Are people less patient than they used to be? If you ask customer service workers, they'll probably say yes. Instant gratification has become a customer expectation, and when solutions aren't speedy enough, customer service agents bear the brunt of frustrated customers' wrath. In fact, nearly nine out of 10 customer service workers said they've experienced an uptick in aggressive and hostile behavior from customers in the past 12 months. Almost half (42.8 percent) of these workers have been on the receiving end of customers' raised voices, and more than a third (35.7 percent) reported that customers have threatened their jobs. It seems the number of proverbial "Karens" calling customer service is unfortunately on the rise.
As customers increasingly ignore the humanity of the agents to whom they're speaking, some forward-thinking businesses are seeking out alternatives to help protect their customer service teams from verbal abuse. One emerging solution leverages sophisticated voice artificial intelligence that could act as the first line of defense against angry customers by fielding and resolving potentially volatile inquiries and complaints. By doing so, this technology could help defuse charged situations before they escalate, leading to more productive dialogues and a more positive experience for everyone involved.
Restore Respect with AI-Assisted Agent Protection
Recent breakthroughs in AI, particularly in machine learning and spoken language understanding (SLU), are revolutionizing customer service interactions. State-of-the-art voice AI systems can now engage in conversations so lifelike that many callers likely would not immediately realize they're interacting with a machine. These advanced AI assistants can manage a wide range of customer inquiries, from basic information requests to more intricate tasks, such as making reservations, adjusting prices, or upselling a customer.
These AI systems' round-the-clock availability allows them to serve as the initial point of contact for customer calls, significantly reducing the call volume and the initial wave of emotional intensity that human agents have to handle. By filtering and addressing many inquiries autonomously, AI assistants can improve the efficiency of customer service operations, allowing human staff to focus on more challenging or sensitive issues that require high empathy or a personal touch.
The ongoing evolution of voice AI technology is bringing about significant advancements in its ability to manage customer emotions effectively. As these systems become more refined, they develop a heightened sense of emotional intelligence, allowing them to adapt their communication styles to suit different customer scenarios. This goes beyond sentiment analysis and branches out to sentiment mirroring.
In practice, this means that AI assistants can now adjust their tone and manner of speaking based on the specific context of each call, all while maintaining their problem-solving capabilities. For instance, when dealing with a sensitive situation such as a caller attempting to handle affairs related to a recently deceased family member, the AI can adopt a more gentle and understanding tone. This empathetic approach enhances the system's ability to anticipate and address the caller's unique needs in delicate circumstances, while providing tonal sensitivity to the matter at hand.
The AI is also smart enough to know when to escalate a call to a human agent, although the sheer volume of those handoffs will be reduced. Since AI-powered voice assistants can resolve so many common inquiries, human agents' workloads decrease and their stress is reduced, empowering them to provide exceptional customer service. Because the voice assistant prevented callers from waiting on an extended hold or navigating disjointed menu trees, they are more likely to be respectful to the human agents.
While completely eliminating customer frustrations is impossible, businesses can leverage advanced AI-powered voice assistants to better meet customer expectations and improve overall satisfaction. An AI buffer between customers and human agents can effectively manage initial interactions, diffuse potential conflicts, and quickly address concerns before customers lose their tempers, fostering more constructive conversations and decreasing the time it takes to resolve problems. This mutually beneficial approach highlights AI&'s potential to transform customer service and keep the fiery outbursts at bay, resulting in kinder, more civil experiences for everyone involved.
Nikola Mrkšic is CEO and co-founder of PolyAI, a provider of enterprise-ready voice assistants for customer support.