AI-based virtual agents have become integral to customer service for a couple of years. Customers can now get advice and answers to questions on different topics without interacting with a real person. However, this efficiency is just the tip of the iceberg for how AI assistants can improve customer service.
Essentially, AI assistants are automated answering systems that can answer users’ questions by reading texts, emails, and voice recordings. The assistants have gone from a novelty service to a practical and effective way for companies to improve customer service. Here are some of the ways how AI can improve customer experience.
1. Support Service Using Chatbots
Chatbots are the future of customer service because they allow for rapid, flexible, and efficient support. Because chatbots are not bound by time, they can provide customers with more timely responses and in-depth information. This means that companies can automate the customer service experience and improve their support services.
2. Gathering Data
Companies are collecting users’ information and their needs and wants. These insights allow companies to improve their services and optimize them for users’ preferences to create a better experience for everyone. By having an AI assistant track customer trends, companies can figure out what customers want and make changes to their products or services to provide what they need promptly.
3. Improving Sales
AI assistants can also help with sales and provide users with information about products, deals, and more. Before AI assistants, companies would use the same sales pitch repeatedly. The problem with this is that it is difficult to tailor your message to the customer in front of you. Chatbots allow companies to be more flexible with their messaging by having a variety of scripts customized for different customers. This allows for much more personalized interactions and an increased opportunity for conversions.
4. Increasing Customer Retention
AI assistants can also provide a way to interact with customers to preserve future business relationships. For example, customers are much more likely to use a service if they like the experience and feel that the company is invested in its success. Using chatbots, companies can monitor customer happiness and make changes as necessary to enhance their services.
5. Cost Reduction and Resource Optimization
By using AI assistants, companies can cut costs by reducing the number of employees they need in call centers. In addition, as chatbots become more advanced, they will be able to handle more complex and involved questions that customers have. This means humans would only have to get involved if a customer has a question outside a chatbot’s scope.
6. Simplified Task Management
By using AI assistants, companies can automate many interactions and simplify the process of taking care of support requests. As a result, customers can get the information they need in a more efficient way that both parties feel satisfied with.
7. Assisting Customers in Making Decisions
AI assistants can help guides customers through their phone calls and make recommendations based on what a company knows about them (personal analytics). These recommendations can then be used to decide a company’s offers.
8. Facilitates Stellar Customer Service
AI assistants can help companies improve the call center experience for customers. For example, companies can use a chatbot to automatically prepare a response that fits a customer’s needs, ensuring the company can provide a better service. This means that companies can save time, money, and resources on their contact center while giving customers the best possible experience.
9. Prevents Employee Burnout
Companies can prevent employee burnout by having AI assistants by giving them an automated option for dealing with simple inquiries. Moreover, this allows employees to focus on other projects and tasks requiring higher skills. In return, this improves the company’s productivity.
10. 24-Hour Support throughout the Year
Because chatbots are not bound by any time constraints, they can provide 24-hour support throughout the year. This means that companies can improve their services to meet the needs of customers that have questions outside of regular business hours.
Bottom Line
AI assistants have been proven to be an effective way to improve customer service and create a positive experience for customers. Companies can save money and resources while giving customers the best possible experience. These assistants are easily scalable, meaning the more customers use them, the more effective they become.