Can the alliance between the digital and the human be the future of customer interactions?

How the alliance between human and digital defines the future of customer interactions.

As we mentioned in one of our recent articles, the future of customer experience (CX) might be hidden in the increased use of AI within the workplace and processes.

The reality, however, is that balance is found exactly in the middle – human and AI. On one hand, AI can take away those mundane tasks from humans and allow them to focus on more creative, of added value, and collaborative work. On the other hand, humans can fine-tune the AI algorithm through feeding it more and more data and in the end obtain a machine that is so well trained it can even spot its own mistakes.

Apart from the algorithm becoming better day by day, AI can enhance the customer-brand relationship. Chatbots allow for customers to obtain immediate answers to their inquiries 24/7. By itself, AI is a great tool to provide customers with the immediate response or solution to their problem that they expect. However, it still lacks human ingenuity and real emotion. Many chatbots can be programmed to have enjoyable personalities, but humans still need to interfere to foster relationships, build trust, and provide compassionate services to consumers.

To make the most out of both speed and emotional connection, it is important that a business combines both AI and humans in its CX.

Let us look at two ways a collaboration between human and chatbot can benefit your business:

• More productivity: Technology can perform tasks at a large-scale and pace that humans just cannot keep up with. By delegating time-consuming and tedious tasks to AI, humans can enjoy more free time to focus on imaginative and cutting-edge business solutions.
• Better customer service: Chatbots can significantly improve the CX by offering swift, personalized interactions between your brand and individual consumers. If a customer needs more assistance – humans take over where the chatbot has left.

In most cases, customers are likely to engage with your brand in more than one place. They might opt to connect with the brand across the company’s website, app, social media channels, and customer service platform. By incorporating AI, a brand can help its business link all these channels seamlessly to create a rich omnichannel CX and interaction. This is possible due to establishing a sense that the brand’s individual channels such as – social media, email marketing, and support are unified and consistently functioning as one whole.

However, AI has not yet reached a level of perfection to be able to function by itself fully and sufficiently. This creates two problem areas:

1. Unforeseen outcomes – Since AI is an algorithm that knows solutions based on specific data and is constantly trained, it relies heavily on predictability. If there are too many unknowns, it will be difficult for AI to respond adequately.
2. Good data – As we mentioned before, AI needs constant ‘’feeding’’ of data to be well prepared when it comes to responding timely and satisfactory. The only way an AI algorithm will be able to learn, and handle unknowns is if the unknown factor repeats over time, gradually conditioning the AI.

Of course, these problem areas can easily be targeted and resolved through the gradual and constant feeding on data to the algorithm, making it better with time. Apart from training the algorithm, it is important for businesses to keep in mind that the human factor will always be a crucial part of success no matter how good the algorithm they employ is.

If you are looking for a partner to help you in providing great customer service to your clients, we are here to help you with that. Get in touch with us and begin your greatest CX today.