European Consumer Claims embraces AI to further improve customer experience

"At European Consumer Claims, AI assistance will always be in addition to, and never in place of human support staff," assures CEO Greg Wilson

AI revolution

The days of clumsy automated call answering, chat bots and robo-calls inducing groans from customers anticipating a frustrating communications experience, are fast slipping into history.

Agonising minutes of repeating oneself to a machine that can only understand a very limited number of preprogramed scenarios, is something we have all experienced. Plenty of us have become conditioned to seek the quickest way to disengage with the automated system and engage with a human. Human customer service operators can understand subtlety and realise when a problem falls outside their regular parameters.

Frustrating customer service experiences: We've all had them

Unless you have been paying close attention to recent developments in AI, prepare to be extremely impressed at how much Artificial Intelligence can now understand language nuance, accents, slang, and atypical requirements.

This field is improving by the day. Soon (perhaps by the time you read this article) you will be able interact with our own cutting edge AI here at European Consumer Claims (ECC).

AI at ECC

AI is not only coming, its already here. There is no ignoring it or 'sticking to the old ways'. This is like the first computers arriving in workplaces, or the internet. AI is now a fact of life.

The only real choice is how every company manages and maximises its use and impact on their efficiency.

At ECC we wanted to make sure that above all, AI will only be rolled out where it inarguably improves the customer experience. For example on phone calls where a customer is speaking with an AI assistant:

It must always identify itself as AI
It must deal with customer requests adeptly
It must be able to answer most of what a customer asks. Ideally all, but realistically most...
It must always offer the "parachute" of either being able to transfer to a human, or arrange a call back the next time the most suitable human is available
AI must not replace human staff, only re-task them to improve overall corporate efficiency

How can an AI answer all of your questions?

It has access to every one of a client's updates and documents. After confirming your identity it can tell you pretty much what a human can about your case. It can also handle new enquiries and set up assessment interviews with human experts.

The AI can now recognise human emotion and tell if the caller is happy, for example, or frustrated, and respond appropriately.

How and when will AI improve your experience with ECC?

With the proviso that AI will be able to satisfactorily deal with complex enquiries and requests (and this writer having been extensively involved in the testing process, I can confirm that it is extraordinarily capable of those actions) then you as a customer can get most of the information you want at any time of day or night.

You can call at weekends or on Christmas Day and still get high quality service.

If you call and are not satisfied with the AI, then the AI will (without the slightest hint of offence) select the most appropriate human team member and either transfer you immediately or schedule them to call you back. That team member will have a transcript of your conversation with the AI so that you don't have to go over everything again with the human.

"The key is to talk to the AI just as you would a human staff member," advises Greg Wilson. "The natural inclination is to 'talk down' to AI, or assume it will not be sophisticated enough to cope with difficult concepts or accents. But this is not the case.

"Ask it exactly what you want to know. It is astounding how intuitive and human-like this AI is. It is also constantly learning, so it is better today than yesterday. And it will be better again tomorrow."

"With ECC you will always have the choice to talk with a human. But if you give our AI a chance next time you call, you won't be disappointed.