AI Customer Care: How To Get Started

Artificial intelligence has become a powerful tool that can help you stay ahead in an increasingly competitive digital market. In fact, AI customer care is becoming indispensable.

A recent Forbes survey reports that customer service is the primary way companies are using AI. How can you avoid getting left behind if you haven’t jumped on board yet?

This brief guide gives you all you need to get a good foothold into AI customer care.

Key Takeaways:

• AI customer care is vital for providing the highest level of customer service in the most cost-effective manner.
• Best practices for AI in customer care involve properly labeling and training the software on your data.
• You can quickly access and implement essential AI customer care features by using a robust cloud communications platform.

Why You Must Invest in AI Customer Care

AI customer care involves using artificial intelligence to automate or augment tasks for client service, support, and assistance. Common uses of AI in customer service include:

• Self-service options in digital communications
• Predictive analytics about customer activity
• Natural language processing for conversational interactions with AI agents

This elevated level of customer service builds brand loyalty from a strong customer base.

To some, AI might seem like a cold and robotic addition to your customer service tool kit. In reality, the extra attention it allows you to provide to customers lets you offer more personalized service than ever.

That’s because AI customer care tools cover mundane and routine operations. Then, your human agents and employees can concentrate on relationship-building interactions with clients. Team members also have more time to solve complex problems that machines can’t handle.

All of these benefits translate into happier customers and more engaged employees. That results in cost savings, increased revenue, and a stronger brand presence.

The Importance of Having the Right Communications Platform

The only way to ensure your organization has cohesive AI-powered customer service is by using the right cloud communications software. Whether as a unified communications or contact center as a service platform, cloud-based functionality lets you easily employ AI customer care for your whole team. That includes those in remote and hybrid environments.

Also, your managers and supervisors have a full view of how the team is using AI to improve its performance. The good news is that the top UCaaS and CCaaS platforms (such as Intermedia Unite and Contact Center) already have AI features.

A Few AI Customer Care Best Practices

Effectively deploying AI customer care is about more than having a system with AI functionalities. You can’t just turn on the tools and expect them to start delivering excellent service.

As with your human agents, you need to equip and train AI properly. Apply the following best practices.

Effectively deploying AI customer care is about more than having a system with AI functionalities. You can’t just turn on the tools and expect them to start delivering excellent service.

As with your human agents, you need to equip and train AI properly. Apply the following best practices.

Structure and Label Data

Just as you empower your employees with knowledge, you must train your AI with clear and accurate data. Organize important information, such as your products, customer demographics, and purchase history, into a data management system to give your AI something to work with.

Create Support-Specific Intents

Determine which queries and subjects your customers contact you about most (for example, order status, shipping information, or technical support.) Then, design routines for the AI to follow to address these customer intents.

Integrate Your AI Into Workflows

You’ll need to train your staff to get the most from your AI customer care features. Ensure each team member is using AI to the full for decision-making and data collection.

Test and Update the System

Get agent feedback on the effectiveness of AI tools. Utilize built-in monitoring to review agent performance and customer satisfaction.

Verify System Security and Compliance

Additionally, ensure your platform maintains the highest security and privacy standards. You don’t want to use software that stores your information in a public database that it shares with those outside of your company.

Fortunately, an intelligent solution such as Intermedia’s SPARK AI keeps your proprietary data secure within the digital firewalls of your organization.

5 AI Customer Care Features To Start With

The number of ways you can use AI is endless. Instead of getting overwhelmed, start with a few key AI customer care features nearly every company needs.

1. Auto Attendants and Interactive Voice Response

Give customers the convenient option of self-service with advanced virtual phone attendants that can respond to conversational interactions. An administrative dashboard makes setting up interactive voice response menus easier than ever.

2. Intelligent Routing

AI makes sure calls get to the correct agent on the initial interaction. Whether you need to segment and forward incoming calls by language, location, query, or urgency, AI can handle intelligent omnichannel routing.

3. Chatbots for 24-Hour Customer Care

Web chat is another way to provide self-service or quick answers to issues. Bots can converse naturally online or even through SMS messaging for those who prefer communicating through text-based interactions.

4. Agent Assistance

Your agents can locate essential data easier than ever with AI’s help. Instead of hunting through folders, they can ask a question like they’re talking to a fellow agent. The AI responds with an accurate answer or source from your company database.

5. Sentiment Analysis

Sentiment analysis is another helpful feature of AI customer care. The technology examines a caller’s verbiage and pitch to assess their emotional state during a conversation. Even better, you get this data on a large scale to understand how agents are performing and how customers view your brand.

Make a Smooth Transition Into AI Customer Care With Intermedia

Getting started with AI customer care doesn’t have to be difficult when you work with the right provider. Talk to us at Intermedia to discover how you can transform how you work using AI in our world-class communications platforms.

Mark Sher

Mark is the Senior Vice President of Unified Communications, Product and Marketing at Intermedia.