Conversational AI: the Change Disruptor for your Customer Experience

Introduction

As a senior process improvement consultant and seasoned lean six sigma black belt, I do not claim to be an expert in CX (Customer Experience) nor in AI (Artificial Intelligence). In my current role as an international customer service manager, I’ve started topay more close attention to both CX and AI trends and what attributes most to successful change in this fascinating domain. 

In this blog I will highlight how I see AI, and more specifically conversational AI, change the customer experience. After reading this blog you will realize that we are we're witnessing a new era of digital revolution and benefit from some key take aways.

Disruptive change in CX

Organizations are operating in increasingly dynamic markets. This requires them to proactively interpret the signals around them and implement new customer & data? driven process to remain competitive, protect their margins and generate growth. These processes combined with latest technology enables an environment where customer service is faster than real-time, is hyper personalization and intuitive user interfaces offer the ultimate convenience.

The big question is what are the key focus points to achieve such a result? A couple a years ago I would have said: ’a data first approach’, but now I would say focus has shifted to creating an ‘augmented employee’.

The term augmented employee refers to the use of technology to improve how e.g. contact agents do their jobs. Augmentative technologies, such as conversational AI, will be the co-pilot of the employee. These technologies work best as being both ‘integrated’ and ‘assistive’. By integrated, I mean that they are a natural and unobtrusive part of a worker’s environment. And by assistive, I mean that this technology must support in taking over over simple, repetitive, and boring tasks.  Conversational AI is doing exactly that.

Key benefits of Conversational AI is to freeing up human agents so they can pivot to more personalized customer engagement e.g. where it matters most. This is one of the most immediate ways organizations can offer enhanced value to their customers, differentiate their brand, and begin transforming customer service from a cost center into a revenue accelerator.

How to turn you agents into customer heroes

AI is now being used in customer service to automate tasks, personalize interactions, and generate creative content. Chatbots can now use generative AI to answer customer questions, resolve issues, and even provide product or service recommendations. Generative AI can even analyze data from relevant customer interactions to suggest comprehensive case summaries. This is making it easier for customer service agents, who are often juggling multiple cases simultaneously, to update knowledge articles, enabling the organization to learn and improve customer service based on past interactions.

Some key take aways

• Prioritize use cases that improve the agent experience. Obviously, focus on automating laborious manual tasks (first). And let agents tap into generative AI to answer questions about products and services and offer recommendations. Give agents quick and easy access to call transcriptions and summaries. Use generative AI for instant translations. Last but not least, enable agents to access the tech for coaching based on their personal analytics.
   
• Let generative AI manage the standard customer interactions and relay the more complex and sensitive queries to your human agents. Invest to create highly trained individuals and nurture them carefully. Along with empathy, ensure they have the business acumen to offer the white-glove service that can convert unhappy customers into brand loyalists.
   
• Don’t play “hide-and-seek” with your customers: so, tell them when they are engaging with a generative-AI bot, Aand let them request human assistance at will, no questions asked.

Conclusion

The pace of this change in the domain of customer experience is accelerating exponentially.  If you're not already thinking how to stay ahead of this curve, you will wake up one morning and notice that you’re left behind by you customers. Don’t forget convenience has become the new loyalty.

Is your business ready for the AI driven CX service of tomorrow? Do your business plans include investment that harvest the benefits of conversational AI?

My advice is clear and simple: it is time to invest, time to act. Don’t be afraid to reach out to us for those first import discussions that will help you define your way forward.

Do you want to learn more about AI and how you can combine it with human creativity in a responsible way? Register for our AI event on June 20.