Trends in Customer Experience Automation

In customer experience (CX), the closed-loop feedback (CLF) model has been a cornerstone for over two decades, originally designed to ensure responsiveness and adaptation. It's time for a change. With the advent of artificial intelligence, it's clear that merely adapting this model isn't enough. It's old tapes. It needs to evolve. Here's what's next: Real-time Interaction Management: Traditional CLF reacts to feedback after the fact. And, traditionally, closing the "inner loop" requires a human to follow up. AI turns this on its head. Imagine a system that adjusts the customer journey in real-time based on predictive analytics, reducing friction points before they affect the customer experience. Large Action Models: We all know that AI can dive deep into data lakes to instantly identify patterns and root causes of customer dissatisfaction. This rapid analysis allows companies to not only close the feedback loop faster, but also implement more effective solutions. This will come in the evolution of Large Language Models, or LLMs, to LAMs, or Large Action Models. Continuous Learning Systems: AI transforms CLF from a loop that ends into continuous cycle of improvement. These systems learn from each interaction, constantly updating and refining strategies to enhance the customer experience. This means that the feedback loop is ever-evolving, driven by AI's ability to adapt to new information and complex variables, seamlessly. CX leaders have to embrace AI's potential to redefine our foundational practices. It's time to innovate beyond the traditional CLF and leverage AI to deliver personalized experiences, and at scale. How are you thinking about adaptive, predictive, and personalized CX strategies? Your answer can't be to hire more people to close more loops. #customerexperience #ai #journeymanagement #survey #CLF

The AI-infused workforce is here. You can't just implement a chatbot, reduce your team size, and expect to keep meeting customer expectations. You have to reimagine the whole customer experience team. You need to think about both humans + technology and how they work together. What does this mean? ⭐ 𝐕𝐨𝐢𝐜𝐞 𝐨𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐂𝐮𝐬𝐭𝐨𝐦𝐞𝐫 𝐭𝐞𝐜𝐡𝐧𝐨𝐥𝐨𝐠𝐲 𝐜𝐚𝐧 𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐞 𝐜𝐮𝐬𝐭𝐨𝐦𝐞𝐫 𝐬𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐢𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐀𝐍𝐃 𝐪𝐮𝐚𝐥𝐢𝐭𝐲 𝐢𝐧 𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐥-𝐭𝐢𝐦𝐞. These platforms can monitor 100% of tickets in real time - far superior than the current method of combining CSAT & QA. But they have to be managed properly. You can't just set it and expect the insights to flow in. Which leads us to.... ⭐ 𝐍𝐞𝐰 𝐫𝐨𝐥𝐞𝐬 𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐞𝐦𝐞𝐫𝐠𝐢𝐧𝐠. These include: 𝘊𝘰𝘯𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘴𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘔𝘢𝘯𝘢𝘨𝘦𝘳. This is a role that Intercom has created on their own internal support team. The focus is managing the whole customer experience journey, as customers flow from the bot to human agents. 𝘒𝘯𝘰𝘸𝘭𝘦𝘥𝘨𝘦 𝘔𝘢𝘯𝘢𝘨𝘦𝘳. Another role pioneered by Intercom, this person is responsible for keeping the knowledge base up to date and making sure it's written not just for humans to understand, but for computers to understand. 𝘝𝘰𝘪𝘤𝘦 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘊𝘶𝘴𝘵𝘰𝘮𝘦𝘳 𝘈𝘯𝘢𝘭𝘺𝘴𝘵. VOC analysts will replace QA analysts. Instead of completing audits they'll be monitoring VOC systems for trends and insights that will be used to drive trainings and process improvements. 𝘈𝘐 𝘊𝘢𝘭𝘪𝘣𝘳𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘚𝘱𝘦𝘤𝘪𝘢𝘭𝘪𝘴𝘵. Someone who will be in charge of continually monitoring performance of the AI bot, as well as other automations, to ensure they are doing their job. ⭐ 𝐏𝐨𝐝𝐬 𝐨𝐟 𝐬𝐮𝐛𝐣𝐞𝐜𝐭 𝐦𝐚𝐭𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐞𝐱𝐩𝐞𝐫𝐭𝐬 𝐰𝐢𝐥𝐥 𝐫𝐞𝐩𝐥𝐚𝐜𝐞 𝐭𝐞𝐚𝐦𝐬 𝐨𝐟 𝐠𝐞𝐧𝐞𝐫𝐚𝐥𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐬. AI will take on the simpler tickets, and what's left will be increasingly complex. According to Declan I., the VP of Support at Intercom, the best way to manage this complexity is to upskill agents so they have particular areas of expertise, which is what Intercom has done. ⭐ 𝐘𝐨𝐮 𝐧𝐞𝐞𝐝 𝐧𝐞𝐰 𝐊𝐏𝐈𝐬 Your AI and automation tools need their own KPIs, like AI Resolution Rate. More on this in a future post. ⭐ ... 𝐀𝐧𝐝 𝐦𝐮𝐜𝐡 𝐦𝐨𝐫𝐞 Agents will need different schedules and breaks to avoid burnout. More and better training is needed for agents. And so on. ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ 𝐈𝐍 𝐒𝐔𝐌𝐌𝐀𝐑𝐘 ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ AI tools aren't "set it and forget it." You need to reshape your team, and then you need multiple people on your team who can monitor your AI KPIs and recalibrate the technology when KPIs start to slip. You can do this internally, or partner with a #bpo who can do it all for you. But not all BPOs can or will. If you're already working with a BPO partner, ask them about it. We have an upcoming podcast episode with Declan I., all about the lessons Intercom has learned deploying its AI technology on its internal support team. Stay tuned!  

