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Jun 6, 2024
Customer service in the age of AI

When new technology is released in the marketplace, it's tempting to jump headlong into the newest technology and integrate it into every aspects of your company.

In this age AI is a term used to describe Artificial Intelligence (AI) is a reality, and you might be drawn to include chatbots as well as large model of language (LLMs) in your service to customers. There is the right balance as per Lauren Gilbert, Eyal Avital and Mau Fournier of our Customer Happiness team.

Particularly with regards to Customer Service, AI can prove beneficial, but it should be used cautiously in comparison to the actual, human professional in Customer Service. "Many users want to hand over 100% of Customer Support tasks to machines, but there are situations that require actual human interaction. Moving everything over to AI is likely to leave a lot of customers unhappy than they did before they put their names in," starts Mau.

Let's look at the ways, and when, you might be able to integrate AI in order to provide better service for customers.

Essential qualities for a successful customer service team

The first question is what should the ideal customer experience look like? How can it benefit the customers of a business?

"We try to reflect the five traits of the PREACH model to maintain a customer-centric approach," starts Eyal Avital. "We aim to be Proud of being responsible, caring as well as articulate, clear and human.

We all agree that empathy may be the most significant of these. "Put yourself in the customer's shoes and show empathy for the situation. Make them aware that they are valued by all employees who help to run it," Lauren says. Lauren.

"Empathy is often an undervalued ability," Mau adds. Mau. "You must demonstrate compassion so that you are able to be able to understand what the customer is going through and demonstrate empathy through your responses so that the client feels understood, which also helps to reduce their defensiveness in times of anger."

Customers also require assistance from someone who is experienced enough with the product that they can provide all the data required and also explain the product. "When it comes to a platform that you count upon to manage your business, receiving support promptly from a person who understands the software completely and is able to help you solve the issue in a way that's simple to comprehend and use is essential," thinks Lauren.

Customer service doesn't just mean an exercise in the tick box: real compassion is essential. "Don't just answer their superficial inquiry. Try to find out what's driving the inquiry and the goal they're trying achieve," thinks Mau. "Help to address the root problem, and then come later to verify that they've got the task done. The audience will be satisfied if they sense that the person who is in the opposite room is genuinely trying to find ways to help," he adds.

Remember to take into consideration the importance of timeliness and a clear communication. "You must provide quick assistance, and communicate clearly and succinctly," starts Lauren. Eyal says: "You must be timely with your responses to clients. It's possible to award the customer an A+ rating, but If your responses aren't quick enough so that the customer can think about it the member may feel disappointed and consider your response as negative."

In the event that AI fails

There is no doubt that AI can be a powerful instrument for companies or entrepreneurs with a lot to do however it's not always the ideal choice. We believe there are some characteristics of great customer service which AI cannot replicate.

Personalisation

Based on our experience up to now, AI is missing the point of finding solutions that actually meet a specific customer's needs. There's a myriad of examples of assist desk applications that ask users to answer an extensive list of inquiries to obtain an automated response. And, by definition the automatic response is only able to solve a small range of problems since there isn't a 'one solution that fits everyone.

"AI is sure to show its competence and provide responses to queries - and they're usually superior than humans however its knowledge may not be as recent and well-informed about your specific field as an individual human would have been," says Mau. "It is able to be useful with simple and swift interactions, however it won't take responsibility for helping, and isn't able to follow-up as a human could or in the least, not as yet."

Longevity

Although LLM (AI) applications have significantly improved the tone they use for communicating with customers but there's a lengthy way to go in improving. "LLM apps could employ a suitable style of speaking, however it's not as authentic the human compassion that we experience. Humans can empathize and relate a solution to an issue cannot be replicated," says Mau.

Like that, AI is all about being short-term. "LLMs tend to have limitations on their attention spans - that's a feature of the system," he adds. "They aren't likely to remember conversations that you've had over the past six months about the challenges your customers face, or how your content can benefit to them in the near future and maybe even the fact how much they enjoy fish with their family and friends. By incorporating these details into your fresh conversations could make your clients feel that you truly are concerned about them."

AI is a fantastic tool that can be used to aid

However, this does not mean that AI isn't beneficial to customer service. There are certain possibilities to streamline the process similar to any innovative technology. But it's essential that you know when to make changes in the appropriate time.

"We ought to incorporate AI in everyday tasks that can be automatized, but leave a human voice as an alternative for people with particular requests," Mau begins. Mau. " LLMs offer a fantastic initial draft, but your best results are likely to be the result of personal editing this draft. Include your own voice in conversations."

"What used to be the FAQ on a website is now managed by bots or AI to solve simple questions quickly and 24/7. Questions that can't be answered by the one-click and one-question alternatives should be addressed to a human," Eyal adds. "Otherwise people could get annoyed. The old-fashioned way of getting stuck on an array of numbers in order in order to reach the correct department over phone support."

Integration of AI is an ongoing process. "There's the possibility of improving (crawl-walk-run) of integrating bots or LLMs," starts Eyal. "New firms should be able to devote greater time and attention to their communities by providing hands-on assistance. If they gain more traction and reputable, they'll be able to shift away from frequently asked issues towards LLM."

"AI could help you expand as your career progresses since more employees can raise concerns," says Mau. "Many are simple questions that AI can take off of the list so that you can focus on the more nuanced concerns."

"You might be able to have confidence in AI initially, but I'd advise against it. It is recommended to have more manual assistance at the beginning of your career. Questions you receive at the start of your career offer an abundance of information that can be used to understand your intended group and ways to enhance your services to better serve the people they serve."

Conclusion

The people-first method we're pursuing is working, successfully blending an array of knowledge and the compassion only humans have. Eyal states that the way we are working can help us become more human Memberul as a brand "a mix of empathy, sharing resources, and having fun employing Emojis as well as GIFs" to keep it fun and beneficial.

Mau shares some recent comments from a customer who said it was enjoyable having the opportunity to talk "to a real human with such an empathetic way of helping" in addition to somebody who was able to provide personalized advice for the particular issue. "That client claimed they received the most valuable help they've ever had!" smiles Mau.

Lauren remembers a customer that asked us to know our opinion on members' retention. Using knowledge of her specific business, as well as the distinctive patterns she observes within her firm, we were able to offer recommendations on pricing strategies that in turn increased the members' lifetime value.

"You could certainly use AI to help you with this kind of situation, however in the case of making decisions that could have a significant impact on your company I'd guess that a majority of people aren't prepared to believe in AI by itself and they shouldn't I believe".

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