Many businesses think speed is the key to great customer service, while others say the personal touch matters more. Yet top experts, like Tom Eggemeier at Zendesk, predict AI will show up in every customer conversation, with 80% of problems settled by bots.
That might be awesome for saving time. But it also challenges companies to figure out how to keep real connections alive.
This blog will explore the future of customer service and what AI might mean for customers everywhere. We’ll look at trends and predictions and consider what this all means for everyday folks just trying to get some help.
Advancements in Natural Language Processing (NLP)
Before NLP, AI tools often just followed strict scripts or responded to keywords. They recognized words but didn’t really get their meaning behind them.
NLP, or Natural Language Processing, helps AI understand how to actually understand what people are saying.
Contextual Understanding
Human language can be tricky. Take “bank,” for example. Some might mean a bank where they keep their money, while others could mean the side of a river. Static word embeddings, which used to be the standard, had difficulty telling these apart.
Modern approaches like ELMo examine the words around “bank” to determine which meaning makes sense. This is how AI keeps track of context and stays on the same page as the customer.
Conversational AI
Currently, the global conversational AI market is worth about $11.58 billion. Experts predict it will grow by about 23.7% annually from 2025 to 2030. That number shows how big this technology already is, with more companies using AI-powered virtual assistants to save time.
Instead of waiting for a human rep to pick up the phone, customers can chat with an AI system that replies in real-time.
The Role of Generative AI in Customer Service
Generative AI is gaining a lot of attention in customer service. It opens up fresh ways to solve problems and connect with customers at scale.
Dynamic Responses
As of 2024, 24% of customer service teams already use generative AI, and another 15% plan to add it. That’s a sign of how quickly it’s catching on. About 67% of service professionals count on it to automate their support messages. Plus, 53% of customers believe it helps companies serve them better.
This technology can turn a simple chatbot into a skilled helper. It can handle everyday questions without making people wait on hold. Yet, it still feels personal because it crafts answers that match the question at hand.
For example, there’s Raya, an AI teammate developed by teammates.ai that speaks more than 50 languages. It even adjusts its conversation style to fit local culture (including different Arabic dialects) to offer personalized experiences.
Content Creation
Generative AI doesn’t just handle routine tasks or customer service operations. It can also write up useful content that helps people solve problems independently. Companies can use this tech to produce FAQs, user guides, and how-to articles in a fraction of the time it usually takes.
Plus, it helps keep the tone and style the same across all channels so customers know what to expect each time.
Examples of AI-generated content:
- FAQ pages
- Product guides
- Blog posts
- Step-by-step instructions
- Troubleshooting tips
Scalability
AI in the customer service industry can cut costs by up to 30%. That’s because AI handles a bunch of customer chats at the same time without needing extra staff. It doesn’t take breaks or clock out, so it’s always ready when people reach out. This makes it easier to deal with sudden spikes in calls or messages. Instead of hiring a huge team, you can rely on AI to keep up with demand.
Proactive Customer Support Through Predictive AI
Most times, customer support waits for something to break, then jumps in to fix it. That can leave customers annoyed because they have to speak up first. Predictive analytics flips that script by spotting red flags and stepping in before there’s a meltdown.
Picture an online store that sells electronics. People are often confused about warranty coverage or returns. A predictive AI system can track patterns in customer questions. Then, it can be noticed if a certain laptop model always has a battery problem after six months.
Instead of waiting for folks to complain, the AI could send out a warning or schedule a battery check. That saves the customer a ton of time and stress. Plus, it keeps them happy with the brand.
Here are some examples of various industries:
- Finance: AI-powered customer service can watch transaction data to find unusual activity, like sudden spikes in spending. It sends alerts to your support team so they can reach out first and stop fraud before it hits the news.
- Healthcare: Predictive AI can monitor appointment bookings and patient feedback. If it detects a pattern of late cancellations or negative reviews about wait times, your team can fix scheduling or staffing issues before more complaints are received.
- E-commerce: By tracking purchase history and product returns, AI might notice that a certain brand of phone case has a higher return rate. Your support team can act fast by emailing customers or adjusting the listing with better images or descriptions before that product causes a flood of support tickets.
