Consumers and Businesses Agree: When It Comes to AI Transparency Is Key

The 2019 NICE CXone Customer Experience (CX) Transformation Benchmark reveals some very interesting similarities and differences between consumers and businesses in terms of how they view customer service.

Artificial intelligence (AI) is a particularly noteworthy topic because there are some significant disparities with how the two groups view this emerging technology. Businesses are very confident while consumers are proceeding with caution. You can read more about this study here.

Despite these differences, there are also some points of agreement. For one thing, the two groups agree that businesses should immediately inform consumers when they are interacting with a chatbot.

That people want to know who or what they are talking to isn’t surprising. This same rule applies when the chat session is handed off from a chatbot to a live agent — consumers want to know. Organizations who try to disguise their use of AI run the risk of eroding customer trust. Transparency is key!

A second point of agreement is that chatbots need to get smarter. From a consumer standpoint, this means becoming more proficient at answering questions and resolving issues. This doesn’t mean there aren’t some very “smart” ways to deploy chatbots now.

For example, AI can be a powerful tool when blended with live agent interactions — chatbots can gather background information, leaving agents free to add a human touch while performing more value-added tasks and solving complex problems.

Organizations who are interested in incorporating chatbots into their service models should take a structured, evolutionary approach. It’s critical to begin with a pilot in narrow and specific areas. Then, based on results, expand and scale.

This is an iterative process — lather, rinse, repeat. The ROI for chatbots is very real for businesses that have the discipline to implement these with a focused and agile approach.

Interested in hearing more about businesses’ attitudes toward AI? You’re in luck!

The 2019 NICE Customer Experience (CX) Transformation Benchmark, which contains survey results from over 900 contact center decision-makers in the US, UK and Australia, now is available as a free download. Get your copy today!