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When I recently traveled abroad for work, I purchased something on Amazon that I couldn’t find in local stores. However, this purchase was delayed even though I paid extra for it to arrive on time. By the time it was ready for delivery, I had already moved to a new hotel in another part of town. I wasn’t able to update the location in the order and that was something I needed asap, so I called Amazon customer service to see what I could do.
Amazon really tried its best to discourage me from speaking to anyone by leaving me on the phone for 10 minutes and pushing me back and forth through a maze of unhelpful menu options and generic FAQ pages that don’t answer my specific question didn’t help. None of these options even offered the option to “talk to a live human.” So of course I had to interrupt the bot and ask (demand) to speak to someone myself.
Related: In the age of artificial intelligence, there is always room for human intelligence
The power of empathy
And when I finally got transferred to a human, guess what happened?
I angrily explained my situation to the agent. She listened and replied, “Ma’am, I can understand that this must be very frustrating and I am so sorry but we cannot update the address once it is ready for delivery. Your only option is to cancel the order and reorder.”
Ironically, even though she did nothing to solve the problem other than give me more work, my anger was gone. Only when someone, a real person, shows compassion and authentically apologizes for the inconvenience will everything get a little better.
And that, my friends, is some AI tilt do (at least not yet). Imagine an AI trying to express compassion in a robotic and creepy way – not quite the same.
Complementing AI with emotional intelligence training
By and large, employees are struggling with the harsh reality that AI is taking over many previously human tasks. People are actually losing their jobs or at risk of losing their jobs, so these fears are not unfounded. As a change management leader who has helped companies introduce AI into their workflows, I have seen both the fear and real impact of mass layoffs and restructuring for many of my clients.
But while AI has drastically changed the way businesses operate, I would argue that it is not yet ready to do so substitute most customer-facing features – just expand them. Companies should think twice before completely replacing employees with AI.
For one, check out some of these statistics recently published in a report by UJET on the use of AI bots for customer service:
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80% of customers said using chatbots increased their frustration levels.
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78% of consumers were forced to turn to a human after failing to meet their needs through an automated service channel.
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63% said their interaction with a chatbot did not result in a solution.
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72% felt that using a chatbot for customer service was a waste of time.
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More than half of consumers (54%) believe a phone call with a live agent provides the fastest resolution and best customer service overall.
A survey conducted by Cyara found that of 1,554 consumers worldwide, 30% were turned off from a brand by a negative chatbot experience.
It’s true that in many cases, for more general problems, a bot can help solve the problem through a predictable workflow and referral to an online resource.
However, most customers who take the time to contact customer service have already searched publicly available information sources and have not been able to find a solution that fits their problem.
Related: AI can replace (some) jobs – but it can’t replace human connection. Here’s why.
When AI is not as effective as humans
Rest assured that there are still some areas where human intelligence outperforms artificial intelligence. Here are a few:
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innovation: Although AI can produce novel ideas and works of art, it often lacks the depth of human creativity. People excel at combining different ideas, emotions and experiences to create truly original solutions.
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Complex problem solving: AI is powerful when it comes to solving specific, well-defined problems in a structured environment. However, it struggles with ambiguity and may not adapt well to completely new or unforeseen situations where human intuition and creativity are crucial.
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Ethical decision making: AI lacks a moral compass. Although it can be programmed with ethical guidelines, it may not always make morally sound decisions in complex scenarios that require understanding nuances, cultural contexts, and human values.
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Interpersonal communication and negotiation: Building relationships, understanding subtle cues, and negotiating effectively are skills that humans excel at but can be challenging for AI, especially in dynamic, unpredictable social interactions.
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Intuition and gut feeling: People often make decisions based on intuition or gut feeling, relying on unconscious processes that are difficult to reproduce in AI systems based on explicit algorithms and data.
Almost all of these examples have a common denominator, which I would summarize as emotional intelligence.
And while there is no doubt that AI will continue to evolve and better mimic human emotional intelligence, perhaps to uncanny levels, it may still be a long time before we can truly accept it as an adequate replacement for human relationships.
Related: The Art and Science of Boosting Emotional Intelligence
Finally, I would like to tell my employees that they should keep a cool head in these difficult times and invest in their soft skills.
And also to employers: Don’t overlook the importance of emotional intelligence.
By all means invest in integrating AI into operations, but at the same time don’t forget to invest in offering emotional intelligence training – it can certainly make or break the customer experience!