- Real Estate: AI tools can monitor tenant requests for common fixes, like plumbing or HVAC. If the system sees that one building has the same air conditioning breakdown, your team can get a repair crew there early rather than dealing with a stack of unhappy calls.
- SaaS: Predictive AI can track user sign-ins and product usage. If the data shows a drop-off in activity, your support team can send help tips or offer a quick chat to keep customers engaged. That way, you’re stopping churn before it happens.
How AI and Human Agents Will Collaborate in the Future
Some customers might run into a complex issue the AI wasn’t trained for. Maybe the question is too unique, or it deals with something super personal.
In those moments, an AI might give a wrong or vague response. That’s where real people still matter. You don’t want a customer to get stuck in a loop without reaching a human.
AI as a Co-Pilot for Human Agents
At teammates.ai, we believe that AI and humans can work together to create a strong customer support experience. AI can look up facts, handle repetitive tasks, or offer insights based on past data. That frees up customer service agents to do what they do best—connect with customers personally.
Here are a few ways AI can team up with people:
- Real-Time Suggestions: AI can listen to a phone call or read a chat, then suggest answers based on how the customer is feeling or what they’re asking. The human agent can review and tweak those ideas, which cuts down on reply times.
- Automatic Translations: If an agent suddenly encounters a customer who speaks a different language, AI can translate and help them reply. This creates a smoother conversation and prevents the customer from feeling stuck.
- Guided Processes: AI can scan product information and policy documents and highlight the most important points for the agent. That means less time flipping through pages and more time focused on the customer.
- Data Entry and Updates: Some customer questions require forms or data entry. Artificial intelligence can handle that behind the scenes, so agents can pay attention to the person on the other end.
- Personalized Recommendations: AI can analyze a customer’s history or account details. The agent can then suggest the right product or solution for customer satisfaction.
Identify Knowledge Gaps (Improve Agents’ Performance)
One big problem in customer support is figuring out what your agents don’t know. If someone on your team keeps getting stuck on refunds or shipping details, it can be bad for the customer experience.
In the future, AI will be better able to spot them by tracking the questions your agents struggle with the most. Then, it suggests training or quick tips so they can step up their game.
Let’s say a customer contacts one of your support reps: “Hey, how do I return this item? It’s past the 30-day window, but I couldn’t ship it on time.”
AI will prompt the agent: “I noticed you hadn’t answered a question like this before. Here’s a quick refresher: If the return is over 30 days, we usually offer store credit. Click here for more details.”
The agent can then get back to the customer, saying: “We usually accept returns within 30 days, but we can make an exception. We’ll give you store credit if that works for you. Let me set that up right now.”
Automated Follow-Ups
With AI, customer support agents never have to worry about sending a reminder email or a “How was your experience?” note. Automated follow-ups handle that. They check back with customers after a purchase or a support ticket. That way, your team can spend time on trickier problems instead of manual tasks.
Teammates.ai makes this easier by offering over 30 integrations. It can link up with CRMs, email tools, or messaging apps. So after a support conversation, it can shoot out a follow-up. Or it can schedule a call if the potential issue isn’t fully solved.
Let’s say someone just placed an order on your e-commerce site. Two days later, Teammates.ai sees the order has shipped, so it sends a message: “Hi there, we noticed your order is on its way. Let us know if you have any questions or need help tracking your package!”
A few days after the package arrives, it can send a quick check-in asking, “Did everything meet your expectations?”
These messages also make customers feel cared for without extra work for your team.
Multilingual Support
AI instantly translates messages so your support team can talk to customers in their native tongue.
Tools like Teammates.ai go beyond word-for-word translations. They tailor messages to local nuances, meaning the conversation feels natural. That’s a huge win for companies looking to serve customers all over the world without building a massive multilingual team.
Currently, teammates.ai can talk in 50+ languages fluently. We hope to see more language support coming in the future.
Conclusion
There’s always a tug-of-war between business leaders who want the personal feel of human support and those who trust that AI can handle things faster.
If you’re looking to strike that balance, Teammates.ai is the solution. It’s built to boost your customer support team and keep your customers happy. Hire your AI teammate today!