We are currently witnessing the dawn of AI-first Customer Service, ushering in a new era of enhanced customer satisfaction and more strategic support teams. The transformative power of AI is reshaping society, much like past technological advancements have done. Just as the car revolutionized transportation and the internet transformed communication, AI is set to be a game-changer on a monumental scale. We are only scratching the surface of what AI can achieve, with endless possibilities on the horizon.
“Almost all customer questions, in all customer channels, will be excellently answered by an AI Agent”
Customer service is at the forefront of a revolutionary transformation, driven by the exceptional capabilities of AI in handling tasks traditionally performed by customer service agents. This evolution is unfolding at a rapid pace, surpassing all initial predictions. With some of our clients already experiencing up to 80% of customer inquiries accurately resolved by AI, it is evident that a future where AI Agents proficiently address nearly all customer questions across various channels is within reach.
This paradigm shift is not just theoretical; it is actively reshaping the landscape of human support teams. As AI takes on the bulk of customer queries, the dynamics of support work, financial considerations, and performance metrics undergo a profound shift. Embracing AI-first Customer Service means that support teams can dedicate their efforts to addressing more intricate and valuable customer inquiries, while also focusing on enhancing and optimizing the AI system for even greater customer satisfaction.
What is AI-first Customer Service?
At the highest level, AI-first Customer Service involves first seeing if AI can resolve the problem directly for the customer, and if not then seeing if AI can help the agent solve the problem.
AI-first Customer Service means customers will get:
- Customers can expect immediate and top-notch responses to nearly all inquiries, provided by AI.
- And in instances where an instant response isn't feasible, they receive in-depth, personalized, and attentive assistance from human agents who now have the support of AI to aid them.
AI-first Customer Service has three components that work together in a single system:
- AI Agent first: Customers experience AI first. Instant, accurate answers.
- AI Copilot first: Human agents experience AI first. Instant always-on help that comes to them.
- AI Analyst first: Leaders experience AI first. An AI Analyst proactively delivering insights to them.
Adopting AI-first Customer Service involves not just a shift in products but also a transformation in mindset. Businesses that embrace this new approach will revolutionize their customer experiences, leaving behind those who resist change. At Intercom, we are at the forefront of pioneering this innovative method. Let's delve deeper into the intricacies of this transformative strategy.
AI comes first: Customers are immersed in AI from the start, receiving instant and precise answers.
When customers face inquiries or issues, their primary desire is swift and effective resolutions. Interacting with customer service is merely a means to an end. The epitome of a great customer experience is receiving an instant, precise answer, or prompt action to address the concern at hand.
AI has already showcased its ability to tackle numerous questions and problems, often outperforming humans due to its constant availability. AI responds instantly, operates round the clock, and is proficient in multiple languages.
With ongoing technological advancements and proactive support leaders embracing the concept of AI-first Customer Service, the capabilities of AI in addressing customer queries will continue to evolve and enhance.
The ongoing evolution is evident as Intercom introduced their Fin AI Agent in May 2023. Initially resolving 28% of customer queries, this intelligent system has rapidly improved, now tackling 46% of inquiries in less than a year. With continuous advancements in AI features and their customers' adeptness at optimizing their content and data, our Fin AI Agent has swiftly transitioned from resolving a fraction to half of all queries within just one year.
Noteworthy is the fact that customer satisfaction scores have remained consistently high amidst the rapid advancements in AI capabilities. Interestingly, some customers utilizing the Fin AI Agent have reported an increase in satisfaction with human support, as their dedicated team now has more availability to focus on resolving complex issues for each customer.
“For some, AI is already answering up to 80% of their customer questions, without a drop in customer satisfaction”
On average, our customer base experiences a 46% resolution rate with AI handling up to 80% of customer queries, all while maintaining high customer satisfaction levels. For most, AI successfully resolves 30-50% of inquiries with minimal initial investment required.
AI Copilot takes the lead: Human agents are immersed in AI first – receiving instant, always-on assistance whenever they need it.
As the AI Agent handles a majority of customer queries, only the most challenging ones are escalated to the human support team. These complex issues often require thorough research, troubleshooting, and time-consuming efforts.
AI excels in assisting with such tasks by processing vast amounts of content and information, including past customer interactions, to provide valuable suggestions and guidance to human agents. Introducing the AI Copilot, a dedicated personal assistant for each team member, offering real-time information and troubleshooting support seamlessly integrated with all data and systems.
