The experience of customer service is constantly changing as new marketing ideas emerge, online tech gets better and customer expectations change (most pronounced over COVID).
Modern customers expect fast, efficient, effective, and personalised service experiences at varying levels of complexity, from buying milk at the corner store, to creating a new Netflix account, to speaking with the Australian Tax Office.
Most Australian companies (and Government Departments) are continuously working on their customer experience; however they are all about to get a major ‘shot in the arm’ because of Generative AI.
Beyond the hype of ChatGPT, let’s look at a few ways AI will enhance your customer experience.
AI will change retail, right to your home
Retail has probably been the traditional laggard in terms of change and innovation. Store layouts might change but the basic idea of getting in your car and heading to the shopping centre has not changed since the 1970’s.
The advent of the internet kicked off online shopping but even that did not really get the maximum focus until COVID demanded everyone stay at home, and online shopping boomed.
AI is going to take both experiences to far greater level. The introduction of the ‘magic mirror’ in stores will allow you to virtually try on clothing, jewellery and more without ever needing to go in the changeroom (and hope nobody opens the door). The mirror will use Generative AI to show you how clothes will look on you. Also expect to see large retailers release apps that recognise when you are in the store, and knowing your buying preferences, take you on a personally curated walk through the store.
The online retail experience will also get an overhaul by bringing the magic mirror experience to you at home. Envisage sending 5-10 emails to your favourite online retailer and they create a personal avatar of you. Then when you have a wedding or cocktail party you ask for recommendations and based on your body type, style preferences, past purchases and more, the system give you personalised recommendations of which clothes will suit best.
This type of experience will not only be used by clothing brands – paint companies will do renderings of your house in different colours and more. Imagine what supermarkets will do with internet-connected fridges!
AI will make the dreaded contact centre far more enjoyable
AI will have a dramatic impact on your experience when calling a call centre and how the staff member interacts with you.
The adoption of Generative AI is going to create technology that can actually hold a conversation with you to better understand how to help. A lot of that help will be completed by the AI quickly and effortlessly – no more waiting 30 minutes to speak with a human.
When you do need human support, that team member will likely be empowered with a Generative AI solution that provides them with all of the data, processes and answers they need to help you out. Further, the AI will be ‘listening’ to the call and automating some actions while you talk. For example, resetting your password in the background while the human talks to you, because it knows that is what you want.
Want a full transcription of the call emailed to you? AI will do that within minutes of the call ending, including a summary of what actions were promised for you to track!
AI will drive the era of true personalisation (finally)
Most of us, at one time or another, have just felt like customer number 7,853 rather than an individual person. AI will significantly change all that.
AI will be able to bring together all of the company’s data about you to personalise how it provides experiences to you. Do you prefer to call or email or WhatsApp or visit in-store? Do you prefer a more formal tone of communication or are you ok with a relaxed tone? Do you like emojis or not? And the list goes on.
So now you get personally curated communication that is aware of the products you like, how you like to purchase them, what makes you buy, what makes you complain and a myriad of other information. True mass personalisation to make you feel like you are the only customer they have.
Much more to unpack in all this but suffice to say, AI is going to have a huge impact on Customer Experiences.
How will you use AI ??
By Simon Kriss, Chief Innovation Officer, Customer Experience Innovation Institute
About the author
Simon Kriss is the author of “The AI Empowered Customer Experience” and hosts a podcast on CX and innovation. Simon is a customer experience futurologist who is an in-demand advisor and industry commentator, as well as a highly acclaimed public speaker.
Simon’s book is available at: https://www.amazon.com.au/dp/B0C9SBNW3N
