Whether you like it or not, Artificial Intelligence has already deeply penetrated and transformed many aspects of business operations – customer service is no exception. As more AI customer service technologies are stepping into the spotlight, AI-driven chatbots are no longer the only tools customer service teams can leverage to optimize service operations.
With customer expectations rising faster than innovations are adopted, it’s about time to embrace AI and unlock new perspectives to improve the experience for both your support reps and your customers. So how can AI help customer service? In this blog, we’re about to explore in-depth how AI can be used in customer service and support to set the stage for improved support efficiency and better CX.
Top 8 Benefits of Using AI in Customer Service
- An ability to provide customer support 24/7/365
- Fewer requests that require human assistance
- Reduced handle times and increased FCR rates
- Improved customer service experience
- Higher efficiency of support agents
- Reduced agent workload and burnout
- More actionable insights into customer interactions
- Reduced customer support costs
Using contact center solutions with AI capabilities truly brings a wealth of benefits to the table when it comes to handling customer service interactions. From faster response times and enhanced experiences to reduced burden on your western sahara email list 100000 contact leads agents and improved cost-efficiency – let’s get straight to the point and outline these benefits one by one.
An ability to provide customer support 24/7/365
By using AI-powered self-service tools like AI chatbots, virtual agents, and voice bots, businesses can expand their customer service and support capabilities beyond their standard business hours while consumers get the privilege of being able to get customer support round-the-clock, whenever they need it.
Not only are these channels super convenient for consumers by being immediately available 24/7. But it also means that your business can better live up to customer expectations since self-service support and AI chatbots, in particular, are becoming increasingly preferred by consumers. In fact, Gartner predicts that by 2027, chatbots will become the primary customer service channel for nearly a quarter of organizations.
Fewer requests that require human assistance
As technology evolves, AI chatbots are becoming more intelligent by getting the ability to mimic human behaviors and enable natural, human-like conversations. And though chatbots might not yet be able to resolve complex support requests, failing in cases where human judgment and empathy are critical, they are an excellent way for consumers to get answers to simple queries. For businesses, that means fewer repetitive customer queries and customer support requests that require human-assisted support.
3. Reduced handle times and increased FCR rates
Numerous studies have proven that consumers want their requests answered and resolved quickly and, most importantly, during a single interaction so they don’t have to reach out to customer support again and again regarding the same issue. In fact, Salesforce found that 83% of consumers expect to solve complex issues by speaking to one person, yet only 13% say it takes little effort to get their issues resolved. With intelligent AI routing that ensures customers are connected to the most relevant reps and AI agent assist tools, you can improve your First Call Resolution (FCR) rates, Average Handle Time (AHA), and Customer Satisfaction Scores (CSAT).
Improved customer service experience
When AI is integrated into your customer service process, it ultimately helps improve customer service and enhance the customer experience – and consumers have actually become more responsive to AI solutions, too. According to a Salesforce study, 69% of consumers say they are open to the use of AI to improve their experiences. AI agent assist and how ai benefits customer service and how it is used in contact centers sentiment analysis are great examples of customer service AI solutions that can help support reps deliver a more efficient and more personalized service experience to customers.
Accenture predicted nearly a decade ago that the impact of AI technologies on business is expected to boost labor productivity by up to 40%. How does AI improve the productivity of customer support agents? By simply reducing the amount of manual tasks like routing and categorizing customer requests, cutting down on the number of requests that require human support, or helping agents respond faster with AI-generated suggestions, AI customer service solutions can make support reps much more efficient and productive, enabling them to focus on more complex, higher-value tasks.
Reduced agent workload and burnout
Every customer service professional knows that burnout is a very real issue in the contact center industry. A study by Toister Performance Solutions revealed that 59% of contact center reps are at risk of burnout, with 28% facing a severe burnout risk. Lots of repetitive tasks, having to deal with frustrated customers, and a lack of adequate support you canada people are from management are just a few reasons leading to increased burnout. While managing employee burnout requires a holistic approach, implementing AI solutions into your customer service operations can help you reduce the workload on your support reps, contributing to reduced burnout.