With more and more B2B organizations turning to artificial intelligence, the customer service bar is being raised. You can’t afford to rely on traditional technology if you want to remain competitive. The good news is, once you’ve integrated AI-powered tools, your support team will operate with fewer hiccups. Plus, the cost-effectiveness results in a greater return on investment.
However, making the switch to AI doesn’t come without challenges. There are some growing pains you’ll need to consider. But, if you plan accordingly, you can make the transition a lot less painful. That’s why we’re going over several hurdles you can expect and how to overcome them. Let’s get started.
Compatibility With Your Current System
Any type of technology that’s introduced into an existing system is bound to cause some issues. Artificial intelligence is no different. A good example is an AI-powered chatbot that must gain access to client records to provide personalized service. If problems arise when your current system refuses access, clients could be left waiting and your customer experience deteriorates. To avoid this, you’ll need to evaluate each task that AI will play a part in. You may find that your current system needs to be updated or modified to work with AI. The effort you put into doing this will save your team some major headaches.
Selling Executives on the Benefits of AI
There’s a good chance upper-level executives are the ones making the final decision to implement AI. Unfortunately, many people don’t feel it’s cost-effective. The truth of the matter is that if your B2B support team handles a high volume of inquiries, AI will save money in the long run. When selling your boss on purchasing software for B2B customer support, the economic benefit is your strongest point. Things, like collecting and analyzing metrics, fielding and transferring client inquiries, and performing menial tasks, will be drastically reduced, if not eliminated, with artificial intelligence. Plus, sales reps will be able to add AI to their arsenal of selling points when approaching prospective clients.
Prejudices Against AI
Yes, many people hate the idea of AI. Your agents may feel they’re being replaced by robots and clients may not feel confident a chatbot can handle their issues. That’s why it’s important to understand exactly how AI-powered tools will work in a B2B support environment. Instead of being replaced, your agents will actually be able to learn new skills. By collaborating with AI, they’ll be able to provide better support and enhance their knowledge of forward-thinking technologies. Clients will soon discover that AI chatbots can provide dynamic and personalized solutions, just like human agents. Your best bet is to implement AI and let the results speak for themselves.
Overcome Challenges and Embrace AI
Artificial intelligence can seem like an intimidating concept. Yes, your support team will encounter some hurdles, but it won’t take long before you understand why this technology has become commonplace in the support industry.
PhaseWare can help bring AI to you with configurable customer support software. Contact us today to learn more.