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Hallelujah – We Have a Bot!
By VICKY BROWN
I recently read this comment in the Kajabi Facebook group – for those of you who don’t know who or what Kajabi is, it’s basically am all in one platform for online courses and customer relationship management.
Anyway, the thread was about a customer who got trapped in a circular conversation with AI when he reached out with an issue. Along with a cascade of complaints about AI and bots, this comment caught my attention:
“it’s not like it used to be …..its been a fast and flawed implementation of AI it seems.
nobody likes canned pre-determined programmed circular automated responses — especially when you have a unique or unusual problem to explain…. people want humans, use the AI for operational efficiencies but not public facing business process flows where customers want, expect and have been accustomed to a human support representative for many many years…”
And this really got me to thinking. AI offers so many opportunities for us to supercharge our companies. Automating routine tasks, providing insights for our metrics, delivering just-in-time knowledge for our teams, locking down quality control, speeding up our processes. I could go on and on – but, you get the idea.
But while we’re getting all starry eyed about how AI can take over so many mundane tasks, and make things easier and faster – have we stopped to consider that this is a huge opportunity for us to differentiate our business from the competition – and not just for our clients, but for our teams too.
I don’t know about you, but when I hear a company respond to the question “what makes you different from everyone else” with “our customer service is exceptional” – well, I can barely stand up straight for rolling my eyes.
“…But what does all this have to do with a bot? Well, frankly a bot – particularly one that keeps looping the customer around in a circle…that’s most definitely NOT customer care.
However, that doesn’t mean AI has no place in your business, or as a tool for your team.“
No kidding – EVERYBODY says their customer service makes them stand out. Heck – I’ve been known to sling that phrase around a time or two myself. But the fact is, it’s so overused, that these days it doesn’t really mean anything – to you, or me, or to your prospective client.
Now, if you can say HOW your customer service is superior – well then you’ve got a fighting chance. Maybe you have an SLA (that’s service level agreement ) of replying to all questions within 12 hours; or maybe you have a standard practice of checking in after you‘ve resolved an issue for a client. Just to be sure that the solution worked out alright, and that they don’t have any other questions or concerns. Or perhaps you’ve set things up so that your team provides a highly personalized customer experience.
Those are just some of the ways you can stand out a client-centric.
But what does all this have to do with a bot? Well, frankly a bot – particularly one that keeps looping the customer around in a circle, and won’t, or can’t provide the answer, and on top of all that – refuses to let you interact with a flesh and blood person… yeah – that’s most definitely NOT customer care.
However, that doesn’t mean AI has no place in your business, or as a tool for your team.
And there it is – the key. You have to think of AI as a tool – a tool to help your team show up as super-heros, a tool to help your business go farther faster. But it is NOT a tool to help you cut back on employees by automating the customer experience.
I just can’t say it enough – our clients DO NOT want to deal with a bot, when they have an issue that needs a resolution. Oh sure, sometimes we all want to bypass actually making a phone call, and so we’ll opt for chat – but again, we need a human being on the other side of that chat. Because we’re HUMANS, and we have to EXPLAIN things, and give the NUANCE of the issue – it’s just how we roll.
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And to circle this all back to your team (after all, this podcast is focused on enhancing your leadership) – if you’re going to ask them to level up in their interactions with clients; responding more quickly, giving a more personalized experience, answering the question behind the question, following up. Well, all that takes more time – and if your team is like mine, everyone already has a full plate. And we definitely don’t want to start pointing toward burnout.
So again, if you’re going to ask all this of your team – well, to put it in a phrase, you’re gonna need to give them a break. And that’s where AI comes in.
Try thinking of AI as the junior, worker bees, of your company. They grab information, and serve it up to your team, in seconds – so it’s easy for them to come across, and actually be, well informed on a subject.
Let AI analyze data, so your brilliant team can use those insights to better consult with your clients.
And yes, you can even use AI to automate some of the responses your team uses with clients. But – and again, I can’t shout this from the rooftops loud enough – the information must be reviewed and delivered by the human. Because, that’s the thing. Human to human interaction will immediately set you apart.
Now, I’m not saying don’t have any form of self service for the clients that prefer it. But don’t rely on self service to be the only service you provide. It might work for your local supermarket – but if the thing you provide is a service…..well, it’s in the name …. Service should your differentiator.
So while you’re trying to figure out how and where you should jump on the AI bandwagon – remember this – with AI we have a chance to be better, do better, and grow massively better. While simultaneously giving our team members a better working experience. But using AI to supplant the human to human customer service experience – well, I think it’s a really bad idea.
Listen, I just got off the phone with AT&T. And let me tell you – it’s true what they say….frustrated customers become ex-customers.
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