What You Need To Know About Empathy-Driven Service and AI

McKay Borbon | Content Marketing Manager

"I've learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel."

- Maya Angelou

It’s no longer enough just to answer a customer inquiry. To meet today's service standards, you need to show the customer that you understand how they’re feeling. That’s why 70% of the customer’s journey is based on how the customer feels they’re being treated.

Customers want to feel valued and cared for, especially if they’re doing business with you through your website or app. They need to feel a sense of humanity behind the screen.

Many companies are already providing personalized experiences via AI and business intelligence software. After all, high-tech doesn’t have to mean a lack of human touch.

5 ways AI automation delivers empathy-driven service at scale:

1. Seeing Customers As People, Not Tickets

Customers want to be seen as individuals, not just another support query. In fact, 84% of customers are more likely to continue doing business with you if they're treated like a person, rather than a ticket. It's easy for agents to become overwhelmed when they're inundated with requests, especially repetitive tasks. Because of the scale that AI can work at, certain AI systems are able to maintain the viewpoint that each request is from a human.

2. Understand What Customers Want

The most advanced AI is capable of going beyond surface-level intent to understand what customers want as well as their reasons, motivations, and mood. Recognizing and applying this information helps both AI agents and human agents to provide more compassionate support.

Thankful's AI uses best-in-class Natural Language Processing to achieve a level of nuanced understanding that isn't possible with self or brand-trained systems. When your business understands what your customers want, you can deliver the service they need.

3. Human-Like Experience

The right AI automation technologies use response flows and language that leave customers feeling like they're speaking to a human. It provides all the benefits of AI automation - shortened wait times, accuracy, 24/7 support, and more - without losing that human touch.

4. Personalization

Personalization is a key component to providing empathy-driven service. The more personalized a service interaction is, the more a customer feels cared for. When trained, AI is capable of retaining knowledge and utilizing it to tailor responses that are personal and relevant to each individual customer.

5. Free Up Agents To Do What They Do Best

Support teams have a challenging job. Tending to large quantities of incoming tickets can be stressful and emotionally draining. AI automation alleviates this pressure on your agents, allowing them to focus their time and energy towards providing empathetic interactions for more complex issues or frustrated customers.

Empathy-driven experiences lead to increased customer engagement. A Gallup survey found that customers are nine times more likely to be highly engaged when they receive empathetic customer support. Empathy within your CS and AI systems is a necessary path to securing your customer base both today and in the long run.

Learn more about empathy in customer service, the rise of AI, and other emerging CX trends when you download your free copy of The Future of Customer Service Report.

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