AI and machine learning are increasingly being used to enhance and augment customer interactions. The extent of AI’s impact on the customer experience can no longer be ignored, and Gartner forecasts that by next year, 85 percent of customer interactions will be managed without a human.
A better customer experience benefits customers and companies alike. On a base level, AI and machine learning gather data and gauge customer sentiment, then use that information to improve and enhance customer interactions. This is beneficial to organizations across the board, from the contact center to the sales and marketing department to the front line in the retail and hospitality industries.
“Among the many technology trends shaping 2019 and beyond, the adoption of AI when it comes to CX is one of the most exciting,” said Jessica Ekholm, VP Analyst, Gartner. “The use of AI technologies such as machine learning, natural-language understanding and natural-language processing can help analyze customer sentiment and customer feedback at scale, precision and speed not achievable through humans.”
Gartner believes there a five ways organizations can take advantage of AI to gain a better understanding of their customers and improve the overall customer experience. The first is to construct a solid customer experience strategy, before bringing AI into the mix. AI is a logical fit for an organization’s vision and goals, but only if these are well defined. Companies should also be able to map and analyze their customers’ journeys up to this point, to build a foundational dataset on which to apply AI and machine learning tools and technologies.
A variety of CX tools and technology are available, and organizations need to understand which tools will be most beneficial to meet their overall strategies and goals. In the best-case scenario, AI may be applied to existing data to provide real-time customer insights to steer and improve the overall customer experience. Understanding how AI may be applied to existing data will determine whether a company should purchase an AI solution or build one around existing data and customer interaction solutions. And finally, organizations should track their AI initiatives and measure progress to determine how the customer experience is being impacted, and plan to fine-tune solutions to achieve the maximum benefit.
Additional discussion about how AI is impacting and drastically improving the customer experience will take place at the Future of Work Expo, hosted by TMC in Fort Lauderdale, FL. The event, which is happening February 12-14, 2020, will explore how AI and machine learning technologies are being used for throughout a host of vertical markets and are rapidly shaping the future workplace.
Edited by
Maurice Nagle
