Don’t base your AI decision making on a world of imagination

As the latest shiny new toy and cross-industry cure-all, businesses are rushing to incorporate artificial intelligence (AI) into their operations. As with all new tech, however, there have been both leaders and laggards in its deployment and they have captured the media's attention by displaying some of the best and worst of how this seemingly revolutionary tech can be applied.

In a showcase of how clever utilization of AI can improve efficiency, Amazon Web Services (AWS) embraced generative AI to help its customer service team provide best-in-class and speedy responses to customer queries. Through its new ‘Amazon Q in Connect’, service agents are given suggested replies and actions in real-time to live customer inquiries. With quick and helpful support options, AWS speeds up its customer service process while keeping agents in the picture for the human-touch and oversight.

However, the story is not always so sweet because some brands are bringing AI into their processes without doing their due diligence.

Organizers of the now notorious Glasgow Willy Wonka experience used generative AI to create marketing materials, however the reality of the children’s experience was a long way from what those images promised. As a result, the experience was labeled a ‘farce’, mocked online, and left disappointed families demanding refunds.

Both stories give insight into how implementing AI into your business can lead to dramatic results, whether these are good or bad depends on where it’s utilized, and how its involvement is tested.

With this in mind, what are the actions or preventive measures businesses can take to ensure that they are using AI to its many advantages, rather than over-promising and falling short?

Understanding where AI serves your customers’ needs

To get the most out of AI, the first step is understanding where this technology can be best deployed. This involves a clear-eyed assessment of any weaknesses and strengths, to see whether AI could actually improve your current offering. AI can be a great way to refine or polish part of a company's customer experience, but it should be implemented appropriately.

Regularly testing AI-assisted elements of your customer experience is key to ensure that your end users are indeed benefitting from its use, that it fits with the rest of your brand offering and isn't there just for the gimmick, or as a shortcut. Regular feedback can give valuable insight into how customers are feeling about any change or new launch in the business. This is particularly necessary when entering a new playing field, such as the incorporation of AI.

For example, if the Willy Wonka Experience had tested its event approach, it would have found that its use of AI generated marketing materials could not possibly live up to the resources available, and therefore the expectations it had set for itself, and that a new approach was needed to avoid complaints.

This disconnect is a classic example of the perils of choosing style over substance; the incorporation of AI elements did nothing to add to the overall experience.

One of the most important things is understanding your business and your customers, and being able to identify where there is room for improvement. Simply using AI on everything from event flyers to scripts, as the Willy Wonka event appears to have done in its promotion strategy, led to an over-promise and under delivery for customers, resulting in a negative impact on brand reputation.

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Don’t rely on AI alone

AI is a powerful tool that can be used to enhance a company's processes, spark creativity, or tailor CX. However, as we have seen, retaining a human element is essential when using any new technology to mitigate risks and make any necessary adjustments.

This human intervention is essential when using AI for customer service, as anyone who has been frustrated by a chatbot will know. Having a human there to guide the interaction or take over when the limits of AI are reached, especially in complex situations, helps the business stay efficient while keeping customers happy. You want AI to supercharge the existing customer service process, rather than supersede it.

I think many of the frustrations users feel with AI can be attributed to times it has been deployed solely for business convenience or cost-efficiency, rather than to fill an identified need or improve CX. There seem to be more and more examples of AI being used where it was not necessary or helpful, much to the frustration of end users.

Ensuring that AI is used in addition to rather than in-place of human creativity and customer service, and never allowing it to operate without significant oversight, is key to avoiding potential complications.

At the end of the day, no matter how useful you feel the implementation of AI could be to your business, the ultimate arbitrator of whether it’s for better or for worse will be your customers. Speaking to them before implementing sweeping changes, then continuing to put your AI to the test on a vigorous and ongoing basis with human testers is the only way to ensure it works well and adds value to your customer experiences.

As we have seen, providing negative customer experiences in the name of cost savings, or to be seen adopting this technology faster than competitors, can have drastic consequences on reputation.

Like all technology, AI is not a gimmick. It takes careful consideration of the value it offers for your particular business, and time to test your customers' thoughts as you approach any changes.

Ensure the human element is still clear even when you do utilize AI elements, and you can make sure that you are providing the customer experience of dreams, rather than a dystopian future of ineffectual AI chatbots or dubious generated imagery.

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