The AI Copilot effortlessly handles the heavy lifting of navigating slow, outdated systems, sifting through numerous documents and past conversations, ultimately boosting team members' speed and efficiency. Additionally, it streamlines the onboarding process for new agents, equipping them with instant knowledge of new information. With access to comprehensive conversation history and satisfaction scores, the AI Copilot not only provides accurate responses but also delivers the optimal solutions to queries.
In April 2024, Intercom introduced its Fin AI Copilot in beta, leading to efficiency gains of up to 31% for early adopters. Furthermore, the AI Copilot continuously refines its capabilities by learning from human interactions, ensuring that it evolves and enhances its problem-solving skills over time. By sharing insights on the best solutions to complex inquiries with the AI Agent, the system continuously improves its performance, creating a smarter and more efficient support network.
AI Analyst at the forefront: Leaders immerse themselves in AI first, receiving proactive insights delivered to them
The evolution of customer service extends beyond just customers and human agents. AI excels at tasks essential for support leaders, such as analyzing data for real-time insights, compiling reports, and providing training feedback to new agents. With AI's speed and efficiency, support managers can rely on an AI Analyst to deliver proactive insights for enhancing service quality. This transformative technology elevates support leadership by streamlining operations and driving strategic decision-making.
“AI will elevate the role of a support manager to be much more strategic”
Support leaders now have unprecedented access to a comprehensive understanding of every customer interaction. By leveraging AI's capabilities, they can assess the success of resolving queries and gauge customer sentiment without relying on traditional surveys. The AI Analyst provides a panoramic view of all conversations, highlighting key areas for enhancement and offering valuable insights.
The emergence of AI will redefine the role of support managers, elevating them to strategic architects of the AI-first customer experience. Instead of being bogged down by daily operational tasks, they will focus on designing and optimizing a seamless customer journey driven by AI.
Intercom is already rolling out advanced AI Insights features, with a cutting-edge AI Analyst product set to hit the market later this year.
Data and knowledge assets will take center stage as key strategic focuses.
Within the AI-first Customer Service platform, there lies a crucial data and knowledge layer that serves as the backbone for AI's learning and improvement. This central hub integrates both internal and external data sources, as well as internal and external content sources.
The quality of this data and knowledge layer is fundamental to the overall support quality. Customers utilizing Intercom who have made investments in enhancing their data and content have witnessed significant enhancements in the resolution rate of their Fin AI Agent. Interestingly, there have been instances where customers initially believed that our Fin AI Agent was providing incorrect responses, only to discover upon investigation that the underlying content was outdated or inaccurate.
This showcases the transformative power of an AI-first Customer Service solution on a unified platform. It effortlessly identifies areas for improvement, continuously enhancing the system. By being intricately integrated, Intercom's AI-first Customer Service platform evolves at a rapid pace compared to systems where disparate tools from various companies are pieced together.
AI-first Customer Service offers superior efficiency, speed, and cost-effectiveness.
AI is already revolutionizing the landscape of customer service, with tangible results evident across our diverse customer base.
As one of the pioneering areas embracing AI transformation, customer service is experiencing a wave of positive change that is reshaping the customer experience. Instant and accurate answers are becoming the norm, leading to a significant boost in customer satisfaction levels. The days of long waiting times for a response are fading away, as customers are met with personalized and attentive human service when immediate answers are not available. This shift allows the human support team to focus on more complex and engaging challenges, ultimately providing exceptional support.
Furthermore, the role of customer service leaders is evolving into a more strategic position. They are tasked with designing systems that not only deliver outstanding service but also generate valuable insights about their customers for the business. This transformation enables leaders to reconfigure their teams, assigning individuals to roles that involve enhancing content, designing AI systems, and achieving more with fewer resources. With these changes, support teams are becoming leaner yet more powerful, driving efficiency and effectiveness in customer service operations.
This marks a pivotal moment for customer service - evolve or face extinction.
Customer service teams must embrace AI-first Customer Service promptly or risk falling behind. Early adopters are already reaping substantial benefits with cutting-edge customer service practices and remarkable career advancement opportunities. While some may initially question their decisions, those who take the plunge will emerge victorious. Remaining indecisive is not an option. The rapid pace of AI technology evolution is relentless – businesses that resist change will quickly find themselves lagging behind.
Intercom leads the way in AI-first Customer Service innovation. Let's connect to shape a brighter future together.
