Flag

We stand with Ukraine and our team members from Ukraine. Here are ways you can help

Get exclusive access to thought-provoking articles, bonus podcast content, and cutting-edge whitepapers. Become a member of the UX Magazine community today!

Home ›› Artificial Intelligence ›› At Your Service: How AI Will Reshape Customer Service

At Your Service: How AI Will Reshape Customer Service

by Jason Cottrell
5 min read
Share this post on
Tweet
Share
Post
Share
Email
Print

Save

With the exponential growth of digital channels, the need to better address customers concerns also increased. Not only customers expect more support throughout their online journey, but also businesses have to create unique and flawless experiences to stand out in a competitive market. In this environment, adopting AI-powered tools has become a must to guarantee customer satisfaction.

Time and again, you’ll hear industry forecasters say things like “customer experience is going to be the differentiating factor for brands in the future.” I agree with them. It’s becoming harder and harder to carve out market share based on price or product features, which is why AI-powered tools that connect data across departments and generate meaningful insights for marketing and development teams will be so important.

Being able to optimize pivotal moments of interaction with customers and orchestrate the journey in a way that creates higher levels of satisfaction for all is the key to unlocking long-term success. And nowhere will this be more apparent than in customer service channels.

Customer comfort with technology

Customer service has always played an important role for brands, especially in moving a customer from a one-time shopper to a returning one. In the digital age, when experiences are more fractured, the move from acquisition to retention requires an even sharper focus on post-transaction support than ever before.

Over the past year, retail has had its fair share of shake-ups, and many brands have turned to new and novel technologies to help tackle the challenges. But as the dust settles on an unpredictable 12 months, we’re starting to be able to chart where technologies like AI can and should play a bigger role — and where they shouldn’t.

Consumer comfort with new and emerging technologies can be a strong indicator of where trends in tech are heading and which ones will be successful. In a recent study we conducted, we noticed a strong trend toward consumer hesitance around fully autonomous experiences. Respondents weren’t interested in a completely hands-off experience where AI took the reins completely.

They were interested, however, in technologies that could support them as they navigated the experiences themselves. And that’s something retailers can (and should) take note of as they explore ways to improve customer experiences through better customer service.

AI-powered technology is a powerful avenue for helping customers address current pain points, and because it deals with in-the-moment issues and concerns, customer service is the perfect place to bring AI tools into use. Take questions like:

  • How do I exchange this for a different size?
     
  • Why hasn’t my order arrived yet?
     
  • Where can I find the instruction manual for this model?

They are all fairly straightforward to handle. But by bringing AI into the response mechanisms, you can make significant improvements to the individual experiences of customers every day.

Taking customer service to the next level with AI

Right now, systems that have been designed to handle a few hundred issues a week are struggling to keep pace with thousands of requests. Any business whose digital channel grew by two to four times (or more) in the past year (which is going to be a very high number of businesses) would have experienced this.

A major retail client we work with experienced this exact issue last year. The tech solutions that were implemented to handle their customer service concerns were intended to serve an expected quantity of digital consumers, and last year’s pandemic saw those numbers skyrocket.

Not only could an AI chatbot handle questions like the ones above faster and with greater accuracy than we’re capable of today, but it could support better customer experiences down the line.

Using data gathered from the AI chatbot interactions, you could identify where in the customer journey issues are arising and the nature of those issues, which would enable you to prevent certain concerns from surfacing in the first place. This not only enhances customer experiences directly, but it also frees the customer service team to focus on problems that aren’t so easily handled by algorithms and require the deft, more personal touch of a live agent.

Very quickly, automation and deep insights drawn from AI-powered data engines can inform better customer service experiences when it comes to addressing problems and answering customer concerns. But it’s not just issue triage that AI can help with — these same tools can also influence the long-tail of sales enabled by your customer service stream.

Customer service plays a significant role in early funnel product inquiry. Being able to respond to requests with contextually relevant recommendations and meaningful insights about the benefits of a product or service can be a powerful tool for creating a lasting impression with consumers — and for closing sales.

There are AI tools on the market today that can support product search and discovery with powerful visual AI and natural language processing (NLP) integrations. By identifying characteristics (blue, button-down, long-sleeve) of a product that a customer is browsing (in this case, a shirt), the algorithms can provide a carousel of similar items to choose from that helps customers find their best product match.

