AI-powered Answer Engine | Customer Service | Splore

4 Effective Ways to Boost AI Customer Experience

Written by Vihang Patel | May 6, 2024

According to a report from Global News Wire, the global customer experience (CX) management market is estimated to reach USD 11.4 billion in 2023. Furthermore, analysts project the market to grow 12.2% annually until 2028, reaching USD 20.4 billion.

Another report from Accenture also shows that companies that view customer service as a value center (as opposed to a cost center) see 3.5x revenue growth.

Irrespective of the positive stats, there is a flip side with implications and consequences. 

  • The Emplifi report shows that 86% of consumers would leave a brand after as few as two poor experiences. 
  • Emplifi research shows that 49% of consumers have left a brand in the past year due to poor customer experience.

AI-driven customer service tools, like chatbots and virtual assistants, are transforming how companies interact with their clients, offering personalized and efficient support 24/7. These systems streamline operations and provide insights into customer preferences and behavior.  

This blog will guide you in enhancing customer experience with smart answers. Continue reading!

How AI is Redefining Customer Experience?

Customer expectations have skyrocketed in the digital age. Customers always expect personalized services and want their queries to be solved instantly. 

However, delivering exceptional customer experience can be a challenge for businesses. This is where AI customer experience has become a game-changer. From predicting customer behavior to natural language processing & generative AI, technology improves every part of the customer experience, making customers happier and more loyal.

Let us look at some reasons why AI customer experience is revolutionary:

1. Scaling Support 

Traditional support models often experience high ticket volumes, whereas AI answer engines are scalable. It can handle most common customer inquiries, letting human agents focus on complex issues and building strong customer relationships.

2. 24/7 Availability 

Customers expect answers on their own time. AI offers support, ensuring customers receive assistance regardless of the time zone. This eliminates frustrating wait times and encourages customer satisfaction.

3. Personalized Interactions at Scale 

AI answers can be trained on vast data sets, personalizing responses based on customer history, purchase behavior, and even sentiment. This creates a more engaging and relevant experience for each customer.

4. Accuracy and Consistency Every Time 

Inconsistent information across channels can damage trust. AI answer analyzes various amounts of data to provide accurate and up-to-date information across all touchpoints consistently.

Also read: The Psychology Behind Customer Engagement: How AI Can tap into Customer Needs.

Benefits of Using AI Answer Engine for Customer Experience

AI and customer satisfaction are closely linked, as AI answer engines enhance customer satisfaction by delivering fast and efficient service. These smart-systems can answer common questions, provide product details, and help users with troubleshooting procedures.

Let us learn the top four benefits of using an AI answer engine for customer experience:

1. Boost Customer Satisfaction and Loyalty

AI improves customer satisfaction by providing accurate and personalized support, which can increase loyalty and brand advocacy. 

2. Revolutionize Resolution Times and Efficiency 

It can handle many routine inquiries, and human agents can focus on complex issues. This translates to faster resolution times and a more efficient customer service operation.

3. Reduce Support Costs 

AI Answers can reduce the customer service team's workload by distracting tickets and automating tasks. This refers to lower operational costs and improved resource allocation.

4. Unlock 24/7 Customer Service Availability 

Unlike human agents, AI Answers are available 24/7. This ensures customers receive prompt assistance regardless of the time zone, fostering global customer satisfaction.

Also read: Splore vs. Traditional Search: Why Choose an AI-powered Answer Engine?

How to Develop Top-Notch AI Answer Strategies for CX?

Crafting exceptional AI answer strategies for customer experience requires combining technology, empathy, and strategic planning. The key is to define your goals and tailor your AI solution accordingly. Here are some steps to consider:

1. Define Your Goals for AI Answer Engine

  • Volume of Tickets: Are you aiming to reduce the volume of tickets reaching your human agents by using AI to handle routine inquiries and troubleshooting steps?
  • Solving Problems: Do you want to resolve specific customer issues like password resets or order tracking?
  • Providing Product Recommendations: Is your goal to leverage AI to provide product recommendations based on customer purchase browsing behavior, boosting sales and customer satisfaction?
  • Improving First Contact Resolution: Can AI Answers empower your human agents by providing relevant information and support during the initial customer interaction, leading to faster resolution times?

This ensures they provide the support and information your customers need most, ultimately leading to a more positive and productive customer experience.

2. Train your Answer Engine

Remember, AI is only as good as the data it's fed. Here's how to ensure that AI receives high-quality data for optimal performance:

  • Leverage Existing Resources 

AI in customer service can leverage existing data such as tickets, chat transcripts, and FAQs to identify commonly asked questions, pain points, and successful resolutions, which will form the foundation for your training data set.

  • Focus on Real Customer Queries 

Don't rely on generic or hypothetical questions. Instead, prioritize real-world inquiries that customers ask. This ensures that AI meets the specific needs and language used by the audience.

  • Incorporate Various Examples 

Make sure to limit your training data to straightforward questions. Include a variety of scenarios, including misspelled terms, ambiguous phrasing, and even frustrated language. This equips AI to handle real-world customer interactions with greater accuracy.

