With the shift from usual brick-and-mortar stores to online avenues, a significant change has occurred in how customer support is handled. After the inception of customer support call centres in the 1960s, they became a popular way for businesses to reach out to clients and potential customers. These call centres were set up to handle inquiries and deliver customer care support for organisations. Some companies also established internal and offshore call centre operations so customers could receive support 24/7.
The arrival of the internet and smartphone technologies have revolutionised technical customer support on a whole new level. From omnichannel user experience to the deployment of chatbots, technology has impacted every aspect of customer experience. With the birth of social media, the customer service industry has further evolved into something more significant; companies are targeting these platforms to engage followers in meaningful conversations. Messenger chatbots are also finding their way into customer service channels to provide immediate assistance to customers by giving automated responses to frequently asked questions. There is so much personal data available about customers these days that CRM software help in tracking that data and understanding the pain points for the customers and accordingly suggesting the solution for the customer service representative.
Predictive customer analytics is transforming customer service to be proactive and personalised. It helps businesses in making more informed decisions that impact significant growth. Customers expect intuitive and interactive interactions in today’s fast-paced world. Enterprises have started incorporating voice recognition, AI, and machine learning to build conversational IVR (Interactive Voice Response), enabling more personalised and human-like conversations. Companies can implement IVR services to enhance customer experience, as they are integrated with other support systems for faster response time, workflow management, and improved agent productivity. Chatbot implementation has already made waves in customer service. AI-driven customer service chatbots can independently resolve queries and issues and utilise machine learning to grow more intelligent. In customer service, AI-based tools, like ChatGPT, can simplify many repetitive tasks. With ChatGPT’s large language model, customer service can be improved by 70%, courtesy of its ability to answer questions that aren’t straightforward. ChatGPT is a conversational bot that understands the customer’s intent before delivering a solution.
AI is crucial in enhancing the customer service experience, from providing instant support chatbots to personalising the customer experience. It is transforming the way technical customer service is delivered.