Key Signs Your Customer Service Is Ready for AI

AI is a game-changer in the customer service world. It provides faster responses that are still personalized, and eases the workload of human agents — freeing them up to manage more complex cases.

But is your customer service ready for AI? Below are indicators of whether your organization is ready for AI, and signs that it’s not.

8 Signs Your Customer Service Is Ready for AI

1. Your policies are standardized

It’s imperative to have standard procedures for handling common customer issues in order to implement AI. For example, if a customer reports a problem with a package that never arrived, there should be a protocol. With established methods, AI can follow them. But if your agents handle issues on a case-by-case basis with custom-fit policies, AI won’t be able to function well.

2. You have high volumes of repetitive tasks

You need a big enough problem for AI to solve and consistent responses with which to help solve it. Repetitive ticket-like tasks are perfect for AI — it can manage them much faster than humans. The best part? AI doesn’t get burnt out or frustrated like agents. AI can tackle large volumes, giving customers speedy, accurate service 24/7.

Common examples of repetitive inquiries include shipping and return questions, technical issues like password problems, and responses to website bugs. If you have plenty of these tasks (hundreds or thousands a day), AI will breathe fresh air into your customer service.

3. You already leverage self-service tools

Do you leverage self-service tools for customers to find answers? Do you have a robust FAQ library? With these fundamentals in place, it’s easier for AI to boost these efforts and provide customers with quick answers.

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4. Your agents are overwhelmed with inquiries

When your agents get burnt out, they’re more likely to get frustrated, make mistakes, and be less empathetic toward customers. And it might also take longer to respond to customer inquiries — increasing wait times and frustration for customers.

AI can help ease the load of your customer service agents. Not only can it help staff feel less overwhelmed, but it also gives your customers the quick responses they desire.

5. You have a high volume of tier-one customer support requests

Tier-one customer requests are ideal for AI because they can handle them quickly and precisely. Your agents can work through more complicated asks or empathize with an upset customer. On the other hand, if you only have a few tier-one issues a day, AI won’t offer much noticeable relief.

6. Your incoming volume rate spikes or plummets inconsistently

If your incoming support requests soar during certain times, it can be challenging for your agents to keep up. If numbers plummet, your agents sit there without work to do. AI helps by scaling to volume naturally. It responds just as quickly to 1,000 cases as it does to ten.

Implementing AI for these scenarios reduces waste and gives your customers a consistent experience. No matter when they contact you, they’ll see a similar response time. With consistent experiences, customers are happier (increasing CSAT scores) and business keeps trucking along.

7. Your data is structured and accessible

AI will not be that useful if the answer to your customer’s problem is written on scraps of paper or exists as a warehouse PDF. The data has to be accessible via API or webhooks.

8. There is a source of truth to solve the customer’s problem

Your data not only has to be accessible, but there also has to be a source of truth for the AI to reference. If nothing in your system holds the answer to the customer’s question, then AI is stuck with the same problem as your human agents. For instance, if you’re in the dress rental business but have no idea when a customer will return a dress, no AI will help. There has to be a source of data-based truth for the AI to access.

4 Signs You’re Not Ready for AI

Identifying that your organization isn’t right for AI can save you valuable time and resources. From looking at your processes to the size of your business, here are the key signs that AI isn’t your best solution — at least not right now.

1. You don’t have standard processes to govern ticket resolution

If you don’t have customer service procedures in place, AI won’t be able to help resolve issues. You need to have set methods for AI to follow. A guidebook for AI is an essential first step, just as it is for scaling any human organization or hiring a BPO.

2. Your agents treat customers inconsistently

If your agents offer solutions based on a feeling or other nebulous factor, it’s an impossible process for AI to emulate. While individual treatment of customer requests sounds nice, massive time is required and inconsistency becomes a problem for customer satisfaction. For instance, if you refund a customer who seems angry but not to customers who remain calm, customers won’t get the same experience every time — they can no longer rely on your brand’s approach. Plus, AI won’t be able to determine when to give a refund or when not to.

3. Your customer service team is small

AI is great for larger teams and incoming volumes. AI probably isn’t necessary if you’re a small team or don’t have a team that requires demand.

Some good questions to ask yourself: Do you have three or more dedicated agents? Do you have a help desk? Do you have a few hundred (or thousand) incoming requests a day? These are signs that AI could help. If you answered “no” to these questions, AI isn’t the solution you need yet.

4. You don’t have help desk software

Help desk software allows customers and staff to communicate about problems and questions. It helps manage customer inquiries from beginning to end. With this system in place, AI offers both speed and precision for resolutions. If you don’t have helpdesk software, it’s a step you’ll want to take before implementing AI, and it probably means you don’t have a big enough problem to solve just yet.

As with deploying any technology, knowing if AI is the right avenue before taking the plunge is important. Still unsure? Schedule a free demo to determine if AI is right for you.

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