Can Support Teams Become Best Buddies With Generative AI?

Generative AI technologies like ChatGPT, Bard, and DALL-E have rattled the world of communication in general and customer support in particular. When ChatGPT became popular, every communication professional thought — is this the end of my career? 

It wasn’t. When the fog of innovation lifted, support teams saw generative and conversational AI was not a foe, but a friend that could only help them become even better. 

How can support professionals themselves make sure generative AI becomes their BFF? 

They Can Use It to Enhance Their Productivity

One of support teams’ main Key Performance Indicators is Average Handle Time (AHT). It indicates how much time a support consultant spends on resolving customer issues, getting back to them with the required information, and closing a ticket. 

By using generative AI, support teams can decrease their AHT by uploading a customer’s request into a program and receiving a proper answer in a matter of seconds. This will decrease the time they spend on thinking what to reply and will give them the possibility to take on more challenging matters and tickets. 

❗ Important things to remember:

1. Whatever generative AI a support team is using, it needs to be well-protected, so no customer information is lost to cracks in its security. 
2. A team should understand what tasks may and may not be delegated to generative AI. Some matters require human touch, especially when it comes to personal finances, medicine, and other private matters. 
3. All replies have to be double-checked by a consultant, because generative AI has been known for giving false or misleading answers.

They Can Use It to Expand Their Answers

Apart from using generative AI to write a reply from scratch, support teams can utilize it to expand their answers. This can be helpful if they want to provide customers with as much information as possible. This is an especially useful feature in industries like FinTech, SaaS, or Crypto, where users may not have the knowledge required and where support teams may need not only to find the solution to every issue, but to explain some processes and peculiarities to their customers. 

❗ Important things to remember:

1. No matter what software is used, it is important to adjust every generated answer to every user’s communication style and level of tech-savviness.  
2. If there is a ready-to-go canned answer, it is better to use it than turn to a generative AI tool. I will already have been written in a particular style and will not require any adjustments.

They Can Use It to Analyze Vast Amounts of Data Faster

Support teams have to work with a very large amount of data. From their product’s database to an abundance of tickets — sometimes there is simply too much information. 

Generative AI can step up and help them sort through vast amounts of data. It can present chaotic lists in a structured manner or detect the most popular questions and present them in the form of a FAQ. Once again, a good way to free up a support team’s time and optimize their processes. 

❗ Important things to remember:

1. When using generative AI to process customer information, it is important to keep in touch with the Legal team — there may be laws concerning or even prohibiting the use of generative AI for analyzing and processing such information.
2. A support team has to make sure its customers know about the use of generative AI and consent to it. It is paramount for businesses that work with customers from the EU. 

They Can Use It to Study and Develop

Using generative AI for work is good. Using it for self-development is even better. Generative AI can help support professionals in coming up with curriculums for their courses, generate tests to check their existing and newly-acquired knowledge, and even create simulation scenarios. 

❗ Important things to remember:

1. As good as using generative AI is, it is crucial to remember about conducting simulation with real people, because nothing can substitute human interaction.
2. Support teams’ members need to keep an eye on all emerging trends, because the AI industry is developing at lightning speed. 

Can Support Teams Be BFFs With Generative AI?

The match of customer support and the AI industry is made in heaven. By utilizing every aspect the technology is offering, customer support professionals can break every limit and become true heroes for customers around the globe. 

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