AI and Customer Service Should be Boring with Damon Covey

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This episode of Amazing Business Radio with Shep Hyken answers the following questions and more:   

1. How can businesses enhance their customer service experience using AI technology? 
2. How do unifying communication channels improve the efficiency of customer support? 
3. What makes conversational AI a valuable tool for improving customer interactions? 
4. How can AI be used to augment a company’s existing customer service team rather than replace it? 
5. Why is it essential for businesses to consider customer communication preferences when designing support systems? 

Top Takeaways

• In customer service, “boring” means delivering consistent, reliable service without any issues or drama.  

• Unified communications brings together all the different ways customers can interact with a company, including texting, calling, emailing, or chatting on social media. Integrating all these channels enables customers to choose their preferred way to communicate without complicating things for customer support agents.  

• Conversational AI helps businesses be more responsive to customer needs. By using conversational AI, businesses can provide accurate responses and handle inquiries even outside of business hours. 

• Years ago, AI technology was expensive, making it difficult for smaller companies to afford. Today, innovations in AI have made it accessible at a fraction of the cost, enabling small businesses to implement it effectively. AI being more accessible helps small businesses provide the same advanced customer service options as large corporations and compete more effectively in the market. 

• Just like new employees, AI systems need training to perform well. Businesses provide AI with specific instructions and information, allowing it to respond correctly to customer inquiries. Guaranteeing AI acts within the parameters set by the business, maintaining quality and accuracy in interactions.  

• AI helps businesses by taking over routine tasks and repetitive work like summarizing calls or setting up appointments, freeing employees to focus on more complex tasks, especially those needing creativity and judgment.  

• Plus, Shep and Damon discuss ways businesses can embrace AI strategically. Tune in! 

Quotes:

“Customer service should be so good that it’s boring.” 

“Exceptional customer support is engaging with your customers on their terms, whether it’s through phone conversation, chat, or text.” 

“The companies that can find the real balance between AI and humans will make customer service a differentiator for their business.” 

“When diving into AI, focus on starting with a specific problem to solve. Start small, something practical and sometimes boring, but that’s where real solutions emerge.” 

About:

Damon Covey is the general manager of unified communications and collaboration at GoTo, an all-in-one customer experience platform powered by AI.

Shep Hyken is a customer service and experience expert, New York Times bestselling author, award-winning keynote speaker, and host of Amazing Business Radio.