When we think about artificial intelligence (AI) in customer experience (CX), chatbots tend to be what first spring to mind. Bots deliver some obvious benefits for customers:
- No long wait times – Bots can respond and convey information immediately, eliminating the number-one cause of customer dissatisfaction.
- Round-the-clock service – Bots are available to serve customers 24/7, regardless of work hours, holidays, or time zone differences.
- Consistency of communication – As they reply to various queries, bots execute the company messaging strategy precisely as designed, every time.
That last item, of course, can also be a weakness of the chatbot channel – customers may seek human empathy and connection. They can become frustrated by rote responses (although more sophisticated bots can ‘converse’ for surprising lengths of time without repeating themselves, displaying an engagingly human-like demeanor).
Backstage, on the company side of CX, AI offers many advantages across practically any channel of interaction. Powered by AI, CX providers can, among many capabilities:
- Take the pain out of identifying the right people to talk to. AI can match queries with the most relevant departments, streamlining the interaction.
- Flag critical issues for resolution. By recognizing trigger words and phrases, AI can help ensure that agents address every concern raised in a call.
- Retrieve information wholly and quickly. Identifying and presenting appropriate documentation, AI can significantly reduce agents’ time to respond.
- Support crisis management. Analyzing intonation, AI can alert agents when customers get emotional, offering company guidelines on handling the situation.
- Enable continuous improvement. AI can crunch tons of data, tagging areas of strength, weakness, and opportunity across a company’s entire CX strategy.
With all this and more, AI can contribute hugely to a company’s customer satisfaction metrics, augmenting human expertise and empathy to deliver customer delight.
