Human customer service representatives will focus on empathy, problem-solving, and relationship-building.
AI may support with speed, scalability, and data-driven insights.
And together, they create a seamless, positive customer experience.

What customers will expect from the service
High-quality service for issues like:
- Defective products, including information technology hardware.
- Software/service difficulties.

Objectives of the customer service desk
- Provide fast, empathetic, and effective solutions.
- AI can help: Automate responses while maintaining a human touch.

Fundamental attitude from service desk agents
Should start with the basics, such as:
- Be kind and respectful, even in automated responses to customers.
- Stay professional; and AI should avoid robotic, impersonal language.
- Illustration: having AI chatbots using polite, natural language, for instance "I’d be happy to help!").

Exploit active listening skills
Human and AI tools will listen to customers to understand their issues:
- For human agents paraphrase, ask clarifying questions.
- For supporting AI tools, use sentiment analysis to detect frustration and route complex issues to human agents.

Adopt problem-solving mindset
Humans customer reps combined with AI tools agents offer better service and solutions to customers' issues.
- AI assistance equals quick access to knowledge bases, predictive solutions, for example "based on your issue, try this fix please ..."
- Human oversight: ensure AI tools suggestions are accurate and personalized to each customer issue or concern.

Building customer relationships
AI should display a human touch.
- AI can use inclusive language such as "Let’s solve this together, if that's ok with you ..." with automatic follow up message like "is your issue resolved, following the solution recommended?"
• Human agents will add, to the process, emotional intelligence and complex problem-solving.

Adopting positive customer service with AI
AI enhances customer service in this manner:
- 24/7 availability with instant responses outside business opening hours.
- Consistency with uniform service quality across all channels.
- Efficiency by handling routine queries, freeing humans for complex cases.
- Personalization with analysis of past interactions for tailored customer support.
- Best Practice by always allowing seamless escalation to human reps, when required.

Generative AI Tools transforming customer service

- Chatbot/FAQ automation: Intercom, Tidio, Drift, Dialogflow.
- Automating machine learning and human experts: Directly.
- Sentiment analysis: MonkeyLearn, Lexalytics, IBM WatsonX Assistant, LiverPerson.
- Automate resolution: Intercom.
- Custom bots creation: Ada.
- Ticket classification: Zendesk AI, Freshdesk AI, Ultimate.
- Automate interaction across chat and social media: Aivo.
- Agent assistance for complex and nuanced customer interactions: Salesforce Einstein Service Cloud, Forethought.
- Ticketing tailored for e-commerce: Certainly.
- Predictive analytics: Pega, Microsoft Power BI + Azure AI.
- Automated customer service voice and chat: Cognigy.
- Workflows, natural language and personalized queries resolution: Freshworks Freshdesk, Gladly.

Customer service success metrics to track
⏱️ Reduced FRT (first response time).
📈 Increased CSAT (customer satisfaction score).
🧠 Higher agent productivity.
📉 Lower customer churn rate.
💬 Improved self-service resolution rate.

25 May 2025
(Source: Aligning IT and Business Strategies, Book3 - IT Contributing to the Organization's AI Strategy; Study Notes)

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