There is always a gap between the ideal and the reality of AI customer service. Of course, we want AI customer service to be a little more "smart". But until then, companies shouldn't rely too much on AI customer service, and should give consumers an extra option.
The attitude is polite, but the answer is not what is asked; express understanding, but do not mention solutions; I'm always sorry, but I can't transfer the manual ......Recently, "AI customer service 'crazy' customers" has once again attracted attention, and many consumers are deeply troubled by a series of "slots" such as AI customer service mechanical replies, "nesting dolls" like rhetoric, and manual customer service that always queues up: Who is convenient for AI customer service?
In recent years, with the rapid adoption of emerging technologies, more and more merchants have introduced artificial intelligence in customer service. From daily online shopping, sending and receiving express delivery, booking and traveling, to financial account opening, investment evaluation, and insurance claims, AI customer service has been widely used in all walks of life. According to the data, AI customer service applications have reached 84% in the field of retail e-commerce, 79% in the field of tourism and travel, and the penetration rate in the fields of government affairs, education, operators, entertainment and media has exceeded half. According to the "2023 China Intelligent Customer Service Market Report", the scale of China's intelligent customer service market has reached 66 in 2022800 million yuan, and it is expected that by 2027, the market size is expected to grow to 181300 million yuan.
Cost reduction, convenience and efficiency are important factors for AI customer service to be favored. Compared with manual customer service, AI customer service can maintain 24-hour ** service, respond to customer needs anytime, anywhere, and are not constrained by time and space. Especially during peak hours, AI customer service can quickly screen and triage problems with technologies such as voice recognition and machine learning, and process a large number of requests in a short period of time, providing users with more accurate, fast, and personalized services, thereby improving service efficiency and optimizing consumer experience.
The advantages of AI customer service are obvious, but there is always a gap between the ideal and the reality. AI customer service will only reply according to keywords, but cannot give targeted solutions; It is difficult to perceive changes in tone and emotion, easy to misunderstand customer needs, and lack of humanistic care. In addition, the transfer of manual customer service encounters various obstacles, resulting in a significant reduction in the consumer experience. In short, relying too much on AI customer service not only fails to effectively solve problems, but may cause communication barriers between merchants and consumers, and even escalate small problems into major conflicts.
In this regard, we certainly hope that AI customer service can be more "smart". By strengthening technology R&D and innovation, continuous optimization and iteration, and establishing feedback mechanisms, we will improve the intelligence level of AI customer service, help AI customer service better understand complex problems, and meet the diverse needs of users.
However, until AI customer service becomes "smarter", companies should not rely too much on AI customer service, but should give consumers one more option. While AI agents excel at handling basic needs and standardizing services, they struggle to meet the needs of emotional understanding and personalized care. Customer service is an important way for businesses to establish an emotional connection with consumers and enhance brand loyalty. Enterprises should reasonably configure manual customer service and AI customer service, and design a convenient channel to switch between the two to facilitate user feedback on their demands. If we only consider cost and efficiency, replace "solution" with "response", and do not pay attention to the actual experience of users, it is tantamount to ignoring the rights and interests of consumers and cutting off the bridge of communication with users.
With the continuous expansion of the boundaries of intelligent customer service application scenarios, in the face of the phenomenon of excessive "AI" customer service of some enterprises, relevant departments should also strengthen supervision to prevent enterprises from using AI customer service to evade responsibilities and obligations, and effectively safeguard the legitimate rights and interests of consumers. (Author: Kang Qiongyan **Economy**).