¿Reemplazará la IA al servicio al cliente?

Febrero 21, 2024

Empoderadas con tecnologías emergentes como la inteligencia artificial (IA), el aprendizaje automático (ML), los grandes datos y la analítica, más organizaciones están utilizando tecnología de automatización para lograr una mayor satisfacción del cliente. Los chatbots son una de las herramientas utilizadas extensamente en esta búsqueda y han mostrado un crecimiento tremendo en su adopción en los últimos años. Pero la pregunta de mil millones de dólares que se debate en las salas de juntas es si los chatbots pueden reemplazar a los humanos en el ámbito del servicio al cliente.

Para responder a esta pregunta, CGS encuestó a más de 2,000 individuos de EE. UU. y el Reino Unido para investigar sus perspectivas sobre los chatbots en el ámbito del servicio al cliente. Esta encuesta informó nuestro informe de servicio al cliente de 2020 y nos ofreció algunas ideas clave sobre lo que los consumidores quieren de la tecnología de chatbots.

El papel de la IA en el servicio al cliente

La IA es un gran paraguas que apoya muchas tareas en el proceso de servicio al cliente, desde la analítica de datos hasta los chatbots orientados al cliente. Ya sea que utilices IA para apoyar un trabajo más eficiente y preciso de los humanos o para automatizar tareas que consumen tiempo por completo, las posibilidades de la IA en el servicio al cliente son amplias.

Aquí hay algunos ejemplos de cómo el servicio al cliente y la inteligencia artificial se unen:

• Chatbots: Los chatbots son uno de los usos más conocidos de la IA en el servicio al cliente, aprovechando herramientas de procesamiento de lenguaje natural (NLP) para responder a los clientes al instante. Los chatbots podrían ofrecer respuestas básicas o activar flujos de trabajo para completar automáticamente procesos básicos, como solicitudes de devolución, dependiendo de la complejidad del sistema. Los chatbots liberan a los miembros de tu equipo y ofrecen respuestas instantáneas 24/7 para los clientes.

• Análisis de sentimientos: La IA sobresale en dar sentido a grandes volúmenes de datos. El análisis de sentimientos utiliza esta capacidad para explorar la retroalimentación de los clientes a través de canales, como reseñas de sitios web, comentarios en redes sociales y correos electrónicos. Puede ayudar a las empresas a entender lo que los clientes quieren e identificar áreas de mejora o una respuesta atenta.

• Analítica predictiva: La IA también es ideal para hacer predicciones basadas en muchos puntos de datos, por lo que puede ayudar a los equipos de servicio al cliente a anticipar el comportamiento del cliente, como cuándo es probable que realicen una compra o necesiten asistencia. Podrías usar analítica predictiva para hacer sugerencias a un cliente, como un producto relacionado, o identificar un posible aumento en las solicitudes de soporte para que puedas aumentar el personal.

• Automatización de tareas: Con un flujo de trabajo automatizado, las herramientas de IA pueden agilizar procesos repetitivos y que consumen tiempo, como la entrada de datos y la asignación de tickets. En lugar de trabajar en estas tareas, tu personal puede centrarse en interacciones más complejas y de alto valor que requieren el toque humano.

La inteligencia artificial está transformando los centros de contacto, y las posibilidades solo crecerán a medida que la tecnología de IA evolucione. Ya hemos visto cambios tecnológicos dramáticos a medida que los desarrolladores perfeccionan modelos de IA para diferentes tareas.

Ventajas de la IA en el soporte al cliente

Las ventajas y desventajas de la inteligencia artificial en entornos de servicio al cliente también están evolucionando junto con la tecnología misma. Por ejemplo, los chatbots han hecho grandes avances en mostrar empatía, reduciendo el riesgo de experiencias desagradables para los clientes.

Algunas de las ventajas de la IA en el soporte al cliente incluyen:

Eficiencia y gestión de recursos

Como en muchas industrias, la IA es un ahorro de tiempo significativo. Al eliminar tareas como ingresar datos y responder preguntas repetitivas, el servicio al cliente basado en IA puede reducir la carga de trabajo para los representantes y minimizar los retrasos en el procesamiento. Los clientes también se benefician de una mayor velocidad, particularmente al interactuar con chatbots que pueden ayudar de inmediato.

Escalabilidad simple

En un mercado laboral volátil, agilizar los requisitos de personal puede ayudar a los equipos de servicio a mantenerse flexibles. Supongamos que tu negocio crece rápidamente o experimentas variaciones estacionales. En ese caso, las herramientas de soporte al cliente basadas en IA y la automatización te permiten pivotar sin requisitos de personal complicados y que consumen tiempo, como la contratación, la capacitación y la gestión de beneficios.

Personalización

El servicio al cliente personalizado es esencial para muchas empresas, pero ofrecer un alto nivel de atención es difícil con muchos clientes, especialmente cuando cada uno utiliza numerosos canales para interactuar con tu marca. La IA facilita una personalización extrema. Puede:

• Evaluar muchos puntos de contacto para crear perfiles de clientes precisos.

