Nothing is real anymore and that is true for customer service…chatbot systems handle your needs, or rather don’t so, it stands to reason that Facebook is about to buy Kustomer for just a mere $1 Billion. Once the transaction is completed, Mark Zuckerberg will have yet another excuse to offer when questioned in congressional hearings.
Customers have high expectations when it comes to the level of service they demand from brands. While the American Express Customer Service Barometer found that Americans are willing to spend up to 17% more on businesses with excellent customer service, the top reason most customers switch products or services is because they feel unappreciated by the brand. In fact, 33% of Americans are inclined to switch to a different company after a bad experience.
Unfortunately for companies, the cost of human support is high. Introducing artificial intelligence (AI) into operations is one way companies can control costs while improving their service abilities and maintaining the human touch that makes customers feel appreciated and valued.
What Is AI Customer Service?
While AI and machine learning may at first appear to threaten the customer service industry, they actually have the power to make customer service agents’ jobs less time-consuming and more fulfilling.
Integrated AI can instantaneously retrieve the data an agent needs, while the agent or support team deals directly with the human side of customer service. This eliminates the need for human agents to run multiple systems simultaneously to address customer inquiries. Rather than employ agents to work 24/7 in a call center, AI can be used to field and classify calls and messages so human agents are then able to work more reasonable shifts with increased efficiency and reduced physical and mental stress.
Through intuitive machine learning that constantly works to improve itself, AI allows companies to be present to the very best of their abilities along every step of the customer journey.
How Are AI and Machine Learning Being Used in Customer Service?
There are plenty of reasons why AI and automation should be loved, especially when it comes to customer service capabilities. Here are a few ways the technology is already being used:
Chatbots
Everyone has had the experience of needing a simple question answered by a brand, only to dread having to jump through customer service hoops just to get someone on the phone who may or may not have the answer. Conversational chatbots can make these conversations more seamless. Not only do conversational platforms help cut costs, they also can help your customer service scale and enable your agents to have more meaningful and productive conversations. By using chatbots to aid your live chat operations, your business will be able to engage customers in real time without the need for an around-the-clock staff.
Amazon, for instance, uses chatbots that leverage the data the company collects on all of its customers and their past orders. By allowing chatbots to access information about the customer’s past preferences, you can have the chatbot interact with customers up to the point where an agent is needed. Once the conversation is transferred to an agent, they can pick up where the chatbot left off. More here.
(Reuters) – Facebook Inc said on Monday it would buy customer service startup Kustomer, as the world’s largest social network adds tools to attract more sellers to its platforms.
Kustomer allows businesses to aggregate customer conversations from multiple channels into a single-screen, and also to automate some of the responses to prospective buyers. The New York-based firm already has its services integrated on Facebook Messenger and Instagram.
The deal will also enable Facebook to scale up its WhatsApp Business service, as more companies flock to the instant messaging app to answer customer queries during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Financial details of the deal were not disclosed.
The Wall Street Journal, which first reported about a likely acquisition, said the transaction valued Kustomer at $1 billion.
Facebook has doubled down on its e-commerce push, betting that it would help generate fresh ad revenue as user growth slows.
Earlier this year, it launched Shops, a service that allows businesses to display and sell products across Facebook’s platforms.
