Artificial intelligence is already changing the way companies interact with their customers, and it will continue to do so. A study conducted by the MIT Technology Review Insights shows that, by 2022, customer service will remain the central area of AI implementation for 73 percent of respondents, while 53 percent of those questioned plan to use AI to aid them with sales marketing.
Here are some benefits that come with using AI to help you with your customer service needs.
Increased efficiency and intimacy
Recently, companies have invested in customer service AI to decrease call processing and complaint resolution times. Another area where AI has a significant impact is becoming familiar with the individual customer, their needs, and habits.
Companies are using AI to “get to know” their customers better, and serve them ads and services that they are more likely to be interested in. The “Recommended for you” section on Netflix is an excellent example of this form of AI implementation. The more shows you watch, the better AI gets to know your likes and dislikes and what content it should recommend you.
Chatbots are getting smarter every day
The days when we used to make fun of chatbots that sounded like a Furby’s not-so-smart cousin are long gone. These days, chatbots like Servisbot rely on NLP (Natural Language Processing) to help them learn to communicate better with every new customer.
As a bonus, there is the fact that chatbots are always happy to talk to a customer and eager to please, unlike their human counterpart, who might be having a bad day.
Automated paying and purchasing
One area where AI can help make our lives easier is by providing us with self-service levels with voice control that allows customers to stay on top of daily tasks.
Amazon’s Alexa, for example, is a device that implements this technology. You can issue voice commands to your Alexa to pay bills via a linked bank account, compare the new tab to the previous one, etc. This personal assistant can also keep track of your shopping habits and give you reminders and recommendations.
Unlimited customer support
Another advantage of chatbots is the fact that they are available 24/7. This means that the customers have a greater level of convenience when it comes to changing the shipping or billing address or needing an urgent answer to a question. Utilisation of chatbots means that you’ll be able to respond to their needs right away, without the limitations set by the working hours.
Natural Language Interfaces and phone calls
You might know them as phone bots, but their scientific name is Interactive Voice Response (IVR) systems. Sure, most people these days still aren’t super fond of them, but the fact is that these systems are also benefiting from the breakthroughs in natural language processing.
These bots can now understand a much wider variety of queries and inputs to help callers reach the right destination. They are wildly popular in the banking sector since it deals with sensitive information that customers may not be comfortable sharing over text or email.
Understand your customers better
If you are running a reasonably large business, getting through all the feedback and reviews of your products and services can turn out to be a herculean task. This is, once more, where the specialized AI jumps in and makes your life easier.
This type of artificial intelligence is trained to go through the comments and questions that visitors have left on your site and identify any issues or problems they might have. Once you are equipped with this knowledge, you can solve those problems, thus creating a more streamlined customer experience.
Visual engagement analysis
When tracking customers’ satisfaction, some companies go beyond just reading the material that the users have submitted independently. These companies use AI-based engagement technology to track facial expressions and vocal tones.
For example, Zoom, the video-conferencing platform that we all got to know during this past couple of months, uses visual engagement analysis to see if the viewers have confused facial expressions. When AI notices this, it signals to the presenter to slow down and try to engage the audience.
AI can help you have more time to focus on business
When we put all the things listed above together, the ultimate improvement that AI can bring to your business becomes apparent. It can take a vast amount of work off your hands, giving you plenty of time to devote your resources to improve your business further.
