When TF Is The Right Time To Implement an AI Agent?

McKay Borbon | Content Marketing Manager

If you’re reading this, odds are you’re interested in leveraging an AI Agent to level up your CX. You may even be seeking out solutions and taking those first steps towards implementation.

✋ Hold up! Before investing time and resources into any new technology, it’s important to determine if it’s the right solution for your business and confirm you’re set up to maximize the benefits. An AI Agent is no different. Ensuring your service organization is actually ready for an AI Agent is essential to achieving the results you’re looking for.

Is My Business Ready For an AI Agent?

So how TF do you know when it’s the right time for your business to implement an AI Agent?

Below are some of the top signs that your service org is ready and set-up to maximize the benefits of an AI Agent.

5 Signs Your Customer Service Will Benefit From an AI Agent

1. You need to scale your support

Customer service is hard enough as is, but major hypergrowth, seasonal rushes, unprecedented influxes, and day-to-day ticket fluctuations bring on a multitude of challenges that put the quality of your support at risk. The reality is that most support teams don’t have the bandwidth to keep up when ticket volumes spike.

While human agents have a ticket capacity, an AI Agent does not. It is capable of handling high volumes of tickets with consistency and ease; responding just as quickly to 1,000 tickets as it does to ten. With the ability to scale, an AI Agent creates elasticity and increases brands’ ability to support more inbound customer requests without sacrificing the quality of service - even when there is a huge influx in tickets.

2. You have a high volume of tier 1 customer support tickets

Tier 1 tickets, such as order tracking or account-related inquiries, are ideal for AI because they can be handled with speed and precision. On the other hand, if you only have a few Tier-one tickets a day, an AI Agent might not offer as much noticeable relief.

3. You have high volumes of repetitive

ticket types

Repetitive tickets-types are perfect for an AI Agent: it can manage them with consistency and ease. The best part? It reduces pressure and repetitive strain on your human support staff; allowing them to dedicate more time towards building relationships with customers and resolving more particular and satisfying queries.

When agents can focus more on what they do best, it not only elevates the quality of service but also reduces the risk of burnout.

4. Your agents are overwhelmed

Speaking of burnout… How is your support team doing? Are they inundated with support tickets? Are stress levels high?

Final-Pain-Scale-2

When agents burn out, they’re more likely to get frustrated, make mistakes, and take longer to resolve queries. Not to mention, burnout leads to churn which is costly and also impacts the quality of support your business is able to provide. An AI Agent helps to alleviate pressure on agents while ensuring customers are receiving the quick and accurate service they demand.

5. You’re excited about what an AI Agent can do for your business

Like any technology implementation, willingness is essential for long-term success. The more you are willing to opt-in, the more you’ll get out of an AI Agent, and the more your CX will improve!

6 Signs Your Customer Service is Set Up For an AI Agent

1. You have a helpdesk software

With a helpdesk in place, AI offers both speed and precision for resolutions. If you do not yet have a helpdesk, it’s a step you’ll want to take before starting the AI implementation process.

2. Your primary support channel is email, live chat, voice, SMS, in-app, or social media

Thankful’s AI Agent works across all written communication channels. If your primary support channel is text-based or your business’ average monthly non-voice ticket volume is 10k+, then you’ll be more likely to maximize the benefits of an AI Agent.

3. Your data is structured, up-to-date, and accessible

If the answers to your customers’ problems are written on scraps of paper or exist as a PDF, then an AI Agent will not be as useful. The data must be up-to-date and stored in a database that is accessible to vendors via API or webhooks.

4. You offer or are considering offering 24/7/365 support

With an AI Agent, customers can receive quick one-on-one support no matter the day or time - even when your human agents are off the clock. By offering 24/7/365 support, you’ll get even more out of your AI Agent’s capabilities.

5. Your policies are standardized

It is imperative to have standard procedures for handling customer issues. Without established protocols, an AI Agent will not be able to function effectively.

6. Your policies are customer-centric

The most advanced AI solutions will align response-flows to your brand and policies. Before starting the process, take a deep look at your policies and ensure they are meeting your customers’ needs. The more customer-centric your policies are, the happier your customers will be.

Now back to your question: when TF is it the right time to implement an AI Agent?

If your business meets the AI Agent readiness requirements 👉 It’s go time!

If your business has yet to meet the readiness requirements 👉 While you’re not quite ready to cross the finish line, the good news is that you’re heading in the right direction! To keep moving forward, follow the steps outlined in the AI Readiness Playbook and track your progress with the AI Readiness Checklist.

The benefits of an AI Agent are high: improved customer satisfaction, greater consistency, and reduced costs. Implementing an AI Agent when your business is ready, has a clear plan, and the right AI partner, will ensure you reap all the rewards.

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Topics: Blog, Customer Service, Artificial Intelligence

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