How AI and Humans Are Changing the Customer Service Game with Gaurav Passi

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

1. How can businesses effectively balance AI and human interaction in customer service? 
2. What are the most effective strategies for leveraging AI to enhance customer experiences? 
3. Why is it important to prioritize long-term customer relationships over individual transactions? 
4. How can AI tools provide hyper-personalized service to customers? 
5. How can businesses effectively handle after-hours customer calls using AI tools?

Top Takeaways

• Bringing the human touch, data, and AI together creates a powerful combination that can significantly enhance customer satisfaction and competitive advantage.  

• When companies understand when to use AI and when to involve human representatives, it benefits everyone, including the customers, the employees, and the business. AI can efficiently answer quick queries, but human interaction is crucial for building long-term, meaningful customer relationships.  

• Many customers are experiencing FORO or Fear of Reaching Out. When customers are experiencing a problem, the first step is usually going to the company’s website to get the contact information. Once they click on “Contact Us,” they get some 800 numbers, call the company, the IVR kicks in, and they are put on hold, plus a few other steps. This long process and the time they have to carve out of their day to resolve their problems deter many customers from getting in touch with companies. 

• The bigger problem is the dissatisfied customers who never call but end up leaving because they never got the answer they were looking for.  

• While many customers still prefer traditional phone customer service, there’s a growing expectation for digital options, especially among younger consumers. Offering a mix of digital and traditional channels can cater to diverse customer preferences. 

• AI can handle a large percentage of “one shot, one kill” questions and after-hours customer calls, resolving problems efficiently. However, maintaining a balance between AI and human touch is important, as human interaction adds a personalized, empathetic element that AI can’t replicate.  

• By leveraging AI and personalization, you can address scale issues in call centers, allowing a single representative to handle multiple interactions simultaneously. This enhances efficiency in handling customer inquiries and improves overall customer satisfaction and Net Promoter Score (NPS). 

• Plus, Shep and Gaurav discuss why some customers hesitate to use AI. Tune in!

Quotes:

“The meshing of human, data, and AI together can significantly elevate customer satisfaction and NPS, offering a competitive advantage in the market.” 

“Whether you are a Fortune 50 or 20-person company, everybody wants one thing—for customers to be happy.”  

“The end goal is the customer’s happiness. Every customer is different and has different needs. Companies must know when to leverage AI and when to involve humans in the loop.” 

“AI handles most queries efficiently, empowering the customer while still allowing for human interaction when necessary, ensuring a balance between automation and human touch.” 

About:

Gaurav Passi is the founder and CEO of Zingly.ai. He aims to revolutionize customer relationships by leveraging generative AI, human expertise, and data to achieve hyper-personalization at scale.

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