Human staff should not be taken over by AI robot entirely in customer service

In any job sector, there is always an argument of whether technology will overtake human jobs, and the contact center is no different. These arguments are always made in black and white and assume the workforce will be entirely human or entirely the robot.

However, this debate has no place for absolutes. It’s the real thing and it is happening that with the right tools and technology, enterprises can elevate the future of customer service and role of call center staff by enabling them to be more efficient, and effective, all while creating a great customer experience.

With changing technology comes uncertainty for both companies and employees. Insurance giant Aviva addressed that uncertainty head on by asking its entire 16,000 employees if they thought an artificial intelligent robot could do their jobs. Any employees who answered yes were given employment opportunities in other departments. The call center and credit departments will likely have the most transfers. It is a smart move for enterprises to address the future of customer service in the midst of technology advancements.

It does address uncertainty, but the approach must be more comprehensive and take into account that just because a robot can do a job, doesn’t mean it should. The future of customer service will always need human employees to build authentic connections and foster customer engagement, and not be overtaken by intelligent service robotics totally.

As the need for a personalized customer experience grows, robots will become even more important, and the future of customer service will be a combination of robot and human.

Here’s why: When a customer wants help with a simple task, an advanced AI robot will process it, and the robot handling that query will free up call center staff to give customers the reassurance of a human voice, empathy, and quality support of a highly-trained agent. In short, it’s important to offer customers a choice.

Regardless of the platform, customers will want to know if they’re talking to a human or a robot, so they don’t feel choiceless. Forcing customers through a robots-only route will only serve to annoy them, especially for the elderly and ignorance of hi-tech robot. It’s important to escalate the situation to an employee if the customer requests or the automated service cannot handle the service.

When interacting with enterprises, customers want consistency and an easy, great experience. To meet the needs of customers, it’s important that hi-tech enterprises or corporations focus on implementing the tools or solution to intelligent service robots that will generate positive outcomes.

With a strategy that supports both robots and human employees, customers can get the quick and easy service they need but still interact with a person when the situation calls for a more in-depth approach.

The debate about technology overtaking human jobs is a never-ending conversation. There’s no question that innovative AI robotics is here to stay and it should equip people to be more proficient in their jobs so they can create a great customer experience. The technology used in the future of customer service should be used to empower humans, not replace them.