Workforce Tech in Healthcare: How AI will enhance, not replace, humans in customer support and customer experience

David Jones-Stanley, Customer Operations Director, Liaison Workforce

Let’s start with areas that will remain firmly in the ‘human’ camp…

1. Empathy and Emotional Intelligence

One of the fundamental aspects of customer support is empathy; understanding customers and providing emotional support. While AI possesses analytical capabilities, it lacks emotional intelligence and the ability to empathise with customers. Humans excel in deciphering emotions, adapting their responses, and providing the necessary human touch to create meaningful connections.

2. Complex Problem-Solving

AI is proficient in handling repetitive and straightforward tasks, enabling streamlined processes and quicker solutions. However, more complex situations often require human intervention. Complex problem-solving involves critical thinking, creativity, and adaptability. Humans possess the ability to think beyond predefined solutions and make sound judgments based on intuition and experience.

3. The Human Touch in Personalisation

Personalisation plays a crucial role in enhancing customer experience. Humans understand individual preferences, needs, and context, therefore organisations can offer tailored solutions and recommendations. Humans can recognise nuances, maintain empathy, and build trust.

4. Overcoming Language and Cultural Barriers

In customer support, language and cultural diversity can pose challenges. AI-powered language processing can greatly assist in the interpretation and translation of various languages. However, humans possess contextual understanding, cultural sensitivity, and the ability to adapt their communication style to meet individual customer needs.

5. Building and Maintaining Customer Relationships

Building strong customer relationships is paramount for businesses. Humans possess a unique ability to connect, empathise, and establish trust. Excellent interpersonal skills, powered by emotional intelligence, enable humans to establish long-term relationships with customers.

But AI can be used to enhance the customer experience in other ways…

1. Streamlining Assistance with Chatbots

AI-powered chatbots are transforming the customer support landscape. These virtual assistants can handle an array of customer queries, providing personalised and instantaneous responses. With machine learning, chatbots can continuously improve their responses based on data analysis, resulting in more accurate and efficient support.

2. Intelligent Automation for Faster Resolution

Introducing automation can streamline customer support processes. By automating repetitive tasks such as issue tracking, password resets, and account updates, support agents can allocate more time to complex customer issues. AI-powered systems can categorise and prioritise support tickets based on urgency, enabling faster response times, and reducing customer waiting periods.

3. Personalised Customer Experience

AI systems can gain insights into individual preferences, user history, and browsing behaviour. Armed with this information, businesses can tailor their offerings, marketing campaigns, and support interactions to meet the unique needs of each customer. Personalisation fosters stronger customer relationships and drives overall customer satisfaction.

4. Voice Recognition and Natural Language Processing

Voice recognition technology has significantly improved, making AI-powered virtual assistants and voice agents more efficient. Customers can now interact with businesses using voice commands and have their queries addressed promptly. By analysing voice and text-based customer feedback, businesses can gain valuable insights to improve their services and identify areas of potential improvement.

5. Predictive Analytics for Proactive Support

One of the most significant advantages of AI is its ability to identify patterns and predict customer needs. By leveraging predictive analytics, AI systems can proactively identify potential issues, such as product defects or service interruptions before they escalate. This enables businesses to resolve issues proactively, reducing customer frustration and the likelihood of negative experiences.

So, while there are concerns about the impact of AI on business areas such as customer support, it can be seen that the human element will always be essential, and therefore, AI can help to enhance customer support but not take it over entirely – a person will always be needed to better the customer experience.