THE AI REVO LUTION CREATING A NEW CUSTOMER SERVICE PARADIGM - #TechforPeople - Devoteam
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THE AI REVO LUTION CREATING A NEW CUSTOMER SERVICE PARADIGM #TechforPeople
CONTEN TS
04
Introduction
10
Meeting customer
24
Early technology
34
AI will empower
expectations means adopters see benefits customer service
offering choice agents
08
Research Highlights
14
Businesses struggle
28
Customer service
38
Conclusion
to meet demand for will prevent issues,
‘always-on’ customer not fix them
service
20
The potential of AI
isn’t fully realised…yetThe AI Revolution Introduction
INTRODUCTION
Customer service is evolving at a And as nearly everything becomes con- This report explores how the AI revolu-
fast pace. In today’s subscription nected, companies are increasingly gaining tion is creating a new customer service
economy, in which company growth unprecedented insight into when, where paradigm, specifically answering these
and health depends on customer and how their products and services are key questions:
renewals, customers’ expectations used. This allows them to become active
are heightening. People don’t want participants in the value-delivery chain Given the rapidly evolving range of
to tell a company they’re having a of products and ensures they are better communication channels, are we ap-
problem. They just want it fixed. equipped to take this more proactive po- proaching a breaking point where
And if problems do arise, customers sition to customer service. customer service teams can’t keep
increasingly expect the company to up?
acknowledge their pain, and fast. However, this hyper-connectivity is de-
manding more than today’s customer How far along are organisations in
service teams can deliver on. Faced with adopting AI-powered technology to
McKinsey has long been warning that growing consumer expectations for cus- transform customer service?
customers are less likely to renew or re- tomised attention, instant responses and
purchase from the same company if the effortless service, organisations are turn- What does AI mean for today’s cus-
customer experience was only average; ing to artificial intelligence (AI) to super- tomer service teams?
but when the experience charge their customer service efforts.
improves from To find out, ServiceNow and Devoteam
average to WOW
questioned more than 1,000 IT profes-
sionals who are responsible for the cus-
customers are tomer service function. Their insights
shine a light on the critical role that
30 to 50% more AI-based technologies will play in trans-
forming customer experiences and em-
likely to renew. powering the customer service staff of
the future to lead the way.
Customer service always used to be a
defensive position, in which companies
waited for disgruntled customers to call.
Not anymore. The most successful com-
panies have recognised the need to de-
liver “wow” experiences and are owning
their problems and setting things right
before the customer has a chance to vent
on social media and switch suppliers.The AI Revolution Introduction METHODOLOGY ServiceNow and Devoteam commissioned research company Loudhouse to survey 1,082 senior IT professionals from 11 countries who are involved in the customer service function. Respondents are based in Belgium, the Czech Republic, Denmark, France, Germany, Luxembourg, Netherlands, Spain, Sweden, the United Kingdom, and the United States.
The AI Revolution Research highlights
RESEARCH
HIGHLIGHTS
01 04
Truly omnichannel customer experiences that span
telephone, email, chat, social media and text/SMS AI technologies will compliment human customer
are only offered by 50% of businesses. The primary service agents, freeing them up from repetitive tasks
challenge for customer service professionals today and enabling them to assume more high-value roles
is to provide instant, 24/7 customer support and that will drive job satisfaction.
engagement opportunities.
02 05
A third of organisations have either rolled out or are trialling Customer acceptance of AI-driven customer engagement is
virtual chat assistants and chatbots to process high-volume higher than anticipated. The majority of organisations that are
routine tasks and customer enquiries, providing customers using VCAs and chatbots say customers are displaying openness
with instant resolution and the always-on support they now to the use of these emerging technologies.
expect.
03 06
The use of AI and self-service technology in cus- AI-driven technologies present a real opportunity
tomer service has increased and AI-driven tech- for customer service to pre-empt issues before
nologies will become more prominent in customer they occur and open up an avenue to transform
service strategies. customer engagement, where ‘wow’ experiences
become the norm.The AI Revolution Meeting customer expectations means offering choice
Figure 1: The channels offered to customers by businesses
MEETING
CUSTOMER
WEBSITE 84%
EMAIL OR MESSAGING 79%
EXPECTATIONS PHONE 70%
MEANS LIVE ONLINE CHAT 58%
OFFERING SOCIAL MEDIA 54%
CHOICE TEXT OR SMS 50%
The research looked at the channels that Digital channels are no longer bolted on Yet customers aren’t tied to using one channel to engage with a brand. While well-
organisations currently offer customers to as an afterthought, with chat — whether established channels (email, website, telephone) are more frequently used, there is a
engage with the company and it’s clear with a live agent or a bot — social media clear demand for choice among consumers, who select a channel based on the type
the majority have stepped up to offer a and mobile messaging used by at least of information, assistance or feedback they are looking for:
true omnichannel experience. 50% of the organisations questioned.
