How to Get Started with AI in CX: A Beginner's Guide

Customer experience (CX) is how your business makes customers feel – and those feelings play a huge role in whether they'll stay with you or take their money elsewhere. With expectations higher than ever, providing amazing CX consistently is getting tougher. That's where AI (artificial intelligence) comes in!

AI can help you provide stellar customer service and keep customers returning for more. But like any exciting new technology, it can seem daunting to know where even to begin. Let's break down the basics of getting started with AI in your customer experience strategy.

Why Should I Consider AI for My CX?

Here's the thing: your customers probably already interact with AI in their daily lives, even if they don't fully realize it. From getting song recommendations on Spotify to talking to smart home assistants, AI is everywhere. That means customers are getting used to the speed and convenience AI provides.

Here's how it improves explicitly your CX:

• 24/7 availability: AI can answer simple questions and route customers to the proper support channels anytime. It never takes a day off!
• Personalization: It can learn customer preferences and make tailored recommendations for a delightful experience.
• Problem-solving: AI can quickly analyze customer issues and offer faster, more accurate resolutions.
• Saves your team time: By automating routine tasks, your human team can focus on the complex and personal care that only they can provide.

AI in the Real World: How Customers Already Love It

Think about those moments of "Amazing, good job!" you have with technology. Maybe it's when Netflix suggests that perfect show you end up binging or when Amazon shows you another item that's exactly what you were looking for. That's all powered by AI!

Here are some more ways AI is working behind the scenes to make your life as a customer easier:

• Personalized recommendations: Stores and websites get to know you, offering things you might like (and saving you time searching!)
• Super-fast answers: Instead of browsing endless FAQs, you can type your question like you're texting a friend, and an AI helper might have the answer.
• Spotting problems before they happen: AI can analyze social media posts and alert companies when people are getting frustrated so they can fix things quickly.

Making CX Awesome for Businesses, Too

AI isn't just about making customers happy (though that's super important). It also helps businesses in a big way:

• Helping teams where it counts: By taking on easy tasks, your human team has more time to focus on building genuine relationships with customers.
• Understanding what people want: AI can spot trends in customer feedback, helping companies improve their products and services overall.
• Saving money: AI can make everything run smoother, which, in the long run, saves businesses a lot!

Should You Worry about AI?

It's natural to have some questions when a new technology comes along. Some people worry that AI will take away jobs or that it will feel cold and impersonal.  The truth is,  AI is best when it works WITH humans instead of them. Think of it like a super-smart assistant that makes everyone's lives better!

Steps to Get Started with AI in CX

Ready to try AI? Here's how to make it happen:

1. Define your goals: Don't choose AI just because it's the trendy thing to do. Ask yourself:
   • What specific pain points do I have in my CX right now (e.g., long wait times for support)?
   • What do I want to achieve (e.g., reduce support calls by 20%)?
2. Choose the right tools: AI is an umbrella term covering many things. Here are some famous use cases for CX:
   • Chatbots: Simple virtual agents answering FAQs, logging customer info, or connecting customers to live agents.
   • Virtual assistants: More advanced, handling complex requests or even making sales.
   • Sentiment Analysis: AI can understand the emotions behind customer feedback, helping you spot issues early.
3. Get your data in order: AI runs on data. Ensure you're collecting clean, organized information from customer interactions, website behavior, and surveys.
4. Integrate with your systems: AI won't work in a vacuum. It must connect with your customer relationship management (CRM) software, help desk platform, and other tools.
5. Start small and experiment: Wait to launch a full-blown AI system overnight.  Begin with a specific task or channel. Chatbots are good starting points.
6. Measure and adjust: Track how your chosen AI impacts key CX metrics like customer satisfaction scores or average call resolution times. Tweak and change things as you learn.

Where Can I Find AI Solutions?

A quick online search will reveal plenty of companies offering CX-focused AI tools. Look for solutions that:

• Suit your specific needs (chatbot vs. advanced analytics)
• Integrate well with your current technology
• Offer good support and training for your team

If you are new to AI in Customer service, we recommend you to make a trial by hiring A Virtual Assistant, which can be integrated to your current business and help to talk to customers and solve their problems when you are awake. In case for a long time your business has opened from 9 to 5, now it’s time to have queries solved 24/7. 

I recommend you to make a move with CX Genie, where you can have a good free plan for AI Chatbot without commitment. 

Conclusion

The best way to understand AI is to simply start exploring. Look at your own experiences as a customer – what interactions made you smile? Chances are, AI played a role. Next, think about one small area of your own CX that could be improved. Then, do a little research to see if there are simple AI solutions to help. You might be surprised at how easy it is to get started!