Who Has the Edge in Customer Service: AI or Humans?
When you hear the term “AI,” you might still think of futuristic and sci-fi movies like 2001: A Space Odyssey and Ex Machina. But AI (artificial intelligence) isn’t a malevolent robot out to dominate the human race — it has held an increasingly integral and ordinary position in our lives for years. An example of AI in our everyday lives is through customer support. Know that machine voice on the phone asking you questions about how to help you? That’s a classic example of AI in customer service.
Using AI for customer service will become increasingly commonplace, especially with technologies like cognitive machine learning. However, this doesn’t mean we should completely replace human interaction in customer service. So what does that mean? Does it mean that customer support will be run by robots? Not exactly.
Companies question which service is better for their customers — humans or AI-powered chatbots. But by understanding AI, you can integrate it with human-driven service to create the best customer experience. So let’s dive into the pros and cons of AI in CS.
Pros of AI
Personalized and relevant messages
Predictive analysis targets customers by creating a proactive and personalized customer service experience. By predicting customers’ needs and patterns, you can improve the value offered to them and make recommendations based on that data. This includes identifying customers based on data like demographics, location, and purchase history. Programming AI chatbots with a set of data points that lets them guide users to a specific product or service is a wonderful tool.
Also, don’t you love it when a chatbox addresses you as “Hi Elizabeth” instead of “Hi Customer”? It’s way more personal.
No limitations on workloads or schedules
While humans have to take breaks and can only handle so many requests at a time, chatbots can work 24/7, seven days a week. Companies using human customer service have to schedule breaks during long shifts. But for chatbots, there are no breaks. As a customer, you can contact the service anytime and get a response. The less time it takes to resolve a problem, the higher the customer satisfaction.
Cost savings
Businesses can minimize customer service costs by up to 30% using a chatbot. With no leave, no need for training, and no errors, they can reduce a business’ overall costs. Also, since chatbots can offer service to multiple customers, shifts are eliminated, and hiring costs are reduced.
Cons of AI
Customers want human interaction
Some chatbots make it evident that there is no human on the other end. This makes people uncomfortable because while a machine can solve basic solutions to easy problems, it may not be able to address the entire scope of a customer’s concern. Chatbots should be used with care based on your target audience and supported by a live human as often as possible.
Also, chatbots can’t understand a customer’s tone like humans can. Understanding emotions like humor, sarcasm, and anger can help customer service providers solve the problem more effectively.
Unemployment
AI is replacing jobs with repetitive tasks. Every company is looking to replace the minimum qualified individuals with AI robots, which can do similar work with more efficiency and lower costs.
Computers can’t do it without humans
Humans will always be necessary for marketing jobs and programming technology. Computers cannot think, make creative decisions, or use their imagination. If your company only uses AI (especially for content creation), the lack of creativity and cultural reference will be obvious to consumers. While AI may offer incredible solutions and efficiencies, humans still run the show.
But what about people?
Cultural sensitivity
Companies have customers of different ethnicities, cultures, and backgrounds. Understanding these demographics and the nature of the customer based on these factors can help deliver better services. Humans can ensure cultural sensitivity, while chatbots cannot.
Empathy can solve problems
Humans are emotional, and customers are more satisfied when their problems are solved with a personal touch.
According to Forbes, all customer service interactions are on a spectrum with two axes: emotion and urgency. There are AI tools that can address high-urgency situations quickly, but when it comes to high-emotion scenarios, no AI can replicate human empathy. When emotions are high, customers want to talk to other people––not a robot. There’s still a great advantage to having an actual person help a customer.
It’s helpful to look at your customer service and determine where most of your interactions fall in this spectrum. If they skew toward a particular quadrant, decide if humans or AI are better suited to address customers’ concerns.
In conclusion, neither humans nor AI has the edge over the other in customer service. Deciding which to implement for your customer service depends on your company’s range of customer service interactions, industry, and technological capabilities.
But the general rule is that the speed of AI is great for objective yes/no functions and outcomes that result from an algorithm. AI can instantly run a query and tell you if there are unfilled seats or if you’d like to purchase an upgrade. For inquiries that are high on the emotional spectrum or involve unique problem solving, there’s no substitute for the personal touch of a human.
