Artificial Intelligence (AI) has been in existence in the world of technology for the longest time. Today, we see it even more in action. Although it has been shown as unfavorable in some fields, AI has some positive connotations that every business should embrace.
The benefits of AI have become more visible and spreadable as we add more features to the technology. In matters improving customer service and experience, AI has been playing a significant role.
You can realize the impact of AI today in any business. In this article, we look at the major benefits of AI every business should look forward to this year and in the future.
Here are the top six benefits of using AI in customer service:
1. Reducing Average Handling Time (AHT)
Reducing the average handling time (AHT) is the significant impact of AI on customer service today. Businesses can realize the impact AI has had on AHT judging by reduced number of customers who complain of waiting for long to get support.
Today, almost every online business has enforced the use of chatbots to respond to customer inquiries on time and instant. Customers are getting reminders and notifications in advance, keeping them on track with their brand.
They can receive orders in less than 24 hours and even track them through programs and delivery systems. Some intangibles and services are also delivered online using AI, and customers can enjoy them right at the comfort of their phones and desktops.
2. Maintaining Omni Channel Presence
It is now much easier to reach customers on different channels thanks to advancing AI technology. The existence of multiple channels has allowed businesses to interact with customers in different ways that have positively impacted most businesses.
The first benefit is that customers can now be reached on different channels that are easy to access. The second is that the channels most customers are using are friendlier, which encourages them to interact with their brands.
Omnichannel has also come with its many challenges because businesses need a lot of data to learn how they can interact with their customers.
AI makes it easier for businesses to centralize customer files and create a database of how they interact with the business. With the correct information, it is easier for any business to come up with the best customer service strategy that considers what customers like and what they don’t.
With an effective CRM that collects all information needed, the customer support team can better plan their strategies. Most CRMs like Zendesk provide a complete dashboard for managing customer data.
3. Providing Seamless Customer Experience
Customers have an opportunity to improve their interactions with any business as they implement AI tools through their operations. When every business adopts AI technology, the whole process becomes easier to handle.
For example, with the help of AI, customers can now receive personalized messages with recommendations based on what they like most. The customer then tracks the message through various AI platforms to confirm whether they want to receive the products or not.
4. Reducing Churn Rate
The churn rate is one of the main setbacks in online business. This is the number of customers that leave your business and choose another one for various reasons. Any business that leverages AI is likely to witness a significant decrease in the churn rate.
For instance, businesses can use chatbots to provide personalized customer support. If the chatbots cannot solve the customer issues, they can still redirect them to human agents. The human agent will go through the interaction between a customer and the chatbot and respond to the customer with an answer.
When customer issues are attended to this way, it reduces the churn rate because they feel their issues are being addressed well.
The average customer retention rate for a chatbot is at least 4%. This means that any business using chatbots and human agents can significantly improve customer retention and reduce churn rate.
5. Serving Customers In The Best Way
AI makes it easier for any business to collect customer data based on value spending, customer behavior, and products bought. The business can use this customer service data to provide excellent AI-based solutions to their customers.
Businesses use chatbots and other methods to collect customer insights. Chatbots come with in-built features that make them better with time. Further, the insights collected from the various channels can be pooled into a single system (like KNIME – https://www.knime.com/software-overview) that allows for data analysis to drive action and improve customer experience.
These machines will store customer information as they interact with them, and in so doing, they can provide a perfect answer to customer queries the next time. When chatbots fail to provide answers to customers, they can hand over to human agents who attend to them.
6. Leveraging Better Digital Interactive Voice Response (IVR) system
The conventional IVR systems are being replaced today with a digital one. The modern IVR system motivates customers for self-service. In a recent study, it has been established that most customers, at least 60% of US customers , prefer self-service IVR and not speaking to human agents.
In simple terms, IVR works by helping customers to see visual cues on the website or their mobile phones. Based on the options customers choose, they are either transferred to chatbots or human agent options. This fast service improves customer satisfaction rates and churns in the long run. It also removes the mid-call dropouts, and this means better customer service.
AI has changed the way businesses interact and respond to customers. No business can ignore the role that AI is playing in customer support and response.
Today, it is not common for companies to hire staff to respond to customer calls. AI has taken this place and is making work easier for customer support teams in most online businesses.
Final Thoughts
To provide a better customer experience to users, most businesses are now investing in AI technology. AI is characterized by quality, speed, reliability, support, and efficiency, all essential aspects for a business that targets improving customer service.
AI ensures 24/7 availability of customers support, reduces churn rate, and enforces a superior digital IVR system which is helpful to any business. Every business has a reason to invest in AI to stay ahead of the rest.
