Various studies over the last few years have attempted to uncover consumer attitudes toward artificial intelligence (AI) in customer support. Increasingly, there is evidence that customers are largely neutral in terms of AI functionality (at least, for certain types of interactions). The intelligence is undeniably valuable for companies that are striving to strike the right balance of human and machine intelligence in customer support.
And so, AI coaching and guidance solutions provider Cogito announced the results of a new survey on consumers' preferences when it comes to engaging with AI during customer service experiences. The findings confirm that consumers are embracing the personalized sales experience AI offers, but still highly value human-to-human connection and relatable empathy in their interactions.
Additionally, what do customers seem to like best about AI customer interaction? Its ability to identify and present personalized offers.
Respondents ranked customized sales offers as the top positive impact of AI on customer service experience. This was ranked higher than resolving general issues/queries faster (second) and widening support windows (third). Also, over half (53%) of respondents welcome an agent using AI to suggest relevant upgrades or deals tailored to their needs and purchase history.
Naturally, responses varied somewhat by age. Notably, Millennials (62%) were the most receptive demographic to this offering. Overall, more than half (54%) of respondents feel AI is more helpful than harmful in customer service interactions.
“This data confirms a growing trend Cogito is seeing in the contact center to boost revenue growth,” said Josh Feast, CEO and co-founder of Cogito. “Organizations are evolving from purely resolving service issues, to taking the opportunity to present new offers during a customer service experience. AI ushers this movement forward by helping identify the right proposal to make based on the customer’s personalized history and needs, while simultaneously enhancing the agent’s capabilities by recommending the best moment and language to seamlessly integrate into the service experience.”
Edited by
Alex Passett
