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As new technologies are released into the world It's tempting to jump headlong into the new innovation and incorporate it into every aspects of your company.

In this age that is artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning, you might be drawn to include chatbots or large-language models (LLMs) within your customer services. We've found that there's a delicate balance that needs to be struck, say Lauren Gilbert, Eyal Avital and Mau Fournier from our Customer Happiness team.

Particularly in the world of Customer Service, AI can be beneficial but should be used with caution when compared to a true, human, expert in customer service. "Many people want to delegate the entirety of their customer support responsibilities to these shiny new AI devices, however there are always situations where human interaction is required. Transferring everything to AI could leave some of your customers more frustrated than they were before they wrote in," starts Mau.

Let's take a look at how, and when, you can mindfully integrate AI to improve your service to customers.

Essential qualities for a customer service staff

First of all, what exactly does the perfect customer service appear in the form of perfect customer service? What can best be done to aid a company's clients?

"We try to embody five of the qualities that comprise PREACH to ensure an approach to customer service," starts Eyal Avital. "We strive to be proud and Responsible, as well as Empathetic. Articulate, Concise and Human.

We all agree that empathy is perhaps the most important of these. "Put yourself in the customer's shoes and show empathy for their situation. Let them know that their business matters to the employees of the business who help in running it," starts Lauren.

"Empathy is often overlooked" adds Mau. "You must show empathy so that you can understand the client's problem and show empathy when you respond in order to let the customer feel understood, which also helps lower their defenses if they're upset."

In addition, customers need assistance from someone who is knowledgeable enough about the platform to be able offer all of the information needed - plus the articulation to explain it. "When it comes to a platform that you count on to run your business, getting support immediately from someone who is familiar with the software inside and out, and can explain how to solve a problem in a manner that's simple to comprehend and implementable is crucial," thinks Lauren.

Customer service is not just an exercise in box-checking: real helpfulness is essential. "Don't just answer their superficial query- try to determine the motivation driving the query and what they're trying to accomplish," thinks Mau. "Help them with the core question, and then check back later to make sure they've succeeded in getting what they wanted. It is likely that people will leave satisfied if they sense that those who is on the other end of the spectrum truly wants to find ways to aid them," he adds.

Also, do not forget the importance of timeliness and clarity in your interactions. "You need to provide prompt aid, and communicate clearly and concisely," starts Lauren. Eyal adds: "You must be timely in your reply to customers. It's possible to provide an A+ rating, but if it's too late in the member's mind the member will feel disregarded and will view your interaction negatively."

The areas where AI isn't quite enough

There is no doubt that AI can be helpful particularly for busy entrepreneurs and business owners however, it's not always the ideal choice. There are handful of aspects of great customer service which AI can simply not recreate.

Personalisation

From our observations so far, AI is missing the point of providing solutions that can fulfill the needs of customers. We've seen numerous examples of help desk software that requires users to reply to a list of questions to get an answer from an algorithm. By definition the automated response can only resolve a limited number of issues because it's not a 'one size fits all' situation.

"AI will certainly show competence and provide responses to queries - and they are often superior to humans, although its expertise might not be as current and aware of your specific field as human beings could be," says Mau. "It is able to be useful when it comes to simple, quick conversations, but it won't take ownership of being helpful and won't be able to follow-up like a human could but, at the least not right now."

Longevity

Although LLM (AI) applications have improved their voice in their interactions with customers, there's a alternative. "LLM apps are able to maintain the tone of conversation that is respectful however it's far from genuine empathy from a real human. The human capacity for empathy and relating the resolution of an experience can't be replicated," says Mau.

In the same way, AI is all about the short-term. "LLMs have a short attention span, and it's integrated into the system," he adds. "They aren't going to remember the chat you had just six months ago about your customer's challenges or the way the content you provide them with, or even the fact they love going on fishing excursions with their loved ones. Bringing these details back into new conversations will make members feel like you really care."

Where AI can help you

This is not to say that AI cannot be beneficial for customer support. There's definitely clear-cut possibilities for automation, like with every new technology - but it's crucial to know how to innovate, when.

"We should put AI in place to tackle regular tasks that can be automated while keeping the human voice an alternative for people who have special requests" begins Mau. " LLMs provide a great initial draft of replies however, the most effective result is always personal editing on that draft. Incorporate your personal voice into the discussion."

"What was once the FAQ on a website is now handled by bots or AI to solve basic questions in a matter of minutes and 24 hours. Any questions that aren't answered by the one-click and one-question options must be directed to support from a human," Eyal adds. "Otherwise it could cause customers to be quick to lose patience. It's like the old days of getting stuck in a loop pressing numbers to get to the right department over the phone."

The integration of AI is a slow process. "There's an evolution (crawl-walk-run) of integrating bots and LLMs," starts Eyal. "New businesses should dedicate an increased amount of time for their communities with hands-on support. As they grow more popular they can offboard their basic regular concerns to LLM."

"AI can help you scale in your career because more employees are likely to raise more concerns," says Mau. "Many of them will be basic requests that AI could take off your plate so you can concentrate on more complex questions."

"You can be able to rely on AI when you're starting out, but I would advise against it. I would recommend more manual support when you're starting out: the questions you are asked in the initial stage of your career an excellent source of feedback that can be used to understand your intended group and ways to enhance your services for them."

Conclusion

The people-first strategy we're pursuing is working, successfully blending the expertise of a plethora of experts along with the emotion only a human being can provide. Eyal affirms that our way of work helps to humanize Memberul as a brand "a mixture of empathy, sharing resources, and adding some fun through emojis and GIFs" Keep things fun and helpful.

Mau has shared some of the comments from a client, who noted it was nice to talk "to a real human with such a warm manner of aiding" as well as someone who could offer personalized guidance for their specific query. "That client said that it was the best service they've ever received!" smiles Mau.

Lauren recalls one customer who contacted her to express concern over member retention. Based on her experience in her sector, and the specific trends within her business, we were able to provide recommendations on a pricing plan that ultimately increased her members life-time worth.

"You might be able to use AI for help with these kinds of questions, but in the case of decisions which could have a significant impact on your company I'd bet that the majority of people aren't prepared to rely on AI alone with that and they shouldn't according to my view".