Even more engaging, an impressive camera search function would allow customers to upload their own images and find similar items on the website. For example, Syte, which we use for some of our major retail clients, has a feature that uses visual AI to identify similarities among products and make recommendations.

These opportunities to connect with clientele and enhance their shopping experiences are part of the greater customer service effort, responding to consumer needs and wants with the same expertise as an in-store advisor would, but with the speed and efficiency digital tools can enable.

AI can enable market-differentiating experiences

Customer experience is end-to-end, meaning customers don’t just assess products and services in one moment. Brands are built on millions of moments of interaction, and many of the most crucial interactions are the ones in your customer service stream. Leveraging the power of AI through your customer service interactions means you can surface new opportunities to enhance the sales funnel, both directly and indirectly.

By bringing AI into your customer service stream, whether that’s through automated chatbots, visual search and discovery channels, or even immersive or personalized shopping experiences, you’ll be able to create the kind of market-differentiating experiences that will guarantee brand growth for the long haul.

post authorJason Cottrell

Jason Cottrell
Jason Cottrell is the Founder and CEO of Myplanet, a software studio that specializes in creating digital experience platforms. Working closely with the world’s leading companies including Google, Salesforce, and IBM, Myplanet creates compelling, technology-driven solutions that address real user needs with a comprehensive, long-term vision for handling business challenges.

Tweet
Share
Post
Share
Email
Print
Ideas In Brief
  • With the growing importance of post-transaction support and competition, AI-powered solutions have become the secret weapons that allow to elevate customer service and increase retention rates.
  • Customers expect enhanced support throughout their purchase journey.
  • AI tools allow increasing consumer comfort and satisfaction by speeding up response mechanisms, collecting relevant data, and supporting product search and discovery.

Related Articles

If Mobile-First thinking has revolutionized the UX Design industry, AI-First is promising to be an even more spectacular kick in the pants.

Article by Greg Nudelman
The Rise of AI-First Products
  • The article explores how AI-powered operating systems are changing user interactions.
  • It covers AI-driven personalization, automation, and adaptive interfaces.
  • The piece discusses challenges like privacy, over-reliance on AI, and user control.
  • It highlights opportunities to design more intuitive and human-centered AI experiences.
Share:The Rise of AI-First Products
11 min read

AI is reshaping UX, and Figma may be sinking. As AI-driven systems minimize UI, traditional design roles must evolve — or risk becoming obsolete. Are you ready to adapt?

Article by Greg Nudelman
AI Is Flipping UX Upside Down: How to Keep Your UX Job, and Why Figma is a Titanic (It’s not for the Reasons You Think)
  • The article explores the fundamental shift in UX as AI-first systems minimize the role of UI, rendering traditional design tools like Figma increasingly obsolete.
  • It introduces the “Iceberg UX Model,” illustrating how modern AI-driven interfaces prioritize functionality and automation over visual design.
  • The piece argues that UX professionals must shift their focus from UI aesthetics to AI-driven user experience, emphasizing use case validation, AI model integration, and data-informed decision-making.
  • It warns that designers who remain fixated on pixel-perfect layouts risk becoming obsolete, urging them to adapt by engaging in AI-driven UX strategies.
Share:AI Is Flipping UX Upside Down: How to Keep Your UX Job, and Why Figma is a Titanic (It’s not for the Reasons You Think)
7 min read

In the Post-UX Era, usability is the baseline. What truly sets products apart now? Emotion, story, and human connection. Discover why the future of design lies not in perfect flows, but in unforgettable experiences.

Article by Nate Schloesser
The Post-UX Era
  • The article argues that UX has matured into a baseline expectation — usable, accessible, and consistent design is no longer a competitive edge but a standard.
  • It introduces the concept of HX (Human Experience), emphasizing emotional connection, identity, and narrative as the new frontier for impactful digital design.
  • Through sharp insights and vivid examples, it urges designers to move beyond flowcharts and functionality and toward crafting experiences that resonate, surprise, and feel human.
Share:The Post-UX Era
7 min read

Join the UX Magazine community!

Stay informed with exclusive content on the intersection of UX, AI agents, and agentic automation—essential reading for future-focused professionals.

Hello!

You're officially a member of the UX Magazine Community.
We're excited to have you with us!

Thank you!

To begin viewing member content, please verify your email.

Tell us about you. Enroll in the course.

    This website uses cookies to ensure you get the best experience on our website. Check our privacy policy and