3. Focus on Clarity and Accuracy for AI Answer Engine

Having established goals and trained AI, the next focus is on the quality of the AI answer engine. Here's why clarity and accuracy are essential:

  • Clarity is King 

Try to use clear, concise, and easy-to-understand language for AI answers. Avoid technical jargon or complex sentence structures. Remember, AI should communicate with a diverse audience, so prioritize readability.

  • Informative and Actionable 

AI should be more than a statement. AI answers should be informative and provide customers with actionable steps to resolve their issues or achieve their goals. This involves guiding them through critical steps, suggesting relevant resources, or offering product recommendations.

  • Maintaining Brand Voice 

Ensure AI aligns with your brand voice. This means using consistent language, tone, and personality across all customer interactions. This builds trust and fosters a more positive brand perception.

4. Continuously Monitor and Improve AI Performance

To craft exceptional AI answer strategies for customer experience, it’s crucial to monitor AI performance and make improvements as needed. Review AI interactions regularly, gather feedback, and adjust the system to address any issues or gaps. 

These are some reasons why it’s crucial:

  • Ensure Accuracy: 

Regular checks help keep responses accurate and relevant.

  • Adapt to Changes: 

Continual updates help the AI adapt to evolving customer needs and language.

  • Enhance Experience: 

Monitoring improves the overall AI customer experience by making sure it meets customer expectations effectively.

What Are the Challenges Customers Face Without AI?

The impact of AI on customer service is profound, transforming it into a more efficient and personalized experience, much like solving a complex puzzle. AI is more than responding to queries and solving problems. It is also about understanding and connecting with customers for the future. The challenges customers encounter without AI include:

  • Resource Overload

The support team is responsible for customer satisfaction but can not rely on the given resources. This directly affects the time spent and frustrates customers. 

  • Inconsistent Information 

Customers may find conflicting information across different channels (website, email, phone) or from various support agents. This creates confusion and undermines trust in your brand.

  • Lack of Personalization 

Generic responses need to address individual customer needs. Understanding the customer context and tailoring solutions is crucial.

  • 24/7 Availability 

Customers expect immediate answers, even outside of business hours. Maintaining consistent support across time zones can be a logistical nightmare.

  • Complex Queries 

As products and services become more complex, customers may have questions that require in-depth knowledge, and traditional support models may need help to keep pace.

  • Poor Customer Service

Companies that don’t understand AI might miss out on using tools like chatbots and virtual assistants, leading to worse customer service and unhappy customers.

Current Limitations of Existing AI Platforms/ Tools

While AI offers possibilities for enhancing customer experience, it's crucial to acknowledge its current limitations. Let’s dive deep into the roadblocks to ensure realistic expectations and maximize the impact of AI customer experience.

1. Lack of True Understanding 

AI often has trouble understanding the bigger picture. It’s great at looking at individual pieces of data, but it can struggle with subtle connections and complex relationships that people easily understand. This becomes especially important in high-stakes decisions.

2. Bias in the Machine  

AI systems are trained on existing data sets, which leads to inherent biases. These biases can then be reflected in the AI's responses, potentially leading to discriminatory or unfair treatment of customers.

3. Creativity Constraints  

While AI can be fantastic at following established rules and procedures, it needs to be more creative in other areas. Thus, AI might need help with novel situations or crafting unique solutions beyond pre-defined parameters.

Despite these limitations, AI remains a powerful tool with immense potential to revolutionize customer experience. By acknowledging these roadblocks, we can develop responsible and effective AI strategies that augment, rather than replace, human interaction.

Answer Engines - The Latest AI for CX

Keeping up with evolving customer demands can be overwhelming in today's information age. 

One of the most effective ways to enhance the experience is by utilizing AI-driven solutions, particularly AI answer engines. Here is how AI answers can transform your customer interactions: 

  • Instant response times
  • Personalization
  • 24/7 availability
  • Scalability
  • Proactive engagement
  • Data-driven  

AI answers continuously learn from interactions, becoming more intelligent and efficient. This ability allows businesses to offer highly personalized responses, catering to individual customer needs and preferences.

Splore - The Best AI Answer Engine for Businesses

Splore is a cutting-edge AI answer engine designed to provide precise and relevant answers, making information retrieval faster and more efficient. It enhances traditional search by offering direct solutions and expert-level insights.

Here’s why Splore stands out:

  • Super-Smart & Always Learning: Splore continually boosts its accuracy and knowledge, acting like a team of experts to deliver top-notch answers.
  • Scalable to Your Needs: Its adaptable system evolves with your business, handling growing volumes of questions effortlessly.
  • Direct and Clear Answers: Splore provides straightforward answers instead of just search results, saving you time and reducing frustration.

Experience the difference with Splore today—your expert for instant, reliable answers!

Conclusion

AI has revolutionized customer experience by providing faster, more personalized, and efficient support. By leveraging smart answer engines, businesses can enhance interactions, boost satisfaction, and streamline operations. While there are challenges, the benefits of AI in improving customer service are substantial. Embracing these advanced technologies can help your company stay ahead of the competition and meet evolving customer expectations. 

Discover how Splore's advanced answer engine can streamline your workflow and provide instant, accurate information. Book a free demo now!