

Will a robot steal my job in customer service?

Colorful Robots

Most jobs that require human intuition and interactivity are immune to robot takeover. But, while it might seem like a plot lifted out of a science fiction movie, there is an increasing chance, depending on your job field, that you will be competing against a robot at your next job interview.

The need for cheap, efficient work is leading many businesses to consider how automation can improve workflow. In February, Wendy’s installed 1,000 self-serve kiosks to save on labor costs, and automation in the coal industry is leading to job cuts. But, before we throw up our hands in defeat, there is a silver lining: automation has more utility in aiding human interaction than outright replacing it.

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The importance of the human angle

The heart of any good business is customer service — customer satisfaction is the metric by which all good companies are judged. That’s why businesses invest so much time and money into customer service. Providing attentive, helpful support is the first line of defense for client satisfaction and retention. 

According to a Forbes report, nearly half of consumers dropped a business as a result of poor customer service. Their main complaint: there was no representative available to talk on the phone. There is nothing more frustrating than being stuck in a loop of automated menus when looking to resolve an issue, and that’s why automation will never take the place of representatives — customers need the empathy and creativity that comes from personalized support.

Tools that support human interaction within customer support are important to increase personalized service. As businesses grow and customer support ticket frequency increases, the first feature to fall by the wayside is personalized consideration. How can businesses maintain efficiency while also providing specialized, tailored support?

Machine learning supplements human interaction

The fact of the matter is adopting technology into regular workflow is not a threat, but an opportunity. This is especially true when it comes to customer support which, at its core, is meant to lend empathy and human intuition to resolving customer issues.

Emerging automation technology is streamlining the customer support process, and making it easier for representatives to focus on what’s important — helping the customers. Through artificial intelligence, companies are seeing faster ticket resolution, improved organization, and greater representative engagement with customers.

AnswerIQ’s proprietary machine learning algorithm compounds knowledge with every support ticket. By learning patterns, the AI technology can offer recommendations for efficiency, optimize routing, and even automatically resolve frequent issues. Through automation, representatives save time by avoiding repetitive, tedious support tasks, and have increased availability to focus on more complex customer support concerns. Thanks to machine learning, some businesses have seen customer support response time cut in half.

Contact AnswerIQ to learn how machine learning is revolutionizing customer support systems, maximizing ticket resolution efficiency, and improving representative engagement.

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Topics: Machine Learning

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