Why Conversational AI in Your Customer Service Matter in 2022

Only the best customer support can survive in an era of changing customer preferences, omnichannel support systems, and fierce competition. That said, it’s neither easy nor straightforward. One slip in handling a customer can cause a trickle-down impact on business. One unhappy customer can reach many others and pull revenues down. Research shows that 91% of customers with a poor customer service experience leave without warning. Customer support is neither a backend job nor is it only about answering questions. It is anything and everything a Brand does to meet and beat its customers’ expectations.

Customer support teams are under constant pressure to create a satisfactory customer experience. It demands patience, intelligence, presence of mind, attention to detail, and 100% availability from them. This means that organizations need a creative and intelligent strategy that considers both the tangible and intangible factors to help their customer service teams deliver a satisfactory customer experience.

Top Customer Service Challenges

1. Managing customer expectations

Gaining happy customers demand a great deal of effort and time. Each customer is unique and comes with his or her own set of needs and preferences. In a fiercely competitive market, standing with the right product at the right time at your customer’s doorstep is ideal. The point is that it is wise to stay consistent in always exceeding customers’ expectations.

2. Managing not so happy customers

Customers can take offense for reasons that are and are not under your direct control. It helps to stay empathetic and aim to arrive at a solution as soon as possible. Remember, one unhappy customer can spread the bad word faster than you can manage.

3. Getting the Right Talent

Customer service is not everyone’s cup of tea. Some are better than the rest. Hiring and retaining the right kind of people in your customer service team can be challenging. Once the hiring is done, it is essential to train them in the culture, policies, practices, and everything that helps them deliver better customer service.

Here are some more from a report by CGS:

On to the Solution

One of the most major transformations in customer behavior has been adopting technology and how they use it in their buying decisions. And this is why the adoption of conversational AI has become a significant step for enterprises. Here’s why:

24×7 Availability, at Scale

No prizes for guessing this one. A conversational AI can take calls round the clock and in huge quantities. By helping customers when they need it, a business can operate in multiple time zones simultaneously and create happy experiences for them.

Omnichannel Customer Support

It is not uncommon to see a customer move through different channels to select one product. So whether they discover your product on Instagram, ask questions on WhatsApp, or purchase on your online store, you must be ready to make the journey smooth.

Security and Privacy

The exchange of data is a gesture of trust, and Brands must protect it at all costs. Conversational handles conversations and manages every piece of data with top-level adherence to the security and safety of customers.

Sharper understanding of consumer behavior and sentiments

Conversational AI can gather and interpret data for insights to help Brands understand their customers’ preferences and needs and even provide predictive behavior insights.

Personalization

This is, arguably, one of the top expectations of customers. It makes them feel understood and valued. Brands stand to gain when they remember each customer’s specific preferences, purchase behavior, birthdays, and other special occasions to deliver that touch of personalization. And this is possible with conversational AI.

Happier Customer Support Teams

A conversational AI tool takes away routine and repetitive tasks and lets customer support professionals focus on other priorities. It gives them insights to create better customer experiences.

In this post-pandemic era, enterprises are going the extra mile to stay ahead of the competition curve and mitigate threats to their business. However, having gone through a sudden, unexpected, and difficult phase struck by the COVID-19 pandemic, they are more sensitive to uncertainties. Conversational AI is a proven technology support system that helps them reach a broader, bigger audience at the latter’s convenience and preferences.

Are you ready to use Conversational AI for all or some of your customer service-related issues? Would you be interested in seeing how we can help push that button to increase your customer satisfaction score and retention rate?