AI is a buzzword across nearly all industries, and there’s lots of talk about how it can transform customer experience. But how can AI play a role in customer experience, and what does it actually look like when it’s put into action? The possibilities may be endless, but many of them boil down to three main ideas.
1. Many Customers Enjoy Chatbots And Virtual Assistants
First, customer service chatbots and virtual assistants can turn everyday tasks into simple commands. We’re already surrounded by these virtual assistants in the form of Amazon Alexa, Google Home, Apple’s Siri and more. These devices can do anything from set appointments to create shopping lists and forecast the weather. Taking it one step further, many companies have created tasks with existing virtual assistants and chatbots so their customers can streamline their interactions with the brand. Capital One allows customers to access their bank accounts through Alexa, and Liberty insurance company makes it easy for customers to check the status of their claims through Google Home. Instead of having to waste time on the phone, customers can now communicate with simple voice or text commands. These devices are time-saving and help companies keep up with customers’ busy lives. The abilities and power of these devices will only continue to grow as the technology evolves.
2. The Use Of Personalization Improves Customer Experience
Personalization is also a huge advantage to AI in customer experience. Modern customers expect offers to be tailored to their needs—a blast email with a general offer won’t appeal to nearly as many people as a targeted offer that directly addresses what a customer is looking for. But creating those personalized experiences is difficult and time-consuming for humans. AI and machine learning can sift through millions of pieces of information to find out exactly what matters to customers to create a personalized experience.
3. Customer Insights Bring Important Findings For Businesses
AI has also changed how companies get customer insights. Using the vast amount of data that is available on customers today, AI can find trends and predict what customers will want in the future. One of the best examples of this came from Spotify, which used data from its more than 100 million customers to create an eye-catching ad campaign. Spotify used AI to sort through the data and highlighted some of the most unique customer trends on billboards around the world, including “Dear person who played ‘Sorry’ 42 times on Valentine’s Day, what did you do?” and “Dear 3,749 people who streamed ‘It's the End of the World as We Know It’ the day of the Brexit vote, hang in there.” The campaign humanized customer data. Many other companies use AI to gain customer insights to improve future experiences.
AI is a powerhouse when it comes to customer experience. This technology not only allows companies to create faster, more personalized experiences, but to gain insights and advantages to lead customer experience in the future.
Blake Morgan is a customer experience futurist, keynote speaker and author of "More Is More." Sign up for her weekly newsletter here.
