For any business to truly thrive in the modern age, it must deliver a well-crafted and personalized customer experience. To do otherwise is to let the business be rebuked and lost in a sea of competition. Fortunately, modern tools are making it easier than ever to deliver the type of experience that customers expect.
More specifically, AI capabilities not only enable a higher level of personalized customer service but also provide a competitive edge, empowering businesses to stand out in the market. Let’s examine some of AI’s incredible customer service capabilities and how businesses currently use it.
How AI Tools Can Personalize Customer Experience
So, how exactly does a business employ AI to improve the customer experience? Well, there are certainly more ways than one. These include:
History-based assistance.
AI tools and bots can help deliver customer assistance based on their previous behaviors or inquiries. Say a customer purchased a particular product and is now seeking technical assistance.
AI can detect the customer’s product history and a general line of questioning to determine whether they are seeking help with a particular product. It can then direct them to the appropriate technical page or a live agent if further assistance is required.
Cross-channel attention.
With multichannel and omnichannel strategies becoming more commonplace, it is vital for businesses to be able to deliver a consistent level of personalization and service across all channels. Fortunately, AI tools make this a much simpler prospect.
Take Macy’s for example, which employs a smart assistant called Macy’s on Call that shoppers can pull up on their phone within the store. The digital assistant will ask customers questions to determine relevant recommendations and direct them to items within the store. Moreover, the assistant can detect whether the customer is becoming upset or frustrated and then notify a human associate to help.
Relevant shopping experiences.
One of the most powerful abilities of AI tools is their ability to deliver a more relevant shopping experience. AI now has the power to evaluate a customer’s general purchase interests and history to deliver them more relevant offers and products. Moreover, some companies, such as KFC, take this a step further.
KFC collaborated with Baidu, a Chinese search engine company, to employ facial recognition for better order recommendations. The system will recommend menu items based on people’s detected age range and mood. For instance, a young adult man may be suggested a chicken sandwich, while a middle-aged woman may be recommended healthier menu options.
These are only a few of the powerful ways that AI tools can be used to provide more personalized customer experiences.
How Businesses are Employing Conversational AI for Customer Experience
The examples mentioned above are far from the only way businesses are elevating the customer experience using AI. In fact, there are now numerous companies using conversational AI in innovative ways that truly personalize shopping experiences, including the following.
- UnitedHealth Group: UHG is a well-known health insurance provider and a leader in AI use within the industry. They employ a virtual assistant called AVA, which can help customers with benefit questions, route calls to appropriate departments, and even recommend cost-saving measures and wellness programs.
- HSBC (Bank): HSBC is one of the first banks to truly begin embracing AI tools more. They launched an AI chatbot called Sympricot that offers assistance with foreign exchange (FX) options. It analyzes market pricing, liquidity, and color to deliver analytics, volatility charting, and more.
The Future of AI Customer Experiences
Realistically, AI is still in a relatively infant stage. While it has come a long way in the last few years, it will only continue to improve. In turn, AI tools will be able to deliver an even more personalized shopping experience to retail customers. Companies that don’t begin to embrace the level of personalization and cost-effective measures of AI will likely begin to find themselves outpaced by those that do.
