Tools & Tips to Automate Customer Support with AI

Customer service has evolved. Once simple, it's now at the forefront of innovation, thanks to AI. Today, 71% of companies already use AI and automation, with another 22% ready to jump in. 

The message is clear: AI is transforming customer support, making it faster and more efficient. 

While some hesitate, the shift is inevitable. AI isn’t just an option anymore; it’s necessary for those looking to stay ahead. Effective customer service is crucial but can take time to manage. Fortunately, AI offers practical solutions to these challenges. 

How AI Has Enhanced Customer Support

Companies that deliver excellent customer experiences powered by AI are seeing their revenues grow 4%- 8% faster than their competitors. This shows that AI isn't just improving support processes; it's also contributing to business growth. AI has transformed customer support in several ways, making it faster and more efficient. Here’s how.

1. Faster Response Times

One of the most significant benefits of AI in customer support is its ability to drastically reduce response times. AI-powered chatbots and virtual assistants can handle customer inquiries instantly, providing real-time answers to common questions.

The computer security software company McAfee uses AiseraGPT to power chatbots for customer support. This has successfully resolved 75% of support tickets automatically, significantly reducing their human agents' workload.

2. 24/7 Availability

Unlike human agents, AI never sleeps. AI-powered systems can provide round-the-clock customer support, ensuring customers get help whenever needed, even outside regular business hours.

H&M uses a chatbot to provide 24/7 customer service. The bot assists with product recommendations, order tracking, and returns, improving customer satisfaction.

3. Cost Reduction

AI can significantly cut costs by automating routine tasks that would otherwise require human intervention. This reduces the need for a large customer support team, leading to lower operational costs.

In addition, it's no surprise that 57% of businesses report a strong return on investment (ROI) from using chatbots, thanks to their ability to deliver cost savings with minimal upfront investment.

4. Improved Accuracy and Consistency

AI tools can quickly analyze vast data, ensuring customers receive accurate and consistent responses. This reduces the chances of human error and ensures that customers get the correct information every time.

Bank of America’s AI assistant, Erica, has surpassed 2 billion customer interactions. It has helped 42 million client requests with a high degree of accuracy, improving customer satisfaction and reducing the need for human intervention.

5. Personalization

AI can analyze customer data to provide personalized support, tailoring responses based on the customer’s history, preferences, and behavior. This level of personalization enhances the customer experience and builds stronger relationships.

Starbucks has integrated AI for its customers to provide a more personalized experience, especially for youngsters. Let's see how it was done:

Challenge

• Adopting AI required a cultural shift to embrace innovation while upholding high-quality customer service.

Implementation

• The Deep Brew platform was launched to use AI to analyze customer data.
• AI-driven innovative equipment was deployed to streamline beverage preparation and cut wait times.

Results

• Boosted customer loyalty with significant growth in Starbucks Rewards.
• Improved store efficiency, reducing wait times and enhancing service.

AI Tools for Customer Support

Numerous AI tools can help businesses automate and improve their customer support operations. Here’s an introduction to some of the effective ones.

1. Hiver

This is a customer service platform integrated with Gmail and Outlook. It helps teams manage customer interactions across various channels like email, phone, live chat, and WhatsApp. Hiver’s AI Bot, Harvey, enhances the efficiency of customer support teams by using Natural Language Processing (NLP) to provide intelligent insights and streamline processes.

Key Features

Hiver’s prominent features are listed here.

• Gmail-Based Helpdesk: Harvey integrates smoothly with Gmail, offering a familiar interface for quick adoption by support teams.
• Intelligent Template Suggestions: It analyzes customer messages to recommend the most suitable response templates, allowing quick and tailored replies.
• 'Thank You' Detection: This prevents the reopening of resolved conversations by recognizing and managing 'Thank You' messages.
• AI Summarizer: The feature compresses long emails into concise summaries, ensuring smooth hand-offs and faster resolution.
• Accountability & Transparency: It tracks all actions for transparency and quality control, with a clear audit trail.
• Continuous Learning: This adapts and improves from feedback, refining its decision-making over time.
• Easy Setup & Control: It’s simple, with easy on/off controls for features like 'Thank You' Detection while respecting human decisions.

2. Velaris

This is an AI-powered platform designed to enhance customer success and support for B2B SaaS teams. It consolidates and enriches customer data into a user-friendly interface for proactive, data-driven decision-making.

Key Features

This tool comprises these significant features.

• AI Co-pilot: It generates to-do lists for Customer Success (CS) reps by analyzing portfolio conversations and activities.
• Generative AI Writing Assistant: The feature summarizes account details and drafts responses quickly within the app.
• Sentiment Analysis: It assesses customer interactions to gauge sentiment and understand customer feelings on various topics.
• Task Automation: This creates high-impact tasks automatically based on customer communication and behavior.

3. Freshdesk

Freshdesk is an AI-powered customer service software that enhances customer support efficiency. It equips support teams with tools to address customer needs effectively. Freshdesk’s AI support bot manages customer inquiries through chat and email with swift responses.

