AI
Empowering
customer service agents with AI
By Mahesh Ram, head of digital customer experience at Zoom. C
ustomer-facing teams are under increasing pressure to deliver a level of service that keeps consumers happy. However, many organisations aren’t empowering agents with the tools
they need to succeed, resulting in an unsatisfied and burned-out workforce, which poses a big problem for businesses. More than half of consumers would leave an organisation aſter just one or two negative support experiences, according to research, with poor service estimated to cost businesses $4.7 trillion per year worldwide. So how do companies go about equipping agents with tools which will keep them, and their customers, happy? Artificial intelligence (AI) offers a solution, and while it has played
a role in many business areas for some time, the technology has gained enormous traction over the past six months. Generative AI and tools such as ChatGPT and Bard have captured the attention of experts, business leaders and consumers across the world. In customer experience, incorporating AI and data analytics into day-to-day operations at scale can solve some of the key challenges faced by companies, such as increasing enquiry volumes, a lack of talent and rising complexity. Business leaders need to proactively engage with the ongoing
discussions around AI and be transparent on how the technology will impact their workforce. Tis open communication will alleviate some of the worries customer service agents may face, and help them to understand how AI can empower them to deliver a higher level of customer service, boosting both their performance and value to the business.
42 | July/August 2023
AI-driven customer support In customer service, AI-powered support enables businesses to develop deeper insights and build a better user experience. Chatbots are one of the most popular approaches to AI in customer service, undertaking various activities such as reminding customers to check out during the purchasing process or to write reviews. Chatbots also provide 24/7 support – something we, as demanding consumers, have come to expect. Other technologies such as machine learning (ML) and interactive voice response systems are creating a new paradigm for how agents can deliver customer service. Central to these AI models is data – they are only as good as the
data they are being fed. Businesses have a huge amount of customer data at their fingertips that can be utilised to deliver a more personalised, effective experience for every consumer. By using technology to analyse this data and inform AI models, organisations can boost operational efficiency and identify opportunities, thus delivering impact at scale. Not only will this improve the employee experience, but it will elevate their service to boost the customer lifetime value (CLV).
Ensuring agents feel empowered It’s likely that customer service agents are already seeing the impact AI will have on their role. As a next step, they should recognise how to be empowered by it, rather than feel intimidated by the potential of the technology. Tis means they need to be comfortable with using AI tools and understand how the data they already possess
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