The use of social media almost doubles when customers are providing
feedback on satisfaction levels
Chat usage is highest for customers looking for support for products
they have bought
The telephone is a prominent channel for reporting a problem or
making a complaint, suggesting a desire from customers to reach an
agent who will understand their issueThe AI Revolution Meeting customer expectations means offering choice
Figure 2: The channels for choice for different queries
Email
Website
60 %
Telephone
50%
Live chat
40% Text/SMS
Social media
30%
20%
10%
0%
Getting Getting support Dealing with Solving problems Customer Reporting a
information about for products they delivery issues with invoicing, satisfaction problem/making a
products/services have bought payment or feedback complaint
they want to buy refundsThe AI Revolution Businesses struggle to meet demand for ‘always-on’ customer service
BUSINESSES More than half
of organisations
STRUGGLE (55%) surveyed
24
say they are
TO MEET available to
respond
DEMAND FOR
to customer
enquiries
‘ALWAYS-ON’
7
24/7.
CUSTOMER However, organisations are
aware of the growing consumer
SERVICE
demand for immediate gratification
due to pervasive digital communication
channels and in the last two years have been
focusing their attention on creating more instant
ways to serve their customers:
they choose to engage with. If consumers 39% have increased the use of chat
According to the research, organi- can interact instantly and simultaneously
sations cite ‘providing service and with other people, at any time and from 51% have increased the use of self-service technology
support 24/7’ as their number one any location, then why can’t they commu-
customer service challenge. nicate with brands in the same way?
But are chat and self-service channels enough? Some organisations have hired
more customer service agents, but have realised this is not a long-term fix as it’s
The proliferation of social media, chat, extremely costly and complex to maintain the right resource and skills available at
video calling and mobile messaging into all hours of the day and night.
our personal lives means that consumers
now expect much more from the brandsThe AI Revolution Businesses struggle to meet demand for ‘always-on’ customer service
Figure 3: The availability of customer service teams Figure 4: The percentage of organisations that
provide 24/7 responses, by vertical sector
08%
Our customer
PROFESSIONAL SERVICES 60%
support operation
does not operate
24/7 IT/TELCOMS 59%
FINANCE 57%
TRANSPORT/LOGISTICS 53%
MANUFACTURING 52%
37
RETAIL 49%
%
Customers
can contact us
24/7, but won’t
receive an
55%
We are available to
HEALTHCARE/PHARMACEUTICAL 48%
answer to their respond to customer
enquiries 24/7 GOVERNMENT 38%
question out of
hoursThe AI Revolution The potential of AI isn’t fully realised…yet
THE AI-driven technologies offer an ex-
citing opportunity to meet these
POTENTIAL OF
challenges head on.
Through virtual chat assistants
(VCAs) and chatbots, organisations
AI ISN’T FULLY
can efficiently process high-volume
routine tasks and customer
enquiries, providing customers with
instant resolution and the always-
REALISED…YET
on support that they have come
to expect, while freeing up human
resources (HR).
In the last two years,
Currently, a third of organisations have
either rolled out chatbots for customer-
47% of organisations have facing support or are in the process of
trialling the technology.
increased the number of customer
service and support agents.
