Customers are satisfied with artificial intelligence

A global survey of more than 550 senior executives in 30 countries and territories found that 91% of “iconic” companies – those with the highest customer experience satisfaction scores and globally recognized leading brands – deploy Artificial Intelligence (AI) solutions. AI solutions boost customer satisfaction, compared to 42% of all businesses in their sector.

The latest MIT Technology Review report, Getting to Iconic, sponsored by Genesys, found that iconic companies often find that automated AI tools are most effective when they complement and extend the capabilities of their customer support teams, rather than investing in people. Sixty percent of these companies surveyed felt they had an effective mix of automated and “live” customer communication channels, compared to 26% