Enhancing the User Experience of AI for Customer Service Success

?? Welcome to #GetUX 22, where we discuss about how to enhance the user experience of AI for customer service success.

Customer service is often the first touchpoint where businesses aim to build trust and loyalty. And yet, a lot of experience that customers experience is not ideal: plagued with long wait times, unhelpful responses, and inconsistent service. These all leave users frustrated and ready to abandon a brand altogether.

The stakes are even higher for companies adopting artificial intelligence in their customer service. Poorly designed customer-facing AI-tools that fail to understand user needs or deliver impersonal interactions risk doing more harm than good to the company.

Consider these statistics: a survey by Five9 reveals that 75% of consumers prefer human interaction for customer support over AI-powered solutions. 56% of them find AI service bots frustrating and 48% don't even trust them. Another study by SurveyMonkey indicates that 61% of consumers believe humans understand their needs better than AI.

On the other hand, companies have seen many benefits from the use of artificial intelligence in customer service contexts. HubSpot revealed that 92% of companies using AI reported improved response times and 83% found it easier to address customer requests. Tidio noted that 80% of customers who interacted with AI-driven customer service solutions had a positive experience.

The key lies in how the artificial intelligence help is designed. Designing in a customer-obsessed manner is strategic in this regard. So, how can a business improve both their customer service satisfaction and use AI in a strategic way? Here are some tips.

Focus on user interaction

Prioritizing user interaction is always the foundation of good user experience anywhere. Here, in this context, the prioritization of user interaction begins by understanding that users value solutions that are easy to navigate and provide clear and meaningful responses. More complex features — that are unnecessary to the user's goal — should be deferred for later.

Another important aspect is accessibility. AI systems must be easily accessible: it must be able to accommodate a wide range of users, including those with disabilities. Features such as screen reader compatibility, voice command options, and adaptable font sizes can make a significant difference in how customers access, and perceive, the software solution.

Personalize responsibly

Highly personalized customer experiences are always great, but this power must be wielded responsibly. At its best, personalization can make interactions feel more human by tailoring responses and recommendations to individual user preferences. On the other hand, over-personalization — such as suggesting too many specific options — can overwhelm users.

Responsible personalization begins with user consent and transparency, over how the data is collected is used. Customers are always more likely to trust AI systems, and all apps in general, when they feel in control of their personal information. Give them options to opt in or out of data collection and specify how the information will enhance their experiences.

It's important to balance this personalization. This balance enables companies using AI to enhance user satisfaction while avoiding the pitfalls of intrusive and excessive customization.

Design seamless human handoffs

While powerful, AI tools have limitations. There will always be instances where human intervention is necessary, perhaps to resolve more complex or sensitive customer issues. These abound — aside from the basic, frequently asked questions that are therefore easily answered. For example, banking chatbots should be able to recognize a complicated query.

The customer-facing AI systems must be able to retain and transfer the conversation's context to avoid requiring users to reiterate the information. This transition should also be clearly communicated by informing the users that they are being connected to a human agent and how long it might take.

Not only is this beneficial for trust for the AI system, but it also shows respect. Respect for the user's time and their patience.

Calibrate trust through transparency

In everyday human interaction, trust is important. The same is true in interactions between humans and computers: it is a cornerstone of ethical and effective AI design in customer experience. Users should always be able to know when they're communicating with an AI or a human. A chatbot should always be clearly labeled "AI assistant".

Equally important is to explain the reasoning behind AI decisions. If the customer is offered a specific solution or recommendation, it helps to provide a brief explanation to make users feel more confident in the AI's actions. For example, include the wording "This recommendation is based on your recent purchases" if you're designing an e-commerce app.

Transparency also extends to data usage. They should be informed about what data the AI is collecting. Also, how it is being used to improve their experience. Add also privacy settings that allow users to feel in control of their personal data. These steps should help the user foster a positive relationship with the AI service.

Anticipate future needs

AI evolves rapidly. In the past few years alone, there has been a significant leap between the first iterations of ChatGPT and the next one.

It's essential to design for today's needs, but a forward-thinking company need to also design for tomorrow. Conversational interfaces, proactive assistance, and an emotionally-sensitive AI can help position businesses as leaders in innovation.

This also means designing systems that are scalable and flexible. Besides helping the user for having the service available most of the time, this should also be the goal of companies — easy adaptation, without requiring complete overhaul. In this way, companies can ensure their AI tools remain relevant and effective in the long term.

Conclusion

The integration of AI with customer service may prove beneficial for companies and customers, but customers still look at AI-helped customer service systems with a suspicious eye. Help them trust the systems with better design. This can be achieved by focusing on user interaction, personalizing responsibly, designing seamless human handoffs, calibrating trust through transparency, and by anticipating future needs of the users.

Maturis is a UI/UX design studio geared towards making better #ArtificialIntelligence apps. Get in touch with us through LinkedIn Messages to take your idea to the next level!

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