Making AI Accessible to the Supply Chain: Improving Customer Service

There are several manufacturers and distributors in the supply chain that are adopting AI as a mainstream technology for their business and anticipate it will deliver more efficient processes. But what about those of you who haven’t yet?

In my experience, part of the hesitation is needing to know where to begin, or even where AI can help your specific company. My goal with this series, “Making AI Accessible to the Supply Chain,” is to share a variety of specific examples of how AI can quickly impact your ability to manage and grow your company.

How AI Improves Customer Service

Artificial Intelligence (AI) in customer service is not a new concept. The first chatbot, named ELIZA was an intelligent assistant that helped doctors treat their patients back in the 1960s. We’ve come a long way since then.

AI and machine learning now allow companies to rely on predictive data about what their customers are looking for - maybe even before those same customers know what they want - and create a personalized customer experience that guides them proactively.??

The insights and recommendations AI provides give companies the ability to construct customer personas to track and manage all of the steps of the customer’s buying journey. AI evaluates customer behavioral patterns over time, synthesizing real-time data across all customer interactions, even post-sale, to highlight changes in the behavior. Importantly, since AI can flag these changes as they happen, the AI can alert account managers and recommend that they take action. This can include personalized support via live chat, follow-up on expected orders that haven’t materialized, or even proactively alerting a customer to fulfillment delays.?

Although AI must collect data from every touchpoint, correlate it, and compare it to trends to provide predictive insights,? it’s important to note that AI is working continuously to support human teams to focus on the more complex cases to develop and nurture customer satisfaction. This is a great example of how AI helps existing employees do their jobs more effectively and efficiently.?

I’d like to hear what you think. Have you adopted AI for your company yet?? You can connect with me directly or comment below.?