The way businesses connect with customers is evolving, and artificial intelligence (AI) is leading the way. Servion Global Solutions predicts AI will power 95% of all customer interactions by 2025, including live telephone and online conversations. There are many ways to use AI in customer service, and AI consultants can guide businesses in leveraging its advantages while addressing the challenges. Embracing AI in customer service can enhance efficiency and deliver better experiences, but it also brings unique considerations and obstacles.
In this article, we’ll explore some of the most popular ways to use AI in customer service.
5 Ways to Use AI in Customer Service
AI is such a broad concept that you can use it in customer service in a number of ways. But we had to stop somewhere, so here are five of the most popular use cases.
Chatbots
One of the most common ways to use AI in customer service is through chatbot systems. Chatbots are computer programs that simulate human conversation. They are commonly used to handle simple customer queries, such as questions about product availability or shipping times.
However, you can also utilize this AI-powered technology to answer somewhat harder customer questions, provide accurate support, and even upsell or cross-sell products and services. AI-powered chatbots use machine learning algorithms to understand customer queries and provide an appropriate response.
Natural Language Understanding
Natural language understanding (NLU) is a branch of AI that deals with teaching computers to understand human language. This is different from natural language processing (NLP), which focuses on teaching computers to process and analyze human language.
With NLU, businesses can develop virtual customer assistants that can understand typical conversations and provide accurate responses. These systems are commonly used in call center environments, where they can handle a large volume of calls without the need for human intervention.
Trend projection
Another way to use AI in customer service is trend projection. That means instructing AI tools to predict future customer behavior based on past data. This can be useful for a number of purposes, such as identifying at-risk customers or predicting customer churn.
You can also use trend projection to proactively address customer issues before they even happen. For example, AI is able to identify a customer who is likely to cancel their subscription, so it can reach out to them with a retention offer before they do. This is exactly why 25% of organizations are currently using AI in their process automation efforts, while 53% plan to implement this soon.
Task automation
Task automation is another popular way to use AI in customer service. This involves using AI to automate simple tasks that are typically performed by customer service representatives (CSRs). Task automation can free up your CSRs’ time so they can focus on more complex tasks, such as resolving customer complaints.
It can also help you improve your customer service efficiency and speed up your response times. There are a number of different tasks that can be automated, including appointment scheduling, customer surveys, and even billing.
Speed up response times
One of the most common complaints customers have about businesses is slow response times. This can be a major issue, especially if you know that businesses with slow response times can see a 15% churn increase.
AI can help you speed up your response times in a number of ways. For example, you can use it to automatically route customer queries to the right CSR. You can also use it to prioritize customer queries so that the most important ones are addressed first.
Benefits of AI in Customer Support
There are many benefits of using AI in customer support. Some of the most notable advantages include:
Increased customer acquisition
AI can help you identify potential customers and reach out to them with personalized messages. This can help you increase your customer acquisition rate and grow your business.
Boost customer satisfaction
AI-powered chatbots and virtual assistants can provide fast and accurate responses to customer queries. This can help reduce wait times and improve the overall customer experience. That way, AI essentially improves customer satisfaction levels.
This is because AI-powered chatbots never get tired, so they can provide support around the clock. They can also handle an unlimited number of queries at the same time, which means that your customers will never have to wait in line.
Improve customer loyalty
Improved customer satisfaction levels can lead to increased customer loyalty. If your customers are happy with your service, they’re more likely to stick around for the long run. This can help you reduce customer churn and grow your business.
Besides that, AI can help you create loyalty programs that reward customers for their continued patronage. For example, you can use AI to identify your most loyal customers and offer them VIP treatment or exclusive discounts.
Common Challenges in AI Adoption
Despite the many benefits of using AI in customer service, there are still some challenges that need to be addressed. Some of the most common challenges include:
Lack of structured data
One of the main issues businesses face when adopting AI is the lack of structured data. This can make it difficult for AI tools to understand and interpret customer behavior. To address this issue, you need to make sure that your data is organized and stored in a central location. You also need to ensure that your data is clean and free of any errors.
Lack of knowledge
Another common challenge is the lack of knowledge about AI. This can make it difficult for businesses to know which AI tools to use and how to implement them properly. To overcome this challenge, you need to educate yourself and your team about AI. You can do this by attending AI conferences, reading AI books, and taking AI courses.
Steep learning curve
The last challenge businesses face when adopting AI is the steep learning curve. This is mainly because AI technologies are constantly evolving and it can be difficult to keep up with the latest advancements.
To overcome this challenge, you need to make sure that you have a dedicated team of AI experts. Additionally, it would be good to invest in long-term AI training and education for your team.
Final thoughts
AI is a powerful tool that can help you improve your customer service. In this post, we showed you five ways to use this ground-breaking technology in customer support.
However, keep in mind that there are a few challenges you need to address before fully reaping the benefits of AI. Make sure to overcome them and you will take your customer service to the next level.
