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AI in Customer Service Chatbots vs Human Support

May 19, 2021

Artificial Intelligence (AI) has revolutionized the customer service industry. Gone are the days when customers had to wait for hours to speak to a customer service agent. With the help of AI, chatbots have emerged as a popular and efficient way to provide customer support. However, the question remains � which is better, chatbots or human support? In this blog post, we provide a factual comparison between chatbots and human support in terms of benefits and drawbacks.

Chatbots in Customer Service

Chatbots are intelligent computer programs that can simulate human conversation through text or voice. They can provide instant support to customers without the need for a human agent. Chatbots in customer service can provide benefits such as:

  • 24/7 Availability: Chatbots can work all day and night without stopping, which means that customers can get their questions answered at any time.
  • Faster Response Time: Chatbots can respond to a customer's query in seconds, which reduces wait times and increases customer satisfaction.
  • Cost-Effective: Chatbots are a cost-effective solution for customer support as they do not require a salary, breaks, or time off.

However, chatbots are not perfect. Some of the drawbacks of chatbots in customer service include:

  • Lack of Empathy: Chatbots lack emotional intelligence and cannot understand a customer's emotional state, leading to a less personalized experience.
  • Limited Problem-Solving Skills: Chatbots can only solve problems they have been programmed to handle, leaving more complex issues to be solved by human support agents.

Human Support in Customer Service

Human support has been the traditional method of providing customer service. Support agents are trained to handle customer queries and complaints, and they can provide empathetic responses to customers. Some of the benefits of human support include:

  • Personalized Experience: Human support agents can understand a customer's emotional state and provide personalized responses.
  • Higher Problem-Solving Capabilities: Human support agents can solve complex problems that chatbots cannot.
  • Flexibility: Human support agents can handle multiple tasks and have the ability to think outside of the box.

However, human support also has some drawbacks, including:

  • Limited Availability: Human support agents work during specific hours, which means that customers may have to wait for assistance.
  • Higher Costs: Human support costs more as it requires salaries, breaks, and time off.

Chatbots vs Human Support: The Verdict

In conclusion, both chatbots and human support have their strengths and weaknesses in customer service. Chatbots are a great option for simple, straightforward queries and provide a faster, cost-effective solution for customer support. However, they lack empathy and cannot solve complex problems. On the other hand, human support provides a more personalized experience, can handle complex problems, and can think outside of the box. However, they are relatively more expensive and have limited availability.

When it comes to choosing between chatbots and human support, it ultimately depends on the customer's needs and the complexity of their query. For simple and straightforward queries, chatbots are an efficient option. However, if a customer needs a more personalized experience or has a complex issue, human support would be more suitable.

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