What are the first things that come to mind when hearing the term ‘artificial intelligence’?
Thoughts may veer to the ominous HAL in 2001: A Space Odyssey, and many people veer that way. And yet, there is the opinion that it’s a mistake for small business owners to avoid investing at least a little bit of time and money in AI. It’s a trend that’s here to stay.
That’s not to say that there aren’t some potential downsides to using AI. The most natural application of the technology for small business owners is a chatbot that can augment and improve customer service. That means the bot would be interacting directly with customers.
This may be a little nerve-racking, but there are some serious benefits to using AI to go along with the risks. It’s important to understand both, so an informed decision about whether AI is a worthwhile investment for a business can be made.
The Pros of AI
Beginning with good news, finding ways to have artificial intelligence interact directly with customers can offer some big rewards. Here’s what important to know.
No Holidays or Time Off
The first plus of using AI for customer service is that AI isn’t human and doesn’t need time off. It can be available to customers around the clock, 365 days a year. If a customer needs help, a chatbot or virtual assistant can be there to offer it.
In the long run, money can be saved on customer service because a chatbot can be programmed to handle a high volume of incoming requests and there won’t be a need to pay it a salary or benefits.
No Human Error
Another big benefit of incorporating AI into customer service is that it can eliminate human error when programmed properly and make customer interactions completely consistent across the board. That means no more flustered employees or inaccurate responses.
Even the best employee can be forgetful or have a bad day. A chatbot won’t have a bad day because they’re not programmed to have one. Now it can be a sure thing that every customer who uses the chatbot will get the same professional, accurate information, every time.
Data Collection
Arguably the biggest positive associated with using artificial intelligence is that it can help collect accurate and actionable data from customers in real time. Since traditional customer research can take a huge amount of time, this is a huge plus and one that can definitely be taken advantage of.
Learning which issues are causing trouble for customers, like which products they like the most, and at what times they’re most likely to buy. Using the data collected to improve the programming of the chatbots and make customer service even better than it already is can also be done.
Brand Personality
What’s a brand’s personality? Whether formal or casual, funny or low-key, AI solutions can be programmed with the language and personality that fits an individual brand. Since it can be difficult to screen employees and figure out how they’ll cope in a high-pressure situation, chatbots can be a good way to even things out.
The beauty of AI programming is that variety and personality in with the right scriptwriters and programmers can be built. Though it may be tricky imagining a chatbot with personality, it can be quite the surprise to know how much can be done with good programming.
These benefits are no joke. Properly designed and programmed chatbots can help elevate customer service, build loyalty, and increase sales.
The Cons of AI
The pros are undeniable, but what are the downsides of having AI interact with customers? There are several, and not surprisingly, they correlate with the pros already mentioned.
Round the Clock Monitoring
The first potential downside is related to the 24/7 nature of chatbots. A chatbot, even a well-programmed one, can’t handle ever potential customer problem. Part of proper chatbot programming is making sure that the bot knows when and how to get human assistance.
Reading between the lines, then, there’s a need to have a human agent on call to back up the chatbot. This means human support and people who are willing to be on call even after hours.
Lack of Improvisation
Chatbot programming can do a lot – but it can’t do everything. In fact, one of the biggest downsides of using AI for customer service is that AI can’t improvise. It can only do what it’s been programmed to do.
In nine out of ten cases, that’s probably going to be fine. But what happens if a customer isn’t fluent in English or asks a question in a way that’s unfamiliar to the bot? It becomes a must to be prepared for the likelihood that some customers, some of the time, will find dealing with a bot to be frustrating.
Data Theft
The fact that AI can collect data and that can be a huge benefit has been defined. But, of course, any time data is collected there also must be store data – and that can leave things in a vulnerable state to hackers.
This isn’t really a downside so much as it is a warning. If chatbots are being used for a business, make sure to take appropriate security measures and use encryption to protect valuable data.
AI Manipulation
The final potential downside is the sort of worst-case scenario that we all think of when we think of AI. It’s that a bad actor could find a way to manipulate the chatbots or virtual agents to make them work in a way that is contrary to interests.
Some manipulations may be relatively harmless, but the danger is that, since chatbots use machine learning to improve their performance, they may pick up bad habits from some users. Being prepared to be on the lookout for problems and correct them immediately is key.
You’re not hiring HAL…
Using AI to interact with customers can do a great deal to help a business grow. The key is to put yourself in a position to reap the benefits while also protecting yourself from the potential downsides associated with AI.