AI and Humans in Customer Support: Where do they stand?

In a world where AI is constantly evolving, its impact on businesses cannot be denied. Particularly in Customer Support. Customer Care includes any service or assistance that firms offer to their clients. While these companies are embracing AI-powered solutions like chatbots, it raises the question of whether these bots will ever be able to replace human agents, or even perform as well as them. Providing a positive customer experience is a complex issue and requires human understanding, something that chatbots do not possess.

Many big corporations, such as Microsoft, Coca-Cola, and Expedia, have already opted for the use of various AI tools, specifically ChatGPT. This tool is assisting them in numerous ways, including personalized customer experience, content generation, and developing creative marketing campaigns. As seen on many websites, when any help is needed, a chatbot is always available to assist you. While using them offers many benefits, before you decide to switch to chatbots, it is best to explore their strengths and weaknesses. 

The advantages of using AI-powered chatbots

If we were to talk about AI-powered chatbots compared to human agents in terms of speed, these bots tend to be faster. Since they are quicker, they can take on more clients during the day, thus also shortening the time customers have to spend waiting. A noteworthy feature of them is their ability to learn fast, which might come in handy to get used to the rules and policies of a company. Moreover, using these chatbots might help reduce the amount of costs, considering that human agents need to be recruited and trained. However, these chatbots are not suitable for every type of problem. Seeing as they are not capable of dealing with complex issues, these AI-driven chatbots have a better chance of excelling in easier, surface problems, like FAQs. Even though AI chatbots can’t be used to replace human agents, they can be used to help and support your existing customer support team.

The benefits of hiring Human Agents

Dealing with clients isn’t an easy job. Although AI-powered chatbots might seem like the ideal choice, they cannot replace humans. We need to remember that customer support is not only providing quick solutions, as support goes beyond speed. It also demands emotional intelligence, which these chatbots do not possess. Oftentimes, when people require help, they use chatbots. Most of them, however, use it as a gateway to talk to an actual person. Knowing that someone is making an effort to address their issue provides people peace of mind. While AI has many advantages, it cannot replace the human touch. Adding a bit of personalization to the problem will make the company look more human, and shows the company’s genuine dedication to helping their customers. Clients need someone who can show empathy, offer comfort, and provide customized solutions. Especially when complex problems arise that require critical thinking, humans are far more capable than AI in solving problems based on logic and evidence. In addition, there is frustration that comes with having to sort out a problem with a robot. Their lack of emotions and sensitivity makes it almost impossible to deal with emotionally charged issues, which may occasionally come up. Not being able to understand a client’s emotions can lead to the person feeling unvalued and result in an unpleasant customer experience. While not opposing AI’s many powers, there are things that artificial intelligence is not capable of doing. 

Conclusion

Nowadays, we can see a lot of comparisons between Humans vs. AI. The entire problem lies here. Instead of pitying the two against each other, we should learn to use AI to our advantage. As it should be for the customer support industry. It is hard to make a statement on whether a company should hire human agents or invest in AI-powered chatbots. While it’s essential to follow technology trends, it is also important to know that AI has its limitations and cannot replace humans. The best solution here would be to strike a balance between humans and artificial intelligence. Using chatbots in easier and less complex interactions, and leaving more complicated issues to human agents. 

If you are interested in hiring a Customer Support Agency, you should consider working with a company that doesn’t shy away from trying new and innovative technologies but also keeps human agents available at all times for any further problems. 

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