Is generative artificial intelligence (AI) going to take over the world? We’re not entirely sure what the answer to that is, but we do know that it can (and is!) completely revolutionize customer service. The year 2023, in particular, has seen AI models like ChatGPT - and the newer Google Bard - rapidly develop to be utilized in increasingly innovative ways.
As far as customer service is concerned, as a business owner, you’ll want to keep reading to learn just how generative is changing the game.
According to a Salesforce report, 90% of consumers said that the experience a company provides matters almost as much as the products or services it offers. According to International Sales & Customer Service Trainer, John Boe, positivity, personalized approaches, and empathetic exchanges and dependability are still the cornerstones of outstanding customer service. AI can certainly help with the accurate collection of data, as well as provide instantaneous responses to customers, but what if we told you it can also empathize with consumers and personalize its offerings to individuals?
According to an Ipsos poll, 68% of surveyed consumers in the US had used customer service chatbots. Nearly 77% of those respondents claimed to prefer interacting with a human support agent. The accelerated advancement of AI is such that many consumers may not even realize they are interacting with chatbots. Besides, generative AI’s impressive capabilities extend far beyond chatbots. In this blog, we’ll explain what generative AI is, and give you 5 actionable strategies to use it to level up your customer service.
What is Generative AI & Why Does it Impact Customer Service
Generative AI describes algorithms and programs that can take data and create new content, such as text, images, videos, and code. A popular example is ChatGPT, a natural language processing program produced by OpenAI laboratories. By learning from data sets and patterns, AI is able to improve and refine its output, making it perfect for customer service.
Powering virtual assistants, delivering customized recommendations, and improving operational efficiency are just some of the many customer support tasks artificial intelligence can perform. AI drives customer loyalty and satisfaction by both quickly and accurately executing functions as well as freeing up human support agents’ time. Implemented well, AI can work as a highly valuable part of your service team, enabling human agents more time to speak to human customers, in line with the majority preference.
5 Strategies for Excelling in Customer Service with Generative AI
We could talk about the specific ways in which you could implement generative AI into your customer service processes, but we’d be here all day. The 5 helpful strategies we’re going to provide you with focus on a more attitudinal approach to artificial intelligence. Studies suggest employees that fear AI could disrupt professional relationships, as well as cause issues with control. Instead, clever integration can see human employees and AI working harmoniously together.
- Elevate Your Customer Support Team with AI
Previously, we touched upon how AI can work as a beneficial part of your existing customer support team. In order to see tangible success fast from utilizing AI, you should take this approach one step further.
Because generative AI thrives on feedback and is constantly learning, it pays to train it like you would a new employee. The more comprehensive the training, the better AI will be at representing your brand and meeting your business goals. Taking an anthropomorphic perspective towards AI means being open to unlocking its humanlike capabilities relating to speech, vision, language understanding and reasoning, as opposed to viewing it purely as a machine.
Once you stop viewing AI as a tool that automates tasks and replaces human employees, you will begin to understand how advantageous it can be as an additional team member.
- Partner with an Expert Generative AI Provider
A common mistake with AI platforms, like ChatGPT, is to treat it like a search engine. Instead, detailed prompts, backed up by meticulous data-led training and development, should be used to ensure AI offers responses that align with your brand and are accurate for your business.
To properly navigate the complexities of generative AI requires a seasoned partner with a sophisticated AI framework. Joining forces with an experienced firm that has a proven track record in artificial intelligence gives your brand a competitive edge.
Moreover, partnering with a knowledgeable technology provider ensures the security of consumer information, protecting against dreaded cyber threats. There are some AI tools that can suffer data and privacy breaches, model poisoning and attacks if not handled properly. That’s why it is crucial to have a trusted guide who possesses the necessary technical expertise, data architecture, and risk management processes.
- Offer Tailored Service by Using AI
A study by Epsilon into the impact of personalization in marketing found that 80% of consumers are more likely to buy from a company that provides a personalized experience. Customer support agents only have so much time to offer, meaning the scaled implementation of AI can make personalization much more possible.
Through comprehensive data gathering, generative AI can offer responses and recommendations to customers based on information such as their purchase history. Not only will this increase the chances of future conversions, but it promotes a feeling of being seen and understood among customers.
Immediate translation capabilities also mean AI can offer a tailored service to global customers, increasing a business’ reach. And for those customers who prefer communicating with a human, AI can evaluate historical customer communications in order to suggest to agents what they can say to customers in real time.
- Boost ROI with Generative AI
Before, if businesses wanted customers to be supported 24/7 with as minimal a wait time as possible, they would have needed to enlarge their customer service teams.
Now, thanks to generative AI, this can be achieved without the expense of additional employees. Real-time chatbots equipped with conversational abilities can provide instant support, reducing customer service costs and elevating the overall customer experience.
Generative AI, with its expertise and insights gained from analyzing past customer interactions, can identify personalized actions and develop strategic next steps, streamlining business processes. By selecting the right AI tools, and adopting a “fail faster” mentality, businesses can increase their ROI at an accelerated rate.
- Embrace Continuous Innovation & Learning
Approaching both generative AI and your own customer service offerings with a philosophy of continuous learning will see your business reap countless rewards.
To stay ahead of the curve in the customer service landscape, embracing continuous innovation is crucial. Generative AI presents endless possibilities, and businesses must actively explore new ways to leverage this technology.
Constantly assess the effectiveness of your AI implementations, solicit feedback from customers and employees, and iterate based on the insights gained. According to Greg Kihlstrom of Agile Brand, the first step is understanding how the data your business collects is being used, and then how it is being applied to AI and machine learning.
By adopting a proactive approach to innovation, your brand can unlock the full potential of generative AI and maintain a competitive edge.
Elevate Your Customer Service with Generative AI from Wavity
Adopt AI-powered business software with Wavity, and watch as your customer service teams go from strength to strength. Enjoy the all-encompassing tool that has the ability to manage your service desk, employees, customers, and projects, automate workflow, plus more!
Apply these 5 strategies for success, and welcome generative AI as the newest member of your customer support team. By embracing new technologies, learning from experts, maximizing ROI, and offering personalized support like never before, your customer satisfaction levels will soar to new heights.
Book a demo with Wavity today, and see what generative AI help desk tools can do for your business!