Generative AI on customer service: Scaling support while keeping it human
NEW JERSEY, UNITED STATES — Generative AI is transforming customer service, providing unrivaled scalability and customization, while maintaining a human connection.
Priya Vijayarajendranb wrote in her published article in Forbes that as per a Mckinsey report, contact centers deals are estimated at 60% and can reach up to 80% turnover annually and unpredictable demand.
Breaking the cost-capacity tradeoff in contact centers
Contact centers have long had their fingers burned by the challenges of maintaining customer demand in contrast to scarce resources, equipment, which is often outdated, and high turnover among agents.
This has led to a lack of confidence in the level of service, dissatisfied customers, and inefficiency in operations. Generative AI is reshaping this connection by automating activities on a scale and with a precision level that allows human agents to intervene in more complex issues.
By managing mundane requests, AI frees up this capacity and is referred to as net-new capacity. Since businesses can scale their support without incurring additional costs, AI provides the capacity to grow their support wholly and entirely at no marginal cost.
Maintaining human touch in AI-driven support
Simultaneously, as the area of AI rapidly enters society, companies cannot afford to lose their soul and branded voice, providing customers with a top-notch client experience.
Artificial intelligence can be trained to replicate agents of any company; however, human control remains necessary especially in areas where emotional and empathic context is essential and judgment calls require nuanced decisions.
Vijayarajendranb says that agents are not only reactors anymore, but they are also AI trainers, polishing the tone and decision-making.
The given hybrid model empowers customer relationships instead of eliminating human interaction. AI handles high-volume, low-variety tasks, whereas agents are assigned to strategic, high-value conversations.
Handling demand surges with real-time adaptability
Vijayarajendranb notes that generative AI, in turn, can be scaled easily because it processes millions of interactions in real-time without delays.
The trick is in the appropriate scaling; AI should be able to understand when it should defer to human agents in cases of issues that are beyond its knowledge or handling, such as those that are complex or those that concern emotional aspects.
This ensures superior service-level agreements (SLAs), fewer bottlenecks, and a consistent customer experience during peak demand. Businesses that previously overstaffed their employees to prevent service failures due to high volume can now easily eliminate this measure.
Impact on the customer service sector
Generative AI, if integrated by many, can reduce operational costs, improve response times, and enhance customer satisfaction across various industries.
To be successfully implemented, it should be properly balanced, and AI should supplement rather than substitute human judgment.
With technology constantly changing, firms that do not implement changes and trends may be left behind in a situation where there is a growing tendency to use AI in customer service.
The future belongs to the people who can effectively utilize the capabilities of AI without compromising the human touch that most customers wants.
