Terms
When new technology is released into the world It's tempting to jump in headfirst into the latest innovation and incorporate it into all aspects of your enterprise.
With the advent that is artificial intelligence (AI), you may be tempted to add chatbots and large language models (LLMs) in your service offering. We've found that a compromise needs to be found, says Lauren Gilbert, Eyal Avital and Mau Fournier of our Customer Happiness team.
Particularly in the world of Customer Service, AI can be beneficial however it must be used only in conjunction with an actual human expert in customer service. "Many users want to hand over the entirety of their customer support duties to the latest AI devices, however there are always situations that require actual human interaction. The idea of delegating all tasks to AI will likely leave many of your customers feeling more annoyed as they were prior to when they wrote in," starts Mau.
Let's examine the ways and times you might be able to incorporate AI in your customer service offering.
Essential qualities for a customer service staff
What does the ideal customer service appear as? How does it assist customers of a business?
"We attempt to live the five characteristics of PREACH to ensure a customer-centric approach," starts Eyal Avital. "We strive to be proud and Responsible, as well as Empathetic. articulate, concise and human.
We all agree that empathy is perhaps one of the most crucial aspects. "Put yourself in the customers shoes and show empathy for their circumstances. Make them aware they are important to those who run the company who are helping in running it," starts Lauren.
"Empathy is often overlooked," says Mau. "You need to embody empathy to be able to comprehend the issue of your customer, and you need to show empathy when you respond to make the customer feel heard, which can help lower their defenses if they're unhappy."
Customers also require assistance from someone who is knowledgeable enough about the software to be able offer all the needed information - as well as the language to convey the product. "When it comes to a platform that you count on to run your company, getting assistance promptly from a person who understands the product inside out and can explain how to resolve a challenge with a manner that is easy to understand and actionable, is essential," thinks Lauren.
Customer service is not merely a box-ticking exercise: genuine helpfulness is essential. "Don't just answer their superficial inquiry - determine the motivation behind the question; what are they trying to accomplish," thinks Mau. "Help them to resolve the main issue, and follow up later to make sure they were able to get it done. It is likely that people will leave content if they can sense someone who is on the other end of the spectrum really wants to figure out ways to help," he adds.
Don't forget to consider the importance of timeliness and clarity when you interact. "You must provide quick assistance, communicating clearly and concisely," starts Lauren. Eyal adds: "You must be timely when you respond to your customers. You may offer an A+ rating, however, if you're not prompt enough in the member's mind, they'll feel ignored and view it negatively."
The areas where AI isn't quite enough
There's no doubt that AI is a great tool in the case of businesses and entrepreneurs who have a lot to do however, it's not always the best option. We believe there are a handful of aspects of great customer service which AI is unable to replicate.
Personalisation
Based on our experiences so far, AI is missing the mark on providing solutions that can fulfill the needs of customers. We've seen numerous examples of help desk software that requires users to reply to a series of questions before getting an answer from an algorithm. In essence it is true that an automated solution can only resolve a limited amount of problems because it's not a "one one size fits all' scenario.
"AI can certainly demonstrate competence and provide solutions to your questions. And it will often be superior to humans but its skills may not be as current and in tune with your domain as a human might be," says Mau. "It could be beneficial when it comes to simple, quick conversations however it will not take ownership of being helpful and won't be able to follow-up as a human would but, at the least not right now."
Longevity
Even though LLM (AI) applications have improved their tone when communicating with clients, there's still a long alternative. "LLM apps may use an appropriate tone of voice however it's far from genuine empathy from a real human. The human capacity for empathy and relating an experience to its specific situation is not possible to duplicate," says Mau.
Similar to that, AI is all about the short-term. "LLMs are prone to having a limited attention span that's integrated into the system," he adds. "They will not remember that chat you had just in the past six months concerning the challenges your customers face and how your content serves them in the future, or perhaps even that they love going on fishing trips with their loved ones. Reintroducing these things in new conversations can ensure that your customers feel as if you really care."
AI is a great tool to help
It's not saying that AI cannot be beneficial for customer services. There are certainly clear-cut opportunities to automate the process, just like any other new technological innovation It's important to know how to innovate at the right time.
"We need to use AI in place to tackle routine tasks that can be automated, but leaving a human voice as an alternative for people who have specific requests," starts Mau. " LLMs offer a fantastic initial draft of replies however, the most effective result comes from personal editing on this draft. Include your voice in conversations."
"What used to be the FAQ on a website can now be handled with robots or AI that can solve simple questions quickly and 24/7. Any questions that aren't answered by one-click or one-question solutions should be directed to human support," Eyal adds. "Otherwise the customer could become frustrated. It's like the old days of getting stuck in a loop pressing numbers in order to reach the appropriate department on telephone support."
The integration of AI is a slow process. "There's an improvement (crawl-walk-run) to integrate bots and LLMs," starts Eyal. "New companies should devote greater time and effort to the community by providing hands-on assistance. Once they are more popular, they can offboard their basic frequently asked queries for LLM."
"AI will help you grow in your career because more employees can raise inquiries," says Mau. "Many of these will be basic queries that AI can take off of your hands, allowing you to be more focused on more intricate questions."
"You could be able to rely on AI as you begin your journey However, I'd recommend against it. I would recommend the use of more manual assistance when just starting out. The inquiries that you get in the beginning stages of your career are a treasure trove of feedback that can be used to gain insight into your group and ways to improve things for them."
Conclusion
It appears that the "people-first" strategy we're pursuing is working well, combining the expertise of a plethora of experts and the compassion only human being could bring. Eyal affirms that our way of work helps to humanize Memberul as a brand "a mixture of empathy with sharing resources, as well as making it fun by using emojis and GIFs" keep things fun and beneficial.
Mau gives some feedback from a customer who said that it was great to speak "to someone who was a human being who had such a genuine approach to helping" as well as someone who could give them a personalized answer to their specific query. "That customer told me they received the most excellent assistance they've ever received!" smiles Mau.
Lauren is able to recall a client who wrote in asking for advice on members' retention. Using knowledge of her specific business, as well as the unique patterns in her own business We were able to give suggestions on pricing strategies that ultimately increased her members' lifetime worth.
"You might be able to use AI to help you with these kinds of questions however in the case of decisions which could have a significant effect on your business I'd say that most people aren't ready to trust AI on its own or any other decision. They shouldn't, in my opinion".