Providing an outstanding customer experience at every step of the customer journey is a must-do for any business looking to compete in today’s environment. After all, everyone benefits from a positive customer experience. Customers are more likely to return and engage with your brand when they feel understood and valued. Your business can reap the benefits of well-executed service, including customer satisfaction, retention, brand loyalty, and advocacy, to name a few. And let’s not forget your customer service team who can gain fulfillment when they know they are contributing to an improved customer experience and long-term business growth.
Right now, the bar is high for providing a stellar customer experience, with 81% of customers expecting brands to know them and 85% of consumers saying they would avoid a brand due to bad customer service. As a result, brands are increasingly reliant on their CX teams to elevate the overall customer experience. But not all brands are providing agents with the tools and solutions needed to deliver on this promise. So, how can businesses make it easier for CX teams to do their jobs efficiently and effectively?
Imagine what would happen if you invested more in enterprise knowledge sharing tools designed to put better and quicker knowledge into the hands of your CX team. And how much better and more powerful those tools could be if powered by AI. Just think about the applications for customer service organizations alone– from automating repetitive tasks to extracting insights from large amounts of customer data to providing customized recommendations for customers.
Knowledge sharing fueled by AI helps modern businesses access the robust data and insights required to create personalized, customer-aware experiences. With 83% of organizations saying that AI is a top priority, the good news is that more brands are making these tools a central focus of their CX strategy. But since all AI tools are not created equal, it’s important for brands to think carefully about the specific tools they choose to implement.
When you provide your CX team with tools that complement and enhance their role while making it easier and more efficient for them to do their jobs, customer service agents will welcome AI with open arms. In many instances, AI-driven tools may become their most valuable co-worker, especially when the tools can do the following:
85 percent of consumers avoid brands due to bad CX
KustomerBe Proactive. Rather than waiting for a customer to reach out with a question or an issue, modern customer service has become more proactive, using a mix of technology and human forward-thinking to anticipate the next step in the customer’s journey. Whether it’s communicating shipping delays or inventory issues in advance of the customer knowing about them or sharing relevant product updates based on a customer’s previous experiences, proactive customer support is designed to answer the customer’s questions or make a recommendation before they have the chance to ask.
The beauty of AI-powered CX tools is their ability to connect customer service agents with a wealth of customer data and insights that they can leverage to be proactive. This allows CX teams to stay in the driver’s seat, intentionally guiding the customer through their journey with your brand, and using AI as a co-pilot to navigate the twists and turns along the way.
Provide Context and Continuity. The last thing a customer wants to do is explain their issue to one customer service agent and then be asked to repeat that same conversation when engaging with a different agent, chatbot or channel. CX teams need the context and history of customer conversations at their fingertips so they can deliver a more seamless overall experience. AI-enhanced tools can summarize lengthy conversations for consumption and seamlessly transfer summaries between chatbots and agents or among agents to make it easier for agents to access the information needed for effective issue resolution.
Act Quickly. Customers hate long wait times, even when they know their agent is working in the background to help them. Frustration levels can mount quickly, leading to negative outcomes for customers and CX agents alike. Look for tools that empower agents with instant communication prompts driven by generative AI, which help agents address and resolve issues quickly.
Get Personal. CX teams are expected to engage in personalized conversations with their customers that go far beyond calling the customer by name. To do so, they need access to real-time customer data and insights– everything from behavior and sentiment to intentions and actions. The more personalized the information available, the easier it will be for your CX team to deliver the tailored experiences customers want, and in real-time. Taking it one step further, there are tools that can retrieve critical information, like VIP status, upcoming birthdays, and satisfaction ratings, and automatically apply the appropriate tone to the customer conversation.
Make Agents Look Good. Ultimately customer service agents want to do a good job and connect with customers in a meaningful way. AI-driven tools can lend a helping hand in boosting professionalism and efficiency. For example, AI can analyze processes and data to identify patterns and trends to eliminate bottlenecks and make agents’ jobs easier. Some tools can translate messages between agents and customers in a variety of languages to make it easier for agents to communicate with global audiences. Furthermore, there are tools that help enhance agent communications, for example, automatically expanding messages, making them concise, improving grammar and correct spelling for friendlier and more professional customer interactions.
The time has come to arm your front-line CX with the tools they need to boost their knowledge and productivity. Integrating AI into the arsenal of tools that your CX team has available not only helps them do their job better, but it can significantly enhance the relationship customers have with your business, increasing rates of efficiency and overall customer satisfaction while delivering tailored experiences at scale. Just remember that AI is not a replacement for your CX team; it performs best when working in tandem with human expertise and oversight. Encourage your agents to embrace AI as a supportive member of the CX team, and get ready to unlock new opportunities to surprise and delight your customers.