The customer contact industry is constantly changing. 1 of these changing factors are digital developments. Artificial intelligence (AI) has been gaining momentum since the launch of chatGPT, OpenAI and other related tools. They are having an impact not only on our personal and professional lives but also certainly on customer service organisations. The interaction with the customer contact employee is often the first direct contact the customer has with a company. This contact moment is also often tied to a sales appointment or problem situation. It is therefore of great importance that adjustments to the way of working, for example through AI, are implemented very well so that this remains an added value for both the employee and end customer. AI creates synergy within customer contact, but how do you handle this without compromising the human aspect?
AI creates synergy
First of all, it should be made clear that artificial intelligence creates a more streamlined customer service process. AI does not replace the customer service representative, but it does serve as a synergistic tool. It is therefore important to provide not only a long-term vision but also a clear introductory communication to employees in order to clarify the place of AI within customer service.
AI hallucination
1 of the elements to keep in mind when using open AI tools, such as chatGPT, is that these tools are often based on data from a certain moment in time. The answers given by the tools are a combination of all possible publications on / to that specific moment through a particular communication channel. As a result, the output from such tools may seem plausible but be fundamentally incorrect or unrelated to the context of the question. Thus, it is important not to blindly rely on the outputs of such tools and to always verify factual outputs additionally.
Intelligence through data
If you develop your own Artificial Intelligence systems, there is 1 prerequisite: data. Without data, the tool does not become more intelligent. Therefore, it is important to enable machine learning through stored interactions as well as through live interactions within currently used channels. Here it is good to consult the interactions of both your own customer service as well as check with any customer experience partners what the possibilities are. Also always check compliance with GDPR to ensure these processes run smoothly and correctly.
Personalised standard interactions
The advantage of AI is that this system is not dependent on deterministic factors. Thus, depending on the question of the customer, multiple outcomes are possible allowing e.g. AI-powered chatbots to think beyond the initial question. Through this fact, AI can handle certain standard procedures itself and through emotional machine learning a certain personal character can also be given to these interactions. This means that customer service employees can focus on the more difficult issues and not be distracted by standard interactions. In addition, AI also has its place on the customer contact employee side. For example, AI can work together with the employee to find the right solution faster or suggest certain actions. In this way, the customer service advisor can work more pleasantly and efficiently which also benefits the end customer and the company
AI offers enormous opportunities for customer contact that you can explore as an organisation, This not only to improve the Customer Experience (CX) but also the Employee Experience (EX). However, it is important to take the necessary precautions and prioritise a clear customer service experience with touch points that balances digital tools, AI capabilities and human empathy.
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