Despite this investment, the challenge
of providing always-on, instant support
continues:
42% of organisations say they strug-
gle to meet the rising expectations of
customer service
39% are challenged to answer repeti-
tive questions in an efficient wayThe AI Revolution The potential of AI isn’t fully realised…yet
Figure 5: The adoption of chatbots for customer service Figure 6: How chatbots are being applied in the customer service function
02%
13 %
GETTING INFORMATION ABOUT PRODUCTS/
SERVICES THEY WANT TO BUY 59%
None of these /
30%
Don’t know
We are in the
prototyping and CUSTOMER SATISFACTION FEEDBACK 54%
trial stage
We will probably
start to look at this
GETTING SUPPORT FOR PRODUCTS
in the next year THEY HAVE BOUGHT 54%
13%
We haven’t looked
REPORTING A PROBLEM/
MAKING A COMPLAINT 48%
at this and are
unlikely to in the SOLVING PROBLEMS WITH INVOICING,
next year PAYMENT OR REFUNDS 47%
DEALING WITH DELIVERY ISSUES 44%
20%
We have already
22%
We are talking
rolled out this about this
technology in internally, but
some customer no technology
areas has been tested
Today, chatbots and VCAs are being used for data gathering or delivering infor-
mation, but not to handle more complex tasks, like problem solving. More than
two-thirds of organisations agree that chatbots and VCAs need to help customer
service teams deliver a more personalised service to realise their full potential.The AI Revolution Early technology adopters see benefits
EARLY While our data highlights that VCAs and
chatbots are not yet being used to their
TECHNOLOGY
full potential, there’s clear evidence of the
advantages of adopting these AI-driven
technologies even at the most basic level.
ADOPTERS SEE
Nearly three-quarters (74%) of organi-
sations who have introduced VCAs and
chatbots are already seeing benefits
around handling high-volume, routine
BENEFITS
questions and tasks, providing always-on
support and freeing up customer service
agents.
At its 2018 Customer Experience Summit,
Gartner highlighted the untapped capabil-
ities for virtual assistants:
A great VCA offers more than
just information. It should enrich
the customer experience, help the
customer throughout the interaction
and process transactions on behalf of
the customer.The AI Revolution Early technology adopters see benefits
Figure 7: The tangible benefits of virtual assistants and chatbots Figure 8: The levels of customer acceptance of VCAs and chatbots
38% INCREASED ACCESSIBILITY OUT OF OFFICE HOURS
08 % 02%
Very low
Fairly low
37% FREE UP TIME FOR AGENTS TO DEAL WITH MORE COMPLEX QUERIES
32% REDUCE THE VOLUME OF ENQUIRIES THAT AGENTS HAVE TO HANDLE
18 % 42%
Fairly high
30% SAVE MONEY Indifferent
29% PROVIDE MORE CONSISTENT CUSTOMER SERVICE
27% IMPROVE THE AGENT’S EXPERIENCE OF DOING THEIR JOB
26% IMPROVE THE ACCURACY OF RESPONSES
25% BETTER ANALYSIS OF QUERIES 28%
Very high
Furthermore, the majority of the organisations that are
using VCAs and chatbots (70%) say their customers are
displaying acceptance and openness to the use of these
emerging technologies. It’s a promising trend, advancing to
a more sophisticated use of AI-driven technologies within
a blended customer service operation.The AI Revolution Customer service will prevent issues, not fix them
Figure 9: The priority technologies under consideration
CUSTOMER
SERVICE WILL 1st priority 2nd priority
PREVENT VIRTUAL ASSISTANTS AND CHAT BOTS 51% = 21% 30%
ISSUES, AI - NATURAL LANGUAGE PROCESSING (VOICE & TEXT) 44% = 20% 24%
NOT FIX THEM AI - SENTIMENT ANALYSIS AND TEXT MINING 38% = 16% 22%
AUGMENTED AND VIRTUAL REALITIES 33% = 21% 12%
Traditionally, the underlying premise in Currently, customer service operations
customer service has always been to fix are focusing on AI adoption in the form of
an issue identified by the buyer. But it is VCAs and chatbots. It’s no surprise, given
BLOCKCHAIN 33% = 22% 11%
time to finally change this paradigm. the challenges they face in providing 24/7
support and answering repetitive ques-
The next transformation in customer tions in an efficient way.
service will be one where a problem is fixed
before it is even identified by a customer. As we look ahead, other AI-driven tech-
With AI-powered technologies, this ability nologies will become more prominent in
to predict problems can become a reality. customer service strategies.
AI-driven technology in its many forms — virtual assistants, chatbots, natural language
processing (NLP) or sentiment analysis and text mining — collects and analyses large
amounts of information related to customer service.
