cross-selling to current clients.

 

Hopefully this article has been able to shed some light on the role AI has played in customer service.