Customer Service

Customer expectations are at an all-time high. The facilitation of near-instant gratification has led to reduced consumer patience and more frequent temper tantrums. Though no-wait resolution is a common expectation from customers seeking support, delivering abuse to contact center agents shouldn't be the default response to an imperfect interaction. Unfortunately, a recent study found that…

For years, brands have assessed the return on investment of customer experience automation by asking three questions: What does it cost to serve a customer today? What could it cost to serve a customer tomorrow? What is the investment price to get from A to B? With these questions guiding the way, we’ve seen a…

Generative artificial intelligence (GenAI) has taken retail commerce by storm, drastically changing the behaviors of online customers to a point that retailers are making investments in the technology to improve the customer experience. According to Forrester’s March 2024 Consumer Pulse Survey,  consumers use of GenAI is growing, with 48 percent of U.S. consumers agreeing that…

The three use cases where the convergence of artificial intelligence and Internet of Things underpinned by event streaming is making a real difference to retailers and their customers are as follows. Enhancing Every Customer Journey Within the Store AIoT enables retailers to intelligently take advantage of in-store and customer data to offer highly customized shopping…

Artificial intelligence adoption is no longer a question of “if.” The debate on whether AI will add value is over — yes, AI brings value, lots of value. We can look at the how, but the focus should be on the why. According to a Metrigy study, only 34 percent of retailers said that 2024…

Imagine a time when walking into a store meant being greeted by an associate who knew your size, taste, budget and buying history. Instead of a generic "How can I help you?" they’d say, "How did you like your Hoka running shoes? Would you like to check out the brand's latest pair? It offers the…

We’ve all experienced awkward, bad or just plain cringe-worthy customer experience situations — both with human and automated interactions. Maybe it’s the interactive voice response (IVR) system that makes you listen to an endless array of options. It could be the chatbot that just doesn’t understand your question and offers completely irrelevant answers. It might…

In the multichannel world of modern retail, the voice of the customer has never been louder. Amplified by social media, customers have become an authority that no retailer can afford to underestimate. Aware of this reality, most retailers have already turned their attention to customer feedback activities. Yet only a small proportion have taken the…

As the retail industry has increasingly shifted to digital technology, transitioning from traditional brick-and-mortar stores to online platforms, consumers have changed both where and how they shop. Augmented reality apps allow customers to visualize products in their homes before purchasing, and retailers use artificial intelligence-driven recommendations to tailor suggestions to individual tastes. The integration of…

In 2024, the most forward-thinking and innovative retail organizations will recognize that it's a must to blend intelligent human insight and artificial intelligence (AI). It will become clear that unless an organization can find a way to unify the two across virtually every aspect of their business, it will suffer the consequences across both the…