By this point, we’ve all heard the promises—and potential pitfalls—of implementing AI technologies into business workflows. There’s no doubt that AI can provide faster answers and eliminate a lot of manual, repetitive work, but at what cost?
Many are concerned that AI will de-humanize our experiences. And with customer service set to be one of the areas most heavily impacted by AI, it has never been more important to strike the right balance between automated efficiency and human empathy.
Leveraging all that AI has to offer doesn’t have to mean losing the human touch. As the host of the Conversations with Zendesk podcast, I’ve explored the transformative potential of AI with customer experience leaders, tech journalists, and industry experts.
For CX leaders, it has never been more important to strike the right balance between automated efficiency and human empathy.
Based on my recent discussion with Deepam Mishra, senior advisor to AI and machine learning startups at Amazon Web Services (AWS), here are four key ways that CX leaders can harness AI to create more enriching, human experiences for all involved:
1. Elevate, not eliminate agent jobs
AI can automate many routine tasks currently performed by humans and promises to save businesses money as a result, but rather than just looking at what jobs it can replace, CX leaders should be thinking about how it can expand on current capabilities. Instead of spending the bulk of their time answering repetitive questions or performing password resets, agents can dedicate their time to more fulfilling work.
As their work becomes more important and strategic, job satisfaction will likely rise—as will the demand for agents that are more highly skilled and specialized. Teams will want agents who have the ability to emotionally connect with customers. At the same time, investments in training will be needed to help agents supervise and oversee the AI-powered parts of their support process.
2. Become more responsive to what customers need
Customer feedback is incredibly valuable. Knowing what people actually need or want helps support teams prioritize accordingly. But feedback—often verbal or captured as part of a support interaction—is notoriously difficult for many businesses to synthesize and summarize.
AI is a fantastic tool for helping to understand large data sets. It can intake data from a variety of sources including surveys, support transcripts, and tickets. It then aggregates the information by “reading” it and summarizing themes, enabling teams to quickly identify challenges and opportunities to improve.
3. Deliver experiences that feel tailor-made
With a clearer picture of what customers need, CX teams can engage with them in ways that feel more personalized, empathetic, and human. AI-powered support makes it possible to understand, surface, and deliver right information for a customer at any given moment.
Generative AI takes this a step further: instead of directing customers to a pre-written article, it can actually tailor content to make it highly relevant to the person it’s engaging with. This level of personalization makes it possible to create a more customer-centric experience.
4. Stay focused and present with customers
AI can help to “unburden” agents, as Mishra puts it, from the busy work that their job requires. Beyond using automation to deflect common questions, AI can help agents when they do need to step in—providing the information and context needed to provide a higher level of customer service.
It’s easy to lose focus on simply being present, especially while hunting around for important details or navigating disparate systems. With AI to help, agents can spend more time building rapport with customers.
Finding the right balance
AI integration doesn’t mean the end of human connection. To the contrary, AI—when done right—can actually improve customer experiences by tackling the busy work, providing critical insights, and allowing agents to focus on higher-quality engagement. Not every customer interaction requires a human touch. AI makes it possible for teams to prioritize those that do.
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