The Evolution of Artificial Intelligence in Customer Service
Technology has always been a major part of the customer service field. Industries like hospitality were among the first to set up websites on the Internet, for example, allowing customers to book reservations and manage accounts without ever picking up the phone.
In an era that is growing increasingly competitive in just about every industry, this willingness to embrace technology is critical. It is becoming less about what you do and more about how you do it. The quality of customer service becomes not only a key differentiator but a major value proposition for those you are trying to serve.
Case in point: artificial intelligence in customer service. What was once seen as a simple (if deeply flawed) time-saving tool can now offer the types of truly robust personalized experiences that people expect from high-quality customer service – all without requiring actual human employees to do it.
Artificial Intelligence: Creating Superior Customer Experiences, One Interaction at a Time
Most of us are familiar with using some kind of AI in customer service, especially in areas like hospitality. You may have noticed the chatbots that have taken over the Internet in the last two decades. They were designed to mimic human interactions and could do so – to a point.
They relied on basic keywords that consumers would use in their interactions. If someone said, “I want to return an order,” the chatbot could understand things like “return” and “order.” If they wanted to look up their account information, the chatbot could “understand” and ask for more information, like an account number.
In the early days, that’s essentially where their functionality ended. If you asked a question that was too complicated, that didn’t use the right keywords, or that was too conversational, the context the chatbot needed to function was lost. This often created a frustrating experience for customers resulting in increased transfers to a live representative.
Thanks to advancements in artificial intelligence, however, things have changed dramatically. In addition to being able to perform basic tasks like checking on someone’s existing hotel reservation, AI can handle more complicated jobs. Using a chatbot or interactive voice system, it’s now possible to book that same hotel stay, upgrade to a new room, change stay dates, and more – all with the efficiency of a human agent at a fraction of the cost.
There was a time, even as recently as five years ago, when if a customer went to your website and clicked “Contact Us” only to be greeted by a chatbot, they would bristle. They didn’t want to talk to “a robot,” they wanted a response from a living, breathing human. Not because they were afraid of technology – but because they were aware of its limitations.
Now, thanks to AI, the experience has improved so dramatically that the reverse is true. People are almost disappointed when they must speak to a human because they prefer the convenience and ease of use of self-service. The dramatic advancement of artificial intelligence and related technologies like machine learning has played an invaluable role in this, and it is one trend that shows absolutely no signs of slowing down anytime soon.
Tyme Global: The Partner in Remote Customer Service Solutions
At Tyme Global, our Skye Virtual Agent was designed to help your organization leverage the full potential that modern technology and related hospitality staffing solutions have to offer. By creating your own custom virtual agent, your customers can get questions answered, and concerns addressed quickly and easily, all with zero wait time. Not only does this improve the overall experience that you’re offering, but it also helps take the pressure off your front desk so your on-site employees can focus all of their attention on more immediate concerns.To find out more information about the evolution of AI in customer service or to see what Skye Virtual Agent can do for you, please don’t delay – contact the team at Tyme Global today.