Key Features

The key features of Freshdesk are listed below.

• Freddy AI: It learns from past tickets to suggest relevant responses and speed up resolutions.
• Multi-Platform Deployment: This feature is available across various apps, such as WhatsApp, Facebook, LINE, and Apple Business Chat.
• Freddy Copilot: It centralizes customer interactions, suggests replies, and provides conversation summaries.
• Freddy Insights: This feature analyzes performance data to enhance efficiency and identify issues.
• Task Automation: It executes tasks like checking order statuses and booking appointments directly in chat.
• Smart Ticket Routing: It directs tickets to appropriate teams or agents based on context.

4. Kustomer

KIQ is an AI-powered add-on to the Kustomer CRM platform to enhance customer support. It automates repetitive tasks, deflects simple inquiries, and provides agents with a comprehensive customer view to boost efficiency and support quality.

Key Features

Here are Kustomer's salient features.

• Task Automation: It removes repetitive tasks, allowing agents to focus on higher-value activities.
• Knowledge Base Integration: This suggests relevant articles from the knowledge base for quick issue resolution and self-service options.
• Conversational Assistant: The assistant prompts customers to provide detailed information, ensuring agents understand clearly before engagement.
• Unified Customer View: It offers AI-powered insights and context for a seamless customer experience without switching tabs or dealing with duplicate tickets.

5. Tidio

This tool is an advanced suite of automation tools integrated into the Tidio customer service software, designed to streamline support processes for small and medium-sized businesses (SMBs). The platform features Lyro, a conversational AI bot that uses natural language processing to conduct human-like interactions and quickly address common customer questions.

Key Features

Tidio has the following features that can be helpful.

• Lyro Bot: Handles up to 70% of routine inquiries and engages multiple customers simultaneously during peak times.
• AI Phrase Matcher: Utilizes natural language processing to generate responses that resonate with users beyond preset options.
• Customer Questions: AI-driven classification of inquiries delivers relevant answers and improves over time.
• Tidio AI Agent: Enhances agent performance with tools like Reply Assistant, Customer Intent for sorting, and Smart Views for urgent interactions.

Practical Tips for CSRs to Use AI

While AI can automate many aspects of customer support, Customer Service Representatives must know how to integrate AI into their daily tasks effectively. Here are some practical tips:

1. Automate Repetitive Tasks

AI-powered tools can automate these tasks, allowing CSRs to focus on more complex issues that require human judgment and empathy. 

Microsoft Excel allows you to automate repetitive tasks using the Macro Recorder feature. For instance, if you have dates in different formats and want to make them all look the same, you can use a macro to help. 

First, you record a macro while you change the date format to what you want. Once the macro is recorded, you can run it anytime to apply the same format to all your dates automatically. This makes it easy to handle repetitive tasks without having to do them manually each time. 

2. Use AI for Quick Data Retrieval

Quick access to customer information is crucial for providing fast and accurate service. AI can instantly retrieve and present relevant customer data during interactions, saving CSRs the time and effort of manually searching through records. 

Salesforce’s Einstein AI is a prime example. It gives CSRs real-time access to customer history, preferences, and past interactions, offering more personalized and efficient service.

3. Use AI for Sentiment Analysis

Understanding a customer’s emotions can significantly impact how a CSR handles a conversation. AI tools can analyze the tone and sentiment of customer messages, helping CSRs adjust their communication style to match the customer's emotional state. 

In a study of Amazon reviews, various methods for sentiment analysis were evaluated, including machine learning and deep learning techniques. After thorough experimentation, the BERT language model outperformed all other models. This demonstrated its effectiveness in accurately classifying sentiments and providing valuable insights for improving product and service quality.

4. Get Personalized Recommendations with AI

Personalization is key to enhancing customer satisfaction. AI can analyze customer data to suggest products or services that match their preferences and past behavior. CSRs can use these AI-driven insights to offer tailored recommendations during interactions. 

Amazon employs AI algorithms to recommend products to customers. CSRs can use it as a basis for personalized suggestions, making interactions more relevant and engaging. 

5. Continue Learning and Feedback

AI doesn’t just assist with immediate tasks; it can also play a crucial role in the ongoing development of CSRs. AI tools like Gong can analyze interactions to provide detailed feedback on communication effectiveness, helping CSRs refine their skills. This continuous learning process ensures that CSRs can improve performance and adapt to changing customer needs.

The Future of Customer Support with AI

AI has become an invaluable tool in automating customer support, offering businesses the ability to reduce response times, cut costs, and improve service quality. However, AI is not a silver bullet here. It’s most effective when used in conjunction with human expertise. CSRs can focus on providing the human touch often needed in customer interactions. This combination of AI and human support can lead to faster response times, higher customer satisfaction, and lower operational costs.

As AI continues to evolve, the possibilities for automating customer support will only expand. By staying informed about the latest AI tools and techniques, businesses can deliver the best possible service to their customers while controlling costs.