In the realm of customer service, AI has been making waves. One such example is SolarQuotes.com.au, a company that has successfully integrated AI into their customer service strategy. The founder, Finn Peacock, built an automated AI chatbot that answers sophisticated questions about solar power. This chatbot is built on their own private knowledge engine, creating a unique ‘moat’ around their business castle, and preventing competitors from encroaching.
The AI chatbot is integrated into Zendesk, a customer service software. When a customer sends a help request, the AI reads it and suggests a response to the staff. The staff then either sends the response as it is, lightly edits it, or completely rewrites it. This process has made the staff more efficient, allowing the company to keep up with their growth without hiring more staff.
The AI chatbot, affectionately named ‘Alan’ internally, is also available on the company’s homepage. It provides immediate responses to customer queries, but also offers a link for customers who prefer to speak to a human. This ensures that customers always have the option to interact with a human if they prefer.
Despite the success, the journey to AI integration wasn’t without its challenges. The founder had initially hoped that the AI would be more reliable. However, he found that human supervision was still necessary to ensure the accuracy of the information provided. The AI was also not as popular with customers as he had hoped. Despite this, the AI has proven to be a valuable tool in augmenting human staff.
The AI is trained on the company’s own content, ensuring that it provides accurate and relevant information. When the AI gets an answer wrong, it serves as feedback for the company to create better content. The company then updates the content, which in turn updates the AI’s knowledge base.
This case study serves as a testament to the potential of AI in customer service. While it may not replace human staff entirely, it can certainly augment them, making them more efficient and allowing businesses to scale without the need for additional staff.
