The pandemic has turned all businesses digital as a matter of course. However, even before Covid-19, companies had realised the potential for conversational artificial intelligence (AI).
The first examples that made use of AI for customer support were chatbots. Today, “chatbot” almost sounds like the word “scumbag. It is mentioned time and often in chats with founders chatbots have earned an image as inefficient or unprofessional customer service. This is exactly the problem they were designed to solve. Of course there are still pages like NetBet Casino that for customer support has other channels with a team of humans behind.
What went wrong? There are three major reasons that the chatbots that first failed to work:
Machine-learning was not utilized effectively. AI is supposed to be able to improve over time. It should be able to take lessons from its previous interactions and enhance its capabilities. The chatbots of the past weren’t so advanced as they are now.
They weren’t up-to-date. Even now, some companies attempt to create their own chatbots, but aren’t able to properly manage them. For instance, they fail to update their chatbots regularly with updated product information and this causes unhappy customers and sales that are not being sold.
We attempted to automatize every aspect of our work. It’s important to understand what tasks to automate, and which ones not to automate. Complex issues should be left to human operators. Sometimes, it is just a desire to speak with a person and if companies wish to offer their customers the best customer experience, it is important to know this and design our procedures accordingly.
The persistent misconceptions.
Chatbots serve as a way to some end point, not the ultimate goal.
Uncertainties about this are prevalent. I hear it from founders as well as team members and leaders of customer support alike: they’re concerned that chatbots will take over their customer service staff and reduce the quality of customer service. However they’re also asking their chatbots to do more than they can handle.
Companies need to take lessons from the mistakes of the past concerning chatbots’ functions as well as what they do and when they should be used.
Innovative solutions.
How can businesses make use of this technology in order to establish connections with their customers and boost sales?
Utilize the latest technology that is available. Machine-learning technology is more complicated and efficient now. I advise companies to examine the ease for them to keep the conversational AI software they’re looking at. The process of implementation is exciting. From my experience, the biggest challenges are usually encountered following the implementation, and are about maintenance.
Learn the things you can (not) automate. We’ve observed that situations with emotional content — for instance, when a client is upset or unhappy, they are more easily handled by human agents. Other requests don’t require the same level of compassion. Requests from customers like changing the shipping address or changing an existing subscription can be handled by AI that can talk to customers. As a machine-learning community we’re constantly improving , and will be able to automate the process of a lot of situations.
Don’t believe in the myths. Based on my experience, CSAT (Customer Satisfaction) grows after the introduction of automation. Customers are able to get answers quickly they need, while those with more complex issues receive the assistance they require. Service agents for customers aren’t overloaded by their work routines as they are more sensitive and patient. Conversational AI can improve the customer experience. This is the thing that customers really want.
What’s ahead.
There’s a huge opportunity for the market worldwide, around 85 percent people want to be able to communicate with brands. However, companies must get the right message. One bad customer service experience can drive fifty percent from customers to another company.
Europe has a leading position in the approach to how we view and apply AI. For the year 2020, the group that created Denmark’s emergency helpline was assisted by chatbots which assisted in managing Covid-19. In the same way, ALAB Laboratoria in Poland was named the official partner of the Polish government for Covid-19 testing. They also made use of Chatbots to expand the operation of booking appointments. In April 2021, the European Commission proposed new guidelines and actions to ensure the reliability of AI.
With the aid of AI-based conversation, human customer support teams can focus more time doing meaningful work that includes nurturing relationships with customers and earning revenues. Additionally, it helps with retention of staff. The most prevalent reasons for the turnover of staff in support departments for customers that I’ve encountered are burnout as well as an absence of growth opportunities.
Don’t be deterred by the old notions of chatbots. The right software will offer the appropriate assistance. This is the perfect time to do it: chatbots might have been unsuccessful before, however they’ll never be able to fail you today.
