4 technologies that are transforming customer service

81% of companies are competing on the basis of how well their customer service is. This is why providing excellent customer service belongs at the top of every company's priority list. Customer expectations are rising, and customers expect companies to provide customer service that is on par with current technological advancements. In order for businesses to stand out against their competitors, here are 4 technologies they should implement to ensure results.

Customer expectations for quick response times are a growing concern for businesses, making smart chatbots an important element in business strategies. Chatbots utilize artificial intelligence (AI) to improve the customer service experience and the customer buying experience by providing customers 24 hour access for simple requests. By 2021, it is predicted that 15% of all customer service interactions will be handled by AI, an increase of 400% from 2017. Chatbots are a growing trend in customer service, and younger customers especially prefer online chat conversations to phone calls or in-person interactions. At the same time, chatbots are not right for every company; many people are still mistrustful of chatbots and would prefer to talk to a human, so this is not a substitute for human employees but rather a supplement.

The human touch as a part of the customer buying journey is still an important element. A way of ensuring this is for businesses to incorporate live chat, an online chat where customers can talk to a human agent instead of AI. Live chat is a good option for customers who don’t wish to speak to someone on the phone but still want their questions to be addressed by a human. It is also more convenient than emailing which requires both parties to email back and forth often leading to a long string of emails before arriving at a solution. A live chat can be on the company’s own website, but companies are also investing more in applications such as WhatsApp and Facebook Messenger to facilitate communication through platforms their customers are already familiar with. 

Speech recognition technology such as voice-recognition bots are designed to converse with humans over the phone by interpreting spoken phrases and responding appropriately using a number of pre-programmed responses. They can also guide customers to relevant web pages, repeat frequently asked questions to customers, and if necessary, redirect phone calls to a human agent. This technology provides convenience and accessibility to more people such as vision-impaired customers who are able to contact companies without using a keyboard or touchscreen. With the rising prevalence of voice recognition assistants such as Alexa, Siri and other competitors, customers enjoy the excitement of such a new innovation an

Augmented reality (AR) is an innovative technology that is transforming customer service. Customer service can use AR to create visual walkthroughs for troubleshooting. Using AR, customers can see step-by-step instructions on their device’s screen and overlay this image onto physical objects or digital applications. AR blends well with customers’ growing preference for self-service options and makes it easier for customers to resolve issues on their own before calling a customer service agent. 75% of customers think self-help is more convenient to resolve simple issues, and 67% of customers preferred self-help tool over agents support, demonstrating the need for companies to innovate in these areas.

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