Excited to share the MIT Technology Review Insights: "Powering Next-Gen Services with AI in Regulated Industries” that I was honored to contribute to. This white paper explores how AI is revolutionizing customer experiences (CX) in sectors like healthcare, finance and insurance – emphasizing the balance between technological innovation and human-centric approaches. That’s exactly the nuance we’re digging into as a team at Chase. Leading the design arm of PXT, our teams are heads down on improving customer experiences, and AI is helping us to do just that. Things are changing so quickly, and these takeaways really got me thinking about how we can incorporate these trends into our own work. Key Takeaways: 1. Agentic AI on the Rise: AI is transforming customer experiences (CX) across regulated industries, with agentic AI systems emerging to autonomously resolve complex tasks. 2. Human-Centric Approach: Despite AI advancements, keeping humans at the center of CX transformation remains crucial. Complex interactions often require human touch for effective decision-making. 3. Trust and Transparency: Building trust with customers is essential. Transparency in data management, explicit consent and clear communication are key factors in gaining customer confidence. 4. Regulation as an Accelerator: Contrary to popular belief, regulations can accelerate innovation in CX by providing a framework for governance and compliance. 5. AI Applications: Conversational chatbots, self-service portals and personalized recommendations are leading AI applications enhancing CX in regulated sectors. 6. Challenges and Opportunities: Security, privacy and ease of use are top concerns. However, AI presents unprecedented opportunities to streamline processes and protect against fraud. This report is a testament to the transformative power of AI in regulated industries. Dive into the full report below for a deeper understanding of how AI is reshaping customer experiences. #AI #CustomerExperience #Innovation

I had an insightful conversation with Jarrod Davis from Cognigy on some of the current CX trends. The four drivers that have been moving the industry for the last several years - embracing the CX discipline, transitioning to the cloud, enabling digital-first omnichannel experiences, and leveraging AI and automation - are still in action. BUT, as we enter 2024, customer service organizations are being asked this time to take a strategic look at how AI will fundamentally alter their operations and what the 'end game' will look like. Specifically, we discussed four areas to address to future-proof customer-facing operations: 1. Evaluate the right balance of self-service and human assistance. Don't view AI strictly as a cost-cutting lever. Find the optimal mix and proactively guide customers to the best channel for the issue at hand. 2. Enable agents to handle the ever-rising complexity of customer conversations. Reduce cognitive load through AI assistants and automation. Upskill staff to advise, guide, and resolve exceptions. Scripts get in the way of great CX - empower your people. 3. Connect the data infrastructure. Break down data silos to fuel AI, unite knowledge sources, and generate actionable insights. Build an integrated data architecture benefiting both systems and staff.  4. Adopt continuous experimentation. With so many emerging innovations, continuously test and learn. Nimbly pilot new AI capabilities rather than making big bets. The winds of change are blowing through CX... Link to the recording in the first comment of this post #conversationalai #cx #dataarchitecture