Artificial Intelligence – Helping the Help Desk

The help desk industry has undergone a paradigmatic shift in the last some years. Customers are still calling the help desk but their expectations are higher than ever. Help desk is increasingly becoming dependent on various technologies. There is a growing reliance on analytics and artificial intelligence to assuage customers’ pain points.

The surveys and predictions about the impact various technologies are going to have on customer service are staggering.

“Improved technologies are predicted to automate all or parts of up to 40% of customer service needs by 2019.” (Source: Gartner)

According to another report by Gartner,

“By 2020, 85% of the customer experience is going to be managed without human assistance.”

While these figures might not get actualized in the stipulated time yet the help desk industry is set to be completely transformed in the coming years and AI is going to be one of the key factors in bringing about that transformation.

Integration of AI in the help desk increases the overall productivity, reduces costs, removes human shortcomings, and provides reliable responses. AI embedded monitors are already prioritizing customer’s issues and providing real-time support for their resolution. Historical data is being exploited by deploying AI bots within the customer ticketing interface. Doing so helps in identifying and reacting to recurring issues/queries swiftly.

Gartner predicts that by 2020, an average person will have more conversations with bots than with their spouse. It’s surprising that a fair number of them won’t even realize who they are talking to – a bot or a human agent!

As AI chatbots continue to pave way for more engaging customer interactions and redefining the help desk industry, it is yet to be seen how many contact center jobs will they cost. What is already certain is that they will increase efficiency, yield better results, and boost customer experience.