Principles are the bedrock of every great change. For the AI Revolution in Customer Service, ICS.cx proposes five principles that will lead to better relationships, growing sales, and more satisfied long-term customers.
Businesses are still defining basic principles for AI. Without them, AI can be unpredictable. For example, an airline argued that its chatbot is "responsible for its own actions,” and that a customer should have followed a link to see that he could not apply for a bereavement fare after purchase. The civil courts disagreed: "It should be obvious that [a company] is responsible for all the information on its website… It makes no difference whether the information comes from a static page or a chatbot."
AI is instructed by data from contact centers, intuitive messages from marketing and sales, and principles established by the company’s leadership. ICS.cx proposes these principles:
CX PRINCIPLES FOR AI-ENHANCED CUSTOMER SERVICE
1. Respond effectively to every inquiry. Thoughtful systems make this possible.
2. Respect the customer's time. Time is everyone’s most precious resource.
3. Make it easy to do business. Customers have many choices. Make yours the easy one.
4. Customers are not always right, but they deserve an explanation. Most people are reasonable. When there is a problem, give them an honest explanation.
5. First, AI must improve the customer experience. Costs reductions will follow. AI installed solely to reduce costs can behave badly. Ensure that your AI is improving the customer experience.
ICS.cx President Ken Kiernan notes, “A famous Harvard longitudinal study found that the key to happiness is good relationships. Businesses can build better relationships by establishing these principles. Both the customers and the businesses will benefit.”
