Salesforce has just launched Einstein Service Agent. I’m evaluating its potential to drive innovation and cost-efficiency in customer service.
What is the business case for leveraging Einstein Service Agent, conversational AI, and other chatbots?
Three observations on the potential impacts on organisations:
1 / On the cost side, I see a good opportunity for further cost reduction. Obviously. These tools reduce the need for large customer service teams, cutting down on operational costs. Because they can autonomously resolve probably a good percentage of the service issues, they will reduce the workload on resources. I can also expect that the usually high turnover rate in customer service, which often leads to costly onboarding processes, is likely to decrease.
2 / On the operational efficient and scalability sides, my expectations are that they will better enable organisations to scale up and better manage fluctuations in the volume of customer inquiries. And this, without requiring additional human resources. 24/7 online services that provide issue resolution, advice, and education, are a good way to enhance a customer service unit’s efficiency.
3 / On a business model point of view, they foster the transition of strategies from product to service-focused. I expect positive impacts on metrics such as problem resolution, response time, and overall customer satisfaction. The entire customer proposition is changed.
In many organisations, top management still views customer service operations as a cost centre. However, they should not forget that the risks of poor service are significant and often less visible. Just this is a good case for looking at more innovative ways of working.
I already see that the most successful organisations are the ones that view customer service as an investment in the overall customer experience.
What did I miss?