How AI And ChatGPT Can Crush Customer Service

First, let’s define the word crush as it is used in this context. AI and ChatGPT won’t crush, as in destroy or eliminate customer service as we know it. They will crush it, as in “knock it out of the park,” and improve the customer experience beyond anything we’ve experienced before.

AI, machine learning, NLP (natural language processing) and other forms of automated self-service have been steadily improving over the years. By the way, NLP is a fancy term that means the computer has the ability to talk to you in your language, the same way you would talk to a friend. In addition to these, in November 2022, along came ChatGPT, which is merging AI and NLP to levels we thought were only possible in the distant future. Well, the future is now, and, used the right way, the new way we’ll communicate with customers is taking a huge step forward.

When it comes to customer support, AI has typically been associated with self-service and automated support. The best customer support departments have created intuitive self-service solutions that help customers get answers to basic or recurring questions. This allows agents to focus on more complex and challenging issues. In the perfect customer support world, everyone is happy. The customer gets answers without calling a company, waiting on hold and spending unnecessary time on a frequently asked question or common problem. The agents are happy because they get to focus on supporting customers and building relationships at a higher level.

And what is getting many contact center and customer experience professionals excited is that AI is not just being used to support customers, but also to support agents. Rather than agents spending time looking up answers, the AI ChatGPT platform is programmed to give them the information they need in the fastest possible time. In other words, it makes an agent’s life easier.

However, I’ve been reading articles and listening to agents concerned about losing their jobs. Yes, some jobs will be replaced or displaced, which is part of any progress. But, as a general rule, AI, ChatGPT and other automated or self-service support platforms will not eliminate customer support agents’ jobs.

In 1981 MTV broadcast its first music video, “Video Killed the Radio Star” by the Buggles. It’s been more than 40 years, and obviously, music on radio and streaming platforms is doing better than ever. And in 1967, Barclays Bank in England unveiled the first ATM. Customers loved it, and many in the banking industry thought a bank teller’s job would disappear. When’s the last time you walked into a bank? I’ll bet you noticed a teller behind the counter. The point is that innovation in any form, and in this case, AI and ChatGPT’s use in the contact center, doesn’t necessarily mean jobs will disappear.

Staying with the MTV and ATM examples, if you were a musician, even though you record music and hope it plays on the radio, Spotify, iTunes, etc., it’s still a good idea to create a music video as part of your marketing mix. And if you worked at a bank that didn’t have ATMs so customers could get cash outside of banking hours and at more convenient locations, it wouldn’t be long before customers would become frustrated and switch to a bank with ATMs.

Our customer service and CX research found that 81% of American consumers in 2023 said the phone was their preferred communication channel when reaching out to a company; however, 70% use self-service tools to answer questions or handle issues before contacting a live customer service agent. While it may not be their first choice, customers are willing to use self-service tools. And with AI and ChatGPT getting better at communicating with customers, that number will grow.

When we asked respondents what customer service experiences they thought would be essential in the next three to five years, the No. 1 response (53%) was 24/7 availability. In addition, 33% of the customers surveyed said they want intuitive self-service options that allow for easy, quick access to information and answers. The easiest way to meet these customers’ expectations is with self-service, specifically with AI/ChatGPT-infused chatbot technology. It never sleeps.

All that said, customers expect they will be able to move to online chat with a live agent when they need it. I’ve preached for years that although you may want your customers to use self-service options, you must always give them a quick, convenient connection to a live agent when needed.

Back to the point of this article, the future of customer service is strong. Innovative technologies will create a better customer experience. Compared to the “old days” (just last year), this new technology will help companies and brands “crush” customer service. But always keep this in mind:

The greatest technology in the world hasn’t replaced the ultimate relationship-building tool between a customer and a business: the human touch.

Shep Hyken is a customer service and customer experience expert, keynote speaker, and New York Times bestselling business author. Learn more about Shep's virtual training programs and follow #ShepHyken for more insights on customer service and experience.

This article was originally published on Forbes.com.

Check out Shep's latest research in his Achieving Customer Amazement Study, Sponsored by Five9.