3 tips for implementing AI in customer service without compromising CX

Yes, artificial intelligence (AI) can free your agents from repetitive tasks and provide 24/7 support to your customers. But what happens when this technology makes mistakes? The idea of a bot interacting directly with your users without supervision still raises concerns.

In fact, research shows that 35% of businesses fear that AI could make mistakes that negatively impact the customer experience (CX).

Here’s the uncomfortable truth: AI isn’t perfect. But then again, are humans? Just as you trust your best agents, knowing that they might occasionally make a mistake, AI works on the same principle. The mistakes it makes aren’t due to its nature, but rather to unforeseen scenarios or a lack of continuous improvement.

However, AI has one undeniable advantage over humans: it’s far more consistent. It sticks to the guidelines you give it, it doesn’t get tired, it doesn’t go off script, it doesn’t improvise.

So the key question isn’t whether AI can make mistakes, but rather: “What can I do to make sure it doesn’t make mistakes that my best agents would never make?” Read on, because we’ve got the answers you need.

3 KEYS TO GETTING AI RIGHT

1. KEEP YOUR KNOWLEDGE BASE ORGANISED AND UP-TO-DATE

The challenge:

A bot that relies on disorganised or out-of-date information will not only provide incorrect answers, but may even “hallucinate” by making up details that don’t exist.

How to fix it:

• Develop a clear strategy outlining who is responsible for keeping the knowledge base up to date and how often it should be reviewed.
  Organise your information by separating similar processes, such as the steps for subscribing to and unsubscribing from a service, to avoid the bot mixing things up and confusing customers.
  Use an AI solution that flags conversations by satisfaction level, and assign someone from your team to review the bot’s responses in interactions flagged as “unsatisfactory”.

2. TRAIN YOUR BOT TO HANDLE MALICIOUS QUERIES

The challenge:

A bot that isn’t prepared to recognise requests that have nothing to do with your business, or attempts by hackers to exploit it for free services or products, puts your brand at risk.

How to fix it:

• Configure the bot to respond only within its area of knowledge. Irrelevant queries should be redirected to a human agent or met with clear responses such as: “Sorry, I can’t help with that.”
  Protect your brand by limiting the bot’s capabilities: don’t allow it to process payments, close sales or access sensitive data without supervision.
  Implement AI tools that label conversations by query type. Regularly review interactions in the “other” category to monitor how the bot handles unknown topics.

3. USE A BOT THAT UNDERSTANDS EMOTIONS

The challenge:

A bot that can’t detect a customer’s emotional tone could escalate a tense situation or mismanage a complex request, ultimately damaging the CX.

How to fix it:

• Make sure your bot uses natural language processing (NLP) algorithms to detect emotions such as frustration, urgency, or dissatisfaction in customer messages.
  Train your bot to distinguish between simple queries, such as FAQs, and complex issues that require human attention.
  Design a clear process for the bot to automatically escalate emotional or critical queries to a rep, letting the customer know that a specialist will be handling their case.

IS AI READY TO REPRESENT YOUR BRAND?

The answer is yes – but only if you take the time to implement it properly and focus on continuous improvement.

Even generic AI solutions marketed as “easy to implement” require time and effort. It’s important to define the bot’s purpose from the outset, tailor its tone of voice to reflect your brand identity, and test it thoroughly with malicious queries before deploying it on your channels.

This initial phase is essential to correct up to 90% of the bot’s potential errors. Bear in mind, however, that the remaining 10% can’t be identified and resolved until the system is live, as it’s simply impossible to predict every future scenario.

Remember, well-configured AI can reduce errors by 40%, but poorly implemented AI can damage not only your reputation, but also consumer trust in the technology as a whole.

So if you decide to invest in a bot, make sure you do it right. The AI you choose and how you manage it will reflect your commitment to your business, your customers and the future of technology.

READY TO TALK AI?