This data can expose new opportunities or identify issues, such as questions being typed
into virtual assistants by other customers, that are going unanswered and could help
predict what’s causing problems for other users, often before they notice it themselves.The AI Revolution Customer service will prevent issues, not fix them
Our research shows that
The organisations that organisations already
recognise the long-term
can harness AI in this way, benefits of AI in this regard.
moving beyond just freeing up
human agent time to identify
potential issues and act before
they impact the customer
experience, will be the ones
64%
will extend the range
38%
say AI will allow their
that gain the ultimate
of queries that virtual organisation to offer
assistants and chatbots more sophisticated
competitive advantage. can deal with products and services
50% 30%
say AI will enable the expect to extend the use
customer service oper- of AI technologies to new
ation to become more areas of customer service in
efficient the next two years
42%
say AI can be used to
provide a higher level of
serviceThe AI Revolution AI will empower customer service agents
AI WILL Organisations
believe people
EMPOWER have a critical
role to play
CUSTOMER alongside
technology.
SERVICE 59%
say customer service queries
are too complex to be
AGENTS
managed by virtual assistance
and chatbots
With increasing demands on customer
service teams, the adoption of AI-driven
technologies is only set to grow. This
Many experts believe that AI won’t
replace humans in customer service,
but instead give them greater job satis-
42%
technology-led transformation is set to faction by freeing them from repetitive say AI can be used to
change the role of humans and empower tasks, and augment their capabilities provide a higher level of
the customer service agents of the future. enabling them to offer a higher standard service, with similar levels of
of service and quicker response to employment
For example, the growing sophistication VIP customers or those in high-stress
of AI is liberating agents from the repet- situations.
itive, high-volume tasks they currently
undertake, such as accessing knowledge-
33%
base information or supporting checkout
issues, freeing them up to focus on the
customer interactions where the human
touch is needed the most.
of those using AI are aware
of the need for upskilling
customer service managersThe AI Revolution AI will empower customer service agents
As technology
evolves, customer
service teams will
rise to a new level of
!?
customer engagement,
where ‘wow’
experiences become
the norm.
Think of an airline and a flight cancella-
tion. AI can detect the customer making
a call or starting a live chat and will know
it is likely to be due to the cancellation.
The system can recognise by the way the
customer speaks or the speed at which
they type that they are in a high-stress Furthermore, that agent can re-book
moment. The system can immediately the customer on a new flight in minutes,
escalate the interaction to a human agent without asking the customer for details
to arrange an alternative. they already hold on file.
Working together, the human-machine
partnership can attain the holy grail of
exceptional customer service, changing a
high-stress moment into a positive cus-
tomer experience that would build loyalty
and advocacy.The AI Revolution Conclusion
CONCLUSION ABOUT DEVOTEAM
At Devoteam, we deliver innovative
technology consulting for business.
As a pure player for Digital Transformation
of leading organisations across EMEA,
Customer service and contact centres But AI goes far beyond just freeing our 6,500+ professionals are dedicated
have long been a consumer bug bear, with up humans from repetitive tasks, and to ensuring our clients win their digital
unanswered calls, uninformed agents and organisations are waking up to this. The battles. With a unique transformation
slow responses creating anger and dis- potential is ENORMOUS. DNA, we connect business and technology.
engagement in even the most passive of
customers. When we combine the data-processing Present in 18 countries in Europe and
ability of AI technology with the vast the Middle East, and drawing on more
Digital channels have gone a long way quantities of information being created than 20 years of experience, we shape
to helping companies to operate their through connected devices and the Technology for People, so it creates value
customer service teams more efficiently, systems used to deliver communications, for our clients, for our partners and for our
as this new research has shown, but re- we will really start to see the future of employees.
sourcing these channels around the clock customer service.
is complex and expensive. Devoteam will achieve yearly revenues of
Armed with visibility of everything that’s €640 million in 2018 (e).
happening throughout the service supply ABOUT SERVICENOW
chain truly empowers customer service At Devoteam,
teams. Companies can fix faults before we are Digital Transformakers.
customers are affected, proactively alert ServiceNow (NYSE: NOW) makes work,
The reality is that AI-driven technol- them when things are going wrong, put work better for people.
ogies are already improving our lives in place remedial measures or provide
without us even knowing it. Customer instant compensation. Customer service Our cloud‑based platform and solutions
acceptance of virtual agents and agents are involved when the human deliver digital experiences that help
chatbots is proving overwhelming- touch is needed the most. people do their best work.
ly positive as, ultimately, they just
want quick and efficient resolution This is where the wow experiences For more information, visit: www.service-
to problems or questions. Customers become a reality... now.com.
don’t care where this support comes
from, as long as organisations can
escalate to an empathetic human
when it’s needed the most.
© 2018 ServiceNow Inc / Devoteam. All rights reservedWWW.DEVOTEAM.COM WWW.SERVICENOW.COM
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