• Hacer predicciones sobre el comportamiento o las necesidades de los clientes.

• Proporcionar a los agentes los detalles más relevantes para ayudar a los clientes de manera más efectiva.

• Incorporar detalles del cliente, como compras anteriores o datos de seguimiento de pedidos, en las conversaciones de los chatbots.

Desventajas del servicio al cliente basado en IA

Incorporar inteligencia artificial y servicio al cliente ha tenido sus desafíos, particularmente para las interacciones con chatbots. Afortunadamente, la tecnología está evolucionando rápidamente para abordar estas desventajas.

Falta de inteligencia emocional

Una de las mayores barreras para implementar chatbots es la preferencia del consumidor. La mayoría de los clientes prefieren trabajar con humanos que con chatbots, generalmente debido a su capacidad para ser empáticos y comprensivos, fomentar relaciones y abordar problemas más complejos.

La IA no siempre ha podido replicar estos comportamientos, pero los modelos de aprendizaje de lenguaje como ChatGPT han hecho grandes avances. Aparte de los chatbots, muchos otros usos de la IA pueden ofrecer beneficios sin conversaciones orientadas al cliente.

Problemas con la complejidad

Another common problem with AI is its ability to handle complex problems. Our survey found that almost 30% of U.S. respondents blamed being unable to reach a human agent as the source of their disappointment with a brand. Humans can use more problem-solving and critical-thinking capabilities to solve difficult problems in ways that AI is still learning to do.

While consumers typically prefer human agents, several variables impact their perceptions, such as the quality of the service provided. For example, when bots provided significantly faster yet accurate service, they scored higher than humans on satisfaction ratings. The study’s researchers suggest using chatbots where they clearly outperform humans, usually with simpler and narrowly defined tasks.

Data Privacy

Respondents also expressed serious concerns about the privacy of their information. While companies have taken bold initiatives to harness data through smart analytics for business intelligence, there have also been notorious cases of data breaches and corporate negligence as by-products. It is no wonder that consumers have justified concerns surrounding data security on their minds.

Over half the respondents to our survey were unsure or not confident about the safety of their data. They also wanted more transparency about how their data is used. For organizations, these concerns pose an immediate challenge of perception, where consumers feel fearful of having their data exposed and exploited. Enterprises must address these concerns by ensuring a robust data management strategy outlining how data is guarded.

Will AI Replace Customer Support?

Many wonder if AI will replace call center agents and other team members, but the research and trends point to a complementary approach. The human touch will always be necessary, bringing complex problem-solving, emotional connections and oversight to the experience. However, AI offers perks like speed and availability. The challenge for businesses is to combine them effectively and get the best of both worlds.

To go deeper into this issue, we asked some of the leading minds in the field of customer experience (CX) to share their reactions to the results and their insights on what the future holds at the convergence of technology and customer service. Our 2018 survey results indicated that consumers prefer human interactions over communicating with chatbots, under certain circumstances. While more than half the respondents agreed that chatbots ensure faster responses to service requests, they were not well equipped to deal with complex or unusual issues.

“I’m not surprised by the results at all,” said Adrian Swinscoe, independent advisor, speaker and best-selling author on customer experience consulting. “Customers have been telling brands for at least a couple of years now that they value the human touch or that they are regularly frustrated by their inability to speak to a real person when they encounter a problem that needs resolving.”

We still see significant variation in consumers’ comfort levels with AI across different use cases. People are often more comfortable using AI for tasks like ordering food and drinks or returning items than making investment decisions or accessing medical advice.

Finding Balance

Emphasizing the customer experience within AI initiatives is crucial, especially when you need to send a customer to an agent instead of having an AI bot forge ahead. For instance, customer service cases in health care are often complex and contain extremely personal and private details. So, when a customer has to deal with a bot incapable of offering empathy, patience and the information necessary and that only directs them to the FAQ, customer satisfaction can plummet.

Similarly, when organizations fail to unify their data from customers, customers often feel annoyed at having to repeat all their details to a human agent after having painstakingly typed it up in a chatbot interface. This failure to centralize customer service information in the backend leads to scenarios where customers are frustrated with extra effort resulting in a negative experience.

This repetition of effort is wearisome for the customer and wasteful from an organizational perspective. For businesses, the key to achieving successful solutions isn’t simply one of pure speed but also the overall experience they offer a customer, which can be vastly improved through a connected and channel-less experience.

“Speedy resolution is apparently the universal goal,” says Lynn Hunsaker, Chief Customer Officer at ClearAction Continuum. “Technologies will likely become ‘smarter’ and faster over time, and one of the keys to consumer adoption will be prevention of repetitive statements as one of the most exasperating aspects of customer service.”

The Future of AI and Customer Service

With these nuanced requirements, how can businesses merge AI in customer service environments? A thoughtful, well-crafted plan is essential for identifying where to use AI and how to integrate it with your workplace.

