By Logan Shooster, Vice President at Answering Service Care Artificial intelligence (AI) is becoming a bigger part of the customer service offering for businesses. But a recent study shows that business owners may be using it in the wrong places, putting their customer relations at risk. Image: Vitaly Gariev – Unsplash New research, from Answering Service Care, found a growing gap between how businesses and consumers view AI. Many companies are increasing their use of this technology to improve efficiency. But customers still want a human voice when the conversation is important, sensitive or stressful. The study surveyed 252 US business owners and 2, 003 consumers in the US. It found that over half (53%) of business owners plan to increase their use of AI within customer service over the next one to two years. On the flip side, however, 67% of consumers would rather speak to a human. This indifference becomes even wider when customers are dealing with difficult situations. When asked about calls about bereavement or a family crisis, 48% of business owners say AI would make those conversations easier. Presumably, as it takes the responsibility of giving bad news off their shoulders. However, this is in stark contrast to only 25% of consumers who feel the same way. Demonstrating a clear desire for human empathy and emotion when the information is difficult to hear. Money issues also show a similar gap. Half of business owners think AI could make conversations about debt or financial difficulties easier. Only 27% of consumers think the same. The data shows that there is a need for consumers to have access to human support. Particularly in situations where they need empathy and reassurance But it isn’t all doom and gloom for the owners looking to increase their customer service efficiency. Consumers are not strictly against AI as a whole, they simply want businesses to use it in the right, more appropriate, situations. Some tasks are more suited to automation. Such as checking opening hours, confirming appointments and cancelling subscriptions. Image: ASC Some industries should be more cautious with AI implementation than others Healthcare tops the list of industries where consumers say human contact is important. Thirty-eight percent of consumers said that they want to speak to a real person when dealing with healthcare providers. This aligns with them wanting to deal with a human in matters of bereavement or a family crisis. Both of which are more likely to occur within the healthcare industry. Banks and financial services follow at 34%. Which also matches up with the want of human conversations around debt or financial difficulties. Despite this, many US business owners admit to already using AI during some of these high-pressure interactions. For example, 56% said they use AI when handling suspected fraud or security concerns. Another 52% use it for escalated complaints, and 51% even use AI during urgent or emergency calls. Creating a problem if customers feel they cannot reach someone who can actually help them. Failing to get AI right could cost businesses their customer loyalty and trust Implementing AI at the wrong times could lead to a breakdown in consumer trust and even retention. The study showed that when AI fails to resolve an important issue, 4 in 10 of consumers say they would simply ask to speak to a human. Some would try again later or find another way to contact the company. But some would take their business elsewhere. Demonstrating that the cost of efficiency could be customer loyalty. Some customers may also share their bad experience with others. Over 1 in 10 (12%) say they would warn friends or family about the business. Eleven percent would leave a negative online review specifically calling out the AI experience. This means that poor AI processes could also potentially harm future customer acquisition too. A human handoff could save the customer relationship Luckily, there does seem to be a solution to mitigate the issues of poor AI implementation. Consumers are willing to forgive a poor AI experience if a human steps in and fixes the problem. Over a quarter (27%) say they would stay with a company if a human personally followed up and resolved the issue. Logan Shooster, Vice President at Answering Service Care, said that businesses should not assume that greater use of AI means less need for human support: “These insights should act as a warning to businesses. Increasing the use of AI to improve efficiency does not equal a reduction in human involvement. In fact, as AI becomes a bigger part of the customer journey, knowing when to bring a human into the conversation could become even more important. ” Shooster also added that businesses do not have to choose between AI and human agents. He said: “AI can still be a valuable tool for handling routine enquiries and speeding up some mundane processes. But when a conversation is likely to be sensitive or complex, customers still want, and need, the reassurance of speaking to a person. ” He also warned that businesses may not always hear from customers when an AI interaction goes wrong. He added: “When AI can’t help, most people don’t complain, likely through fear of dealing with AI again. Instead, they simply disappear. This trend of ‘business ghosting’ will only continue to rise if AI can’t help and businesses don’t add a human resolution into the mix. ” Overall, the findings of the study suggest businesses do not need to abandon the idea of using AI within their processes. They just need to be more selective about where they use it. Fact-Checked by Irfan Ahmad. 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Businesses are using AI for the calls customers want humans to handle
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