Today’s consumers have a need for speed. Nearly half of customers expect businesses to respond to their inquiries faster than four hours, and 12% demand a response within 15 minutes. With 80% of consumers stating that speed is one of the most essential elements of a positive customer experience, brands are looking for ways to accelerate customer service responses.
This has put increased pressure on customer support teams to deliver fast, efficient, personalized service. As a result, many companies are implementing artificial intelligence (AI)-powered solutions, such as AI-voice chatbots, to streamline their operations. But while these AI tools can handle many tasks, they’re not a replacement for human agents. When used correctly, AI-voice chatbots can enhance human customer support rather than replace it, creating a powerful partnership that benefits businesses and their customers.
The Strengths of AI-Voice Chatbots and Human Agents
Both AI-voice chatbots and human agents bring unique strengths to the table when it comes to customer service.
AI-Voice Chatbots: Scalability and Efficiency
AI-voice chatbots excel in handling repetitive, high-volume tasks. They can be available 24/7, never tire, and simultaneously process multiple customer inquiries, making them ideal for dealing with common or straightforward queries. Tasks like account balance inquiries, order status requests, password resets, and FAQs can all be easily managed by AI-voice chatbots. This allows brands to handle high customer interactions without adding additional resources.
AI-voice chatbots can quickly retrieve data from integrated systems, ensuring accurate and up-to-date responses. Their ability to process natural language and even recognize context means they can conversationally engage customers, making interactions feel more personal.
Human Customer Support Agents: Empathy and Complex Problem-Solving
On the other hand, human agents bring essential qualities that AI cannot replicate, including empathy, critical thinking, and creativity. While AI is great for repetitive tasks, human agents shine when addressing complex or emotional issues. If a customer is frustrated, angry, or confused, a human agent’s ability to actively listen, show empathy, and offer personalized solutions is invaluable. Humans can understand nuance in conversations that AI might miss, such as tone, emotional undercurrents, or intricate details that don’t fit neatly into predefined templates.
Additionally, while AI-voice chatbots are becoming increasingly sophisticated, they still have limitations when handling ambiguous or non-standard requests. This is where human agents excel. They think outside the box to resolve unique or complex issues.
A Dynamic Duo: AI-Voice Chatbots and Human Support Agents
AI-voice chatbots can significantly improve the overall customer service experience when used in collaboration with human agents. Here’s how:
Time-Saving and Efficiency Gains
AI-voice chatbots can handle routine inquiries, freeing up human agents to focus on more complicated or sensitive issues. With fewer distractions from mundane tasks, agents can dedicate more time to delivering personalized, high-quality service. This boost in efficiency often leads to shorter response times and increased customer satisfaction.
Augmenting Human Decision-Making
AI provides valuable insights to human agents in real-time. An AI-voice chatbot can automatically log customer information, pull up relevant account details, or suggest troubleshooting steps based on a customer’s purchase history or issue. This gives agents the information they need to resolve problems more quickly, rather than requiring them to search through databases or systems manually.
Reducing Agent Burnout
Customer service is demanding, and agents can quickly become overwhelmed if they have to field every customer inquiry, especially during peak times. By offloading routine inquiries to AI, agents can avoid burnout and focus on cases requiring expertise. This balance also increases employee satisfaction, which translates into better overall service.
Consistent Service Across Channels
AI-voice chatbots can handle customer concerns across multiple touchpoints, including voice calls, chat, and social media. By ensuring consistency across channels, AI provides a seamless experience for customers, reducing confusion or frustration. Human agents can then step in to provide more in-depth assistance, maintaining a smooth handoff between AI and human interaction.
Real-World Use Cases for AI-Voice Chatbots in Customer Support
Here are a few real-world use cases where AI-voice chatbots optimize customer service operations and empower human agents.
eCommerce: Order Tracking and Returns
eCommerce companies can use AI-voice chatbots to assist customers with order tracking, processing returns, or answering product-related questions. With natural language processing (NLP), AI can understand inquiries about specific products, sizes, or availability and provide instant responses. Suppose a customer has a more complex request, such as an issue with a refund or a defective item. The chatbot can escalate the issue to a human agent who can offer a more customized solution.
FinTech: 24/7 Availability and Security
AI-voice chatbots are always on call, providing round-the-clock customer support. They can also detect unusual patterns in customer behavior during interactions and alert human agents to potential fraud or security threats. For example, a chatbot could flag a suspicious request for a large fund transfer or a login attempt from an unusual location.
Striking the Right Balance Between AI and Human Support
Use these tips to find the perfect balance between AI and human assistance.
Use AI for Repetitive, Low-Complexity Tasks
AI-voice chatbots excel in managing repetitive tasks that require minimal human intervention. They can handle FAQs, order tracking, simple technical support, and account inquiries. By offloading these tasks to AI, you allow human agents to focus on complex, emotionally charged, or high-stakes customer interactions.
Ensure Seamless Handoffs Between AI and Human Agents
Customers shouldn’t feel like they’re being bounced between a chatbot and a human agent. Ensure that the transition between AI and human support is seamless. When an AI-voice chatbot reaches its limits, or a customer requests human interaction, the handoff should be smooth, with all relevant information transferred to the human agent in real-time.
Continuously Improve Both AI and Human Training
For AI-voice chatbots to remain effective, they must be continuously trained to understand evolving customer queries. Similarly, human agents should receive training on handling situations involving AI, ensuring they can leverage AI’s capabilities while providing empathetic and personalized care.
Elevate Customer Support with AI
AI-voice chatbots transform customer service by automating routine tasks, improving operational efficiency, and allowing human agents to focus on more complex, high-value interactions. By leveraging AI as a support tool rather than a replacement, businesses can offer customers faster, more consistent service while providing a personalized human touch.
Mitto offers AI-powered tools that support human agents and maximize customer service operations. We’ll help you harness the power of AI to deliver customer experiences that delight and retain.
Contact us today to learn more.