Creating a Smooth Transition

While AI has become a major tool in helping companies relate to their customers and boost CX, the report clearly shows a gulf in how various age groups react to this technology within the customer service paradigm.

In our 2018 survey, we found that 60% of U.S. respondents aged 35-44 years stated that companies are not transitioning to chatbots smoothly. The higher aged segments, constituted of Baby Boomers and Gen Xers, have their own reservations regarding this trend as well, believing that younger consumers may be adapting to this transformation better than them.

Overall, the report exhibited a general consensus that the shift towards chatbots was a case of “too much, too soon,” especially since most consumers are still accustomed to interacting with humans for resolutions and queries.

“Companies need to formulate a service and experience strategy that articulates what sort of service or experience they want to offer. Most don’t,” added Adrian. “However, doing so would help them decide what level of technology vs. human touch they should be applying across different parts of the customers’ journey and, also, how that should change for different types of customers.”

Age differences also affect AI acceptance. Older generations still seem hesitant, while Gen Zers show particular interest in AI tools and features.

Maintaining the Human Touch

While respondents seemed divided on the bot vs. man debate, nearly 75% of respondents to our 2018 survey agreed on one point: The idea of paying more to have human customer support agents is absurd. For modern consumers, the notion of human contact in customer service is self-evident and expected. And any attempt to charge them extra for this service would be widely unpopular and could elicit a major backlash.

Industry experts believe that while technology is a key driver of customer strategies, it is important for companies not to rush such evolutions against the will of their customer base. “Change takes time for people to embrace, commensurate with the gap between established, comfortable habits and a new thing,” added Lynn. “This study’s findings by age group underscore the need to understand and cater to various customer groups’ circumstances.”

Incorporating the human touch should also include transparency. Our 2020 survey showed that almost half of consumers wanted more transparency about how to get help from a human. In some situations, people even respond better to bots when companies are upfront about them — one study found that disclosing a chatbot’s identity as a bot made people more accepting of mistakes and promoted customer retention. Being transparent about AI and simplifying agent access are often essential elements of AI customer service.

Effective Digital Transformation

Technological transitions have to be seamless and in harmony with customer expectations if they are to be successful. A rapid transition may create short-term efficiencies and cost savings, but it can also put consumers off the brand. Any gains in ROI could be eaten up by repeat customer interactions and lower customer experience scores.

If an organization is truly primed to deploy new technology, then one of its primary steps needs to be in training people on how to use that technology effectively. Human agents must be taught the strengths and weaknesses of these new tools, and learn how to use technology to the best benefit of the customer service process. Despite how “smart” chatbots are or may get in the future, there will always be issues that are too complex, specific or sensitive for them to resolve.

It is, therefore, important that organizations realize, that when it comes to situations that require nuance and sensitivity, no one does it better than a real, live human being. And, while it may be tempting to manage the rising demand of customer service through automation, organizations need to ensure that consumers have easy and quick access to human agents who can step in to help.

Adrian adds, “Consumer preferences for customer service will change as the demographic ages and the level of digital maturity of customers increase. However, even digital natives want to speak to a human being when things get complicated. The assumptions that many brands make about what customers want are often wrong and they would do well to examine and test the assumptions that they are making.”

Ultimately, whether it’s a human or a bot, knowing the relevant details about a consumer enables organizations to serve them better and offer them solutions that work. For enterprises, this boils down to balancing their focus on the needs of digital transformation and the preferences of the consumer.

Organizations must ensure that their customers’ data security is never compromised as they gradually adapt to normalize chatbot technology within the customer service domain. Striking the right balance between personalization, data security and digital transformation is the key to a sustainable customer experience.

Technical Future-Proofing

As new technologies such as augmented reality (AR) and virtual reality (VR) bring the next wave of disruption to how we provide customer service, certain inherent truths will remain a constant.

Lynn offers a neat summary: “To provide exceptional customer service (i.e., maximize retention and lifetime value), companies should: (1) make it easy for consumers to choose the service mode they prefer; (2) minimize time lags and repetitive requests in every mode; and (3) most importantly, emphasize ownership of service issues by the management disciplines that originated the issues, in a wholehearted quest to better align the business with consumer expectations, anticipate consumers’ realities and reactions and prevent unnecessary burden on customer-facing roles and customers.”

Applying these rules to any new process or technology should help keep your organization focused on what’s most important: your customers.

Integrating AI and Customer Service With CGS

CGS is a global provider of enterprise learning, outsourcing services and business applications. You can read the full 2020 CGS customer service preferences report to discover more insights on consumer preferences for customer service engagements.

Since 1984, CGS has helped regional businesses, global enterprises and government agencies improve organization performance. CGS focuses on building comprehensive solutions to meet our clients’ complex needs and support their foundational operations.

With sophisticated AI and customer support services, our team is uniquely prepared to help businesses create an effective hybrid approach. Learn more about our services, or contact us to talk to a team member about a customer service and AI solution.