AI-powered support brings a host of fantastic benefits that can transform how your business chats with its customers. At its best, AI in customer service creates that magic combination of boosted efficiency and happier customers. But this technology can’t achieve peak performance without human guidance. The World Economic Forum recently released a report highlighting how vital it is for businesses to build AI-human partnerships.
What does AI in customer service look like?
AI-powered chatbots and virtual assistants are on duty 24/7, giving instant replies to customers’ queries.
What are the benefits?
Efficiency - Research shows chatbots can handle a whopping 80% of everyday customer service questions, which cuts down on your costs and leaves your human team free to sort out the trickier stuff.
Specialist Support - Forget bland, one-size-fits-all chats. AI can delve into mountains of customer info – like regular purchases or past conversations – and offer tailored support that makes customers feel genuinely valued and understood.
Scale - As your business expands, so do customer queries. AI in customer service can effortlessly scale up or down to match demand, handling a sudden rush of questions without the drama. A godsend during busy periods or unexpected events.
So what’s the catch with AI?
Although the benefits are clear and impressive, we need to remember that AI is just a tool. And like any tool, it needs constant human involvement to do its job well. Without us, AI could cause more headaches than it solves. For starters, your AI needs a clear purpose. Important questions to ask include:
- What specific tasks should customer service automation handle?
- What are its limits?
- What are the goals?
Supervision Required
Human strategists need to set clear parameters to stop AI from trying to do things it's not equipped for. An AI chatbot might ace answering FAQs, but a person needs to decide what those FAQs are.
AI systems get smarter over time, but this learning journey needs human input. We're the ones who:
- Train AI - in simple arts like conversation
- Give feedback on the performance of AI-chat solutions
- Spot areas where it could do better
- Keep its knowledge up to date
Humans are also crucial to handle:
- Complex problems
- Emotionally charged situations
- Questions that need empathy
- Creative thinking
AI can be brilliant at sorting these and sending them straight to the right person, making sure it’s a smooth handover for the customer. The ability to empathise, pick up on unspoken cues, and offer a genuinely comforting interaction is a uniquely human superpower. AI can help us do these things, but it can't do them without us.
Finding that sweet spot is a winning team effort!
How do you strike the balance with AI?
The best customer service will see AI and humans working hand-in-hand. AI can whizz through the routine, repetitive, and data-heavy stuff, leaving us humans free to tackle complex problems, build relationships, and steer the ship strategically. This way, you get the best of both worlds – super efficient, brilliantly personalised, and ultimately, a much more human customer experience.
Feeling excited about AI in customer service's potential, but nervous about getting it wrong? Don't worry! We're here to help businesses like yours dive into this new world of intelligent customer support.
In a single week in the run up to the Moto GP, we saved Silverstone £30k by designing an AI-powered chatbot to handle over 8,000 conversations. For the Grand Prix, we saved them £89k when our bot handled over 25,000 calls.
Why not give us a shout today?
We'd love to chat about crafting a perfectly balanced AI strategy for your customer service – one that benefits your team and your customers. And with that vital human touch at its core.
Get in touch for your free CX chat!
PS – Did AI help write this? You bet! But it still took me an hour to make it right. Case and point!