AI Will 'Dominate Customer Experience in 2024'

Jon Heaps is co-founder and managing partner at Ascent Business Partners, a company that helps the channel understand how artificial intelligence (AI) might benefit it and its customers. He maintains that AI will "dominate customer experience (CX) in 2024." 

"With the emergence of AI and specifically dealing with customer experience, we have seen this as one of the biggest trends and how it can help shape and transform how companies support their customers," Heaps said.

He further cited a survey that polled business owners to find out how they currently use or plan to deploy AI. 

"Its No. 1 focus was customer service at an overwhelming 56%," he told us as he contemplated customer experience in 2024.

The report, Heaps shared, highlights something seemingly obvious: AI will dominate customer experience in 2024 and beyond as companies fine-tune their applications of AI in the contact center. 

Heaps agrees with this notion, adding that "customer support should be simple, but it presently isn't."

Ascent Business Partners' Jon Heaps

"Knowledge is everywhere and siloed, and answers are difficult to find and can lead to costly escalations, with 66% of people complaining that long resolution times are the biggest customer support issue," the AI expert told us.

Heaps said contact-center agent stress necessitates selecting the right technologies, which is crucial in reducing churn.

Related:Ascent Business Partners Leverages AI to Be Channel-Accessible

"By the time you fully prepare a new hire, the next one leaves, which cannot and does not scale," he said.

Tailored Experiences, Chatbots and More in 2024

AI's prominence in customer experience in 2024 will prove "critical," noted Heaps. That's thanks to several factors, plus a demand for more tailored experiences and a necessity to settle customer queries more quickly in 2024, Heaps said. 

"AI can analyze vast amounts of data to understand individual preferences and behaviors, enabling businesses to offer highly individualized experiences to customers," Heaps said.

He believes this will create a personalized approach to sweeten factors such as customer delight and dedication in 2024. 

Chatbots and virtual assistants are to play a vast role.

"AI-powered chatbots and virtual assistants can handle routine queries, provide immediate responses and offer 24/7 support," he told Channel Futures.

As reducing response times, remains top of mind, Heaps said deploying these tools will be crucial for producing a better customer experience in 2024.

"It will not only reduce agent response times, but it will free up humans to focus on more complex issues, improving overall customer service," something companies will lean on increasingly to improve internal metrics, he shared.

And predictive analytics, Heaps said, will go a long way in 2024 toward anticipating customer needs.

"AI algorithms can predict customer behavior based on historical data, enabling companies to anticipate customer needs," said Heaps.

Here is where companies can derive foresight that allows them to "proactively address issues or offer solutions before customers even realize they need them," noted Heaps.

Customer Experience in 2024 to Rely On Amplified Data Analysis

To garner insights and trends, Heaps said that AI will excel at analyzing what he calls "massive data sets to identify patterns, trends, and insights that can significantly impact decision-making in 2024." 

If establishments can better understand customer sentiments, preferences and market trends, they can make smarter decisions and refine their strategies to ensure better customer experience in 2024 and beyond, claims Heaps. 

AI's dominance in CX boils down to its ability to personalize experiences, improve customer support, provide predictive insights, analyze data effectively and automate tasks.

"All of these remain vital components for businesses to thrive in a competitive market," said the AI expert.