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May 30, 2024
Customer service in the age of AI

If new technology becomes available in the world, it's tempting to dive headlong into the new innovation and incorporate it into every aspects of your enterprise.

With the advent of artificial intelligence (AI), you may be tempted to add chatbots and large language models (LLMs) within your customer services. But here at we've observed that there's a balance that needs to be struck, say Lauren Gilbert, Eyal Avital and Mau Fournier from our Customer Happiness team.

Particularly in the world of the customer experience, AI can be beneficial however, it should be utilized in moderation compared to an actual human customer service professional. "Many users want to hand over all customer service duties to the latest AI instruments, but there will always be cases where human interaction is required. Transferring everything to AI will likely leave many of your clients more dissatisfied that they were when they submitted their feedback," starts Mau.

Let's take a look at what, and when you can mindfully integrate AI into the customer service offerings you offer.

The most important qualities to have for a customer service staff

Firstly, what does perfect customer service be in the form of perfect customer service? How does it assist customers of a business?

"We attempt to live the five qualities of the PREACH model to maintain a customer-centric approach," starts Eyal Avital. "We strive to be proud responsible, compassionate, articulate, concise and human.

The team agrees that empathy may be one of the most crucial aspects. "Put yourself in the customers in their shoes, and be empathetic to the situation. Make them aware that the importance of their business is to those who run the company who are helping to run it," Lauren says. Lauren.

"Empathy is often a neglected skill," adds Mau. "You need to embody empathy so that you can understand the client's problem, and you need to show empathy when you respond to make the customer feel heard, which can help to lower their defenses when they're unhappy."

Customers also require assistance from someone knowledgeable enough about the platform to be able offer all the needed information - plus the articulation to explain the product. "When you're dealing with the platform you rely upon to manage your company, getting assistance promptly from a person who understands the product inside out and can help you tackle a problem in a way that's easy to grasp and take action on, is crucial," thinks Lauren.

Customer service is not just the exercise of ticking boxes: genuine assistance is crucial. "Don't only answer their flims question -- try to find out what's going on behind it; and then the goal they're trying to achieve," thinks Mau. "Help them address the root question, and then check back afterward to ensure they got the job done. It is likely that people will leave satisfied if they sense that those on the other side truly wants to find ways to help," he adds.

Also, do not forget the importance of timeliness and clarity when you interact. "You must provide quick aid, and communicate effectively and succinctly," starts Lauren. Eyal says: "You must be timely in your reply to customers. You can give A+ service, but if the response isn't timely for the customer to think about it the member will feel disregarded and will view your interaction negatively."

When AI fails

There is no doubt that AI can be helpful, especially for busy entrepreneurs and business owners However, it's never the ideal choice. There are number of elements of great customer service which AI is unable to replicate.

Personalisation

Based on our experiences so far, AI is missing the point of providing solutions that can fulfill the needs of customers. We've come across numerous instances of assistance desk software that demands users to reply to a sequence of questions prior to receiving an automated response. And, by definition, an automated answer is unable to resolve an unlimited number of issues because it's not a "one solution that fits everyone.

"AI will certainly show expertise and come up with answers to questions - and it will often be more adept than human beings but its skills may not be as current and in tune with your domain as a human is," says Mau. "It can be helpful in short and simple interactions, but it won't take ownership of being helpful and it can't follow up as a human would, at least not yet."

Longevity

Even though LLM (AI) apps have improved their voice in their interactions with their customers, there's still one alternative. "LLM apps are able to maintain a respectful tone of voice, but that's not the same as genuine compassion from a human. Humans are able to feel empathy and linking the resolution of an situation is not possible to duplicate," says Mau.

In the same way, AI is all about the immediate. "LLMs are prone to having a limited attention span that's built into the technology," he adds. "They will not remember that chat you had just in the past six months regarding your client's issues and how your content serves them in the future, or perhaps even that they like to go to fishing with their families. Incorporating these information in new conversations can ensure that your customers feel as if you really care."

How AI can assist you

However, this doesn't mean that AI can't be useful for customer services. There are certainly clear-cut opportunities for automation, like with every new technology It's important that you know when to make changes, when.

"We should use AI to work on mundane tasks that could be automated, but leaving the option of a human alternative for people who have special requests" Mau begins. Mau. " LLMs are a wonderful first draft for replies, however, the most effective result comes from your own editing of the draft. Include your voice in the discussion."

"What used to encompass FAQs on websites can now be handled with bots or AI to solve basic questions in a matter of minutes and 24 hours. Any questions that aren't answered by single-click solutions or ones-click options should be directed to a human customer support service," Eyal adds. "Otherwise it could cause customers to become frustrated. This is reminiscent of the times of being stuck in a loop pressing numbers to connect to the appropriate department on phone support."

The integration of AI is a slow process. "There's an evolution (crawl-walk-run) of integrating bots, or LLMs," starts Eyal. "New companies should devote greater time and effort to the community with hands-on support. As they grow more popular they can offboard their basic recurring concerns to LLM."

"AI could help you expand as your career progresses because more employees can raise inquiries," says Mau. "Many of them will be simple queries that AI can take off of your plate so you can concentrate on more complex issues."

"You could benefit from relying on AI when you're starting out However, I'd recommend against this. I'd suggest the use of more manual assistance when beginning out. The questions you are asked in the initial phases of your career an excellent source of feedback that you can use to understand your intended group and ways to improve things to better serve them."

Conclusion

It looks like the people-first strategy we're pursuing works well. It combines the expertise of a plethora of experts with the empathy only a human can bring. Eyal says the way we are working helps us to make ourselves more human Memberul as a company "a mixture of empathy, sharing resources, and adding some fun through emojis and GIFs" Keep things fun and helpful.

Mau shares some recent reviews from customers that said it was enjoyable talking "to an actual person with such a warm manner of aiding" and someone who was able to provide individualized guidance to the specific issue. "That customer said it was the most helpful service they've ever received!" smiles Mau.

Lauren remembers a customer who contacted her with a concern about members' retention. Based on her experience in her business, as well as the unique patterns within her business We were able to offer suggestions on pricing strategies that ultimately increased her members' lifetime worth.

"You can certainly utilize AI for help with the kind of issue however when it comes to decisions which could have a significant impact on your business I'd bet that the majority of people aren't prepared to trust AI alone with that and they shouldn't according to my view".