Automation of business processes is often perceived by company leaders as a “magic pill” that can significantly increase sales and reduce costs. But often the result is exactly the opposite: annoyed customers, one after another, go to competitors. Why is this happening and what technologies pose risks to business?
Helpdesk automation
Competent use of chatbots frees up employees’ time and increases customer loyalty. But it is far from always possible to maintain a balance of automation and train AI comprehensively. As a result, customers, annoyed by prolonged and useless communication with the robot, refuse the company’s services. A tool that was supposed to facilitate work and bring profit creates additional problems.
The main reasons for the ineffectiveness of chatbots are:
- Misunderstanding emotions. The robot does not see that the person is angry because of the unresolved problem, and continues to give template advice, which further annoys the client.
- Lack of flexibility. If the chatbot does not know the command with a specific request, it will not be able to answer it. For example, a buyer of an online store wants to know more about fabric textures, but the robot was not provided with this information. As a result, the user leaves the site and goes to another resource.
- Inability to invite a consultant. Not all companies leave a button to call the operator. The client has to “convince” the bot for a long time so that it redirects the request to the employee.
Business leaders forget that the bot algorithm operates only within the framework of a given program. People should solve non-standard customer requests, so completely giving support to robots is a mistake that can be expensive.
Personal data leak
AI has long been engaged in the collection, systematization and analysis of user data. But this approach often leads to a database leak when using an unprotected Internet connection or computer. It is enough just to register on the company’s website so that after a while a person starts receiving calls and messages with promotional offers.
This “transparency” annoys users. The need to provide personal data repels and forces to look for other sources of goods and services where confidential information is not required.
AI errors
Artificial intelligence can also be wrong. The most “innocent” is to call the client by another name in the correspondence. Sometimes a glitch in the system leads to incorrect ordering, confusion in delivery and other serious problems. If employees don’t monitor and correct AI errors in a timely manner, consumer complaints avalanche.
Approaches to help companies avoid “automation with a trick ” and improve customer experience
First of all, it is important for managers to understand that automation is not about “firing everyone.” Technology should make work easier and free up time for more important tasks, not replace people.
In the case of chatbots, at the start of communication, it is necessary to give the client a channel to communicate with the consultant. In order for the robot to respond to user requests properly, it must be regularly trained, being supplied by “clean” data. This is a long and expensive process, available today to large corporations only.
When implementing AI, it is important for businesses to take care of cybersecurity before starting the process so that data leakage does not occur. Maintaining confidentiality plays a critical role in gaining customer trust.
As for AI errors, it is necessary to monitor regularly the activities of neural networks, analyzing and correcting them. It is important to remember: ML and AI are just codes written by people: they only work within a given framework and are prone to crashes. At any level of automation, the center should be a person who controls and directs processes, not a soulless machine.
By Tatyana Kalentieva, entrepreneur, founder of Proffarm