Five Real Ways Artificial Intelligence Is Upleveling Customer Service Posted on : Oct 15 - 2020

Remember Facebook’s automated personal assistant, M, that was released in a bid to compete with Alexa and Siri? After a series of embarrassing mishaps due to poorly trained algorithms, Facebook abruptly pulled the plug. They weren’t alone; chatbots are infamous for putting their metaphorical feet in their mouths.

While these debacles are tough to watch, the underlying problem is not artificial intelligence (AI) itself. AI succeeds when underpinned with sound strategy and well-trained models. In fact, I’d argue AI is a technology customer service organizations can’t afford to ignore. AI holds massive potential to improve customer service — an area many businesses struggle with.

A 2019 report found that 24% of customer service teams were already using AI and 56% were seeking AI opportunities. And when used wisely, it’s working: Among teams employing AI for customer service, 82% reported increased first contact resolution (FCR) rates, while 79% reported increased CSAT or Net Promoter scores.

As businesses globalize, technology can — nay, must — enable high-quality support that keeps customers happy, no matter their location or language. Here are five ways AI is upleveling customer service:

1. Produce high-quality writing

AI can help customer service agents write more clearly and with better grammar. Improving the quality of writing in customer support channels can increase customers’ perception of a brand. Credibility matters, especially when a customer is already confused or upset.

AI-powered writing assistants enable workers, including customer support agents, to check everything from grammar and spelling to style and tone. This reduces errors while helping agents clearly express meaning to customers.

2. Measure conversations for successful outcomes

Too often, customer support interactions go off the rails because the agent (human or bot) is following a script, rather than focusing on solving the customer’s problem. This may sound simplistic, but let’s take a look at the varied ways customers express intent. A telecom provider might receive one of the following customer messages: “My internet is down” or “I can’t connect to WiFi.”

There are nuances between them, but the goal is likely the same: Get their internet up and running. If an agent is responding to any of these, they must understand what the customer is ultimately after — even if the customer isn’t using plain-spoken language.

AI-powered intent management tools can capture the customer’s goal and measure whether the interaction is moving in the right direction. That’s key to ensuring issues are resolved quickly and to the customer’s satisfaction. View More