AI is Changing the Customer Experience Forever

How do you keep your eye on businesses efficiency while also focusing on delivering personal customer experiences? In the past, you could either have one or the other, not both. Today, artificial intelligence machines are taking business capabilities to new heights, fueling a “customer experience revolution” that is both personal and offers efficient service delivery.

What exactly is artificial intelligence?

What do you think of when you hear the words “artificial intelligence?” Robots? The 1962-1963 Hanna-Barbera cartoon The Jetsons?

Sure, AI is sort of like that, but even better.

Artificial intelligence is frequently the catch-all phrase to describe computer systems that can learn and become smarter over time. But AI really encompasses more nuanced designations like machine learning, deep learning, and deep inference which really describe how the computer is learning, rather than the applications of that learning.

Artificial intelligence isn’t a future state – it already surrounds us in our day-to-day lives in many unique and intelligent ways such as:

• Recommending products for purchase on Amazon or other e-commerce websites
• Showing relevant ads as you scroll through your Facebook Newsfeed
• Answering your search queries on virtual assistants like Siri or Alexa

Due to AI’s ability to save us money, increase productivity and enhance our efficiencies, it is estimated that AI technology could double the rate of our economic growth and the rates of other developed countries by 2035. And for those brands that jump into the AI marketplace, the AI market is huge. Really, really huge. A report from PwC estimates that AI will contribute $15.7 trillion to the global economy by roughly the same point in time.

AI technology is changing everything we know about the customer experience for the better.

Businesses are beginning to understand the benefits of using machine learning through its impact on the customer experience.

For example:

• 1-800-Flowers uses a smart chatbot to help customers order custom flowers. The chatbot is trained to understand conversational cues and suggest types of arrangements, complete with images and delivery set-up.
• North Face, an outdoor retailer, uses IBM’s AI supercomputer Watson to create personalized shopping experiences for each customer. By asking a small series of questions, a customer is directed to the best products for their needs. No longer must they sort through hundreds of products in search of the right product.

These brands are able to use machine learning and AI to affect their customer experience journey by predicting behavioral patterns and trends. Doing so allows them to create a personalized experience for every single user, at scale.

Artificial intelligence still has another 40 or so years to go before machines can do every single task that humans can do. But today, when it comes to executing robust, complex and thoughtful customer experiences, AI is undeniably here to stay.

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