Pros and Cons of AI in Customer Support

The idea of incorporating artificial intelligence into your business’s customer support can seem like an overwhelming and confusing task. But while the concept of artificial intelligence sounds like a futuristic service that only the most advanced technology companies should attempt to implement, that is far from the truth.

When running a business that receives a noteworthy amount of customer support inquiries, the use of artificial intelligence can be beneficial for both those on the business side and the consumers.

Here are the pros and cons of utilizing artificial intelligence services in your customer support offerings:

Pros:

24/7 human support is simply not feasible for many businesses. In a world where fast and efficient is the leading theme, expecting customers to email and wait on a response for days will only result in unhappy clientele or even lost business. Offering customer chatbots and automated solution responses is both easy to set up and a great way to avoid long response times that may irritate consumers.

When questions and concerns can be handled via automated sources, it allows for you and your workers to focus on the customers in front of you.

Not only can artificial intelligence services be used to completely interact and solve customer issues, but it can also serve as a screening process prior to connecting a consumer to a human.

Whether through phone call or chatbot, by implementing a set of questions such as name, order number, the reason for contacting, etc. you are able to quickly collect an overview of the situation without having to speak to them. These filter questions can also help to ease any impatience that callers may feel when in the waiting room to speak to a person.

Hiring mass amounts of customers to solely handle customer service inquiries can result in a pricey bill.

Using AI services to solve simple, repetitive questions will allow more complex cases to human workers. Not only does it allow you to spend your hiring money elsewhere, but AI can also tend to multiple customers at once, unlike humans who are only able to address one person at a time.

Keeping your business up to date on the newest technology will show your audience that you are progressing as a business in order to serve them best. Just as websites are built to make finding business a simple and convenient process, AI services are utilized to create a user-friendly experience for customers that are searching for help.

Cons

No matter how many automated questions and responses you may upload, it is unlikely that your AI services will solve every single problem that arises. As of now, this technology is not often utilized as a customer service replacement but rather an addition that helps relieve staff of dealing with simplistic or repetitive problems.

It is important when investing in this technology that other customer service platforms still exist.

Lots of people like talking to people. Many can become frustrated and annoyed when automated responses are unable to solve their problems quickly. Understanding the warning signs of a customer who should be transferred to a human representative will aid in ensuring your customer satisfaction does not decrease.

Just as meetings are needed to keep customer service staff up to date on the new policies and offerings, the same updates are needed for AI services. Analyzing commonly asked questions and responses will need to be done to ensure that your chatbot or phone service is providing the best service possible.

It is important to make sure that automated responses are purposeful and do not simply lead customers in a circle.

Not only will your AI services most likely be unable to solve every single problem, but it might also lead your customer down the wrong path if not properly set up. It is important when beginning the utilization process of AI services that it is constructed in the best way possible to understand questions and requests.

Need help exploring the best artificial intelligence services for your business? At Inner Spark Creative we are experts in an array of marketing solutions. No matter the service you are searching for, we are here to help your business stand out and provide a user-friendly experience for customers. Contact us today to explore your options!