If there is one thing the Casper, the Friendly Ghost cartoons taught me is that ghosts can have spooky customer service.
Judging by the expression of this spirit, I’m guessing he will honor the girl’s wishes. What a nice ghost! I’m sure he will come back later when it’s more convenient.
Spooky for the Customer or CS Rep?
Over the years, I have learned that customer service representatives go through a lot. There are plenty of stories out there about scary situations CS Reps have found themselves in. Here are a few examples. While my cartoon approaches the scary situation from the perspective of the client, customer service reps endure plenty of scary or disturbing situations.
Does AI Make Customer Service Spooky?
But then you have the reality that customers frequently don’t know if they are communicating with a real person or a chatbot. Today, 65% to 85% of customer interactions involve a chatbot. Do customers know when they are chatting with a computer? If they do, some prefer it.
Artificial intelligence may be good for some interactions. But what about instances where a customer needs empathy? Will a company know if the chatbot fails to do its job? A poorly designed chatbot could just make a customer angrier instead of scared.
When I worked at a call center, I observed how challenging it was to bring quality customer service to a customer. It requires asking the right questions and listening to both the words and tone a client brings to a conversation.
AI may be able to ask the right questions. But what about the tone of a client? Will AI be able to understand sarcasm, or properly handle an angry client?
When customer service is handled correctly, it can be almost scary. We all like to have our questions and needs addressed. When it’s very good it can be so fantastic that it amounts to spooky customer service.
Editor’s Note: I originally published this blog on October 6, 2015. I revamped and updated it for timeliness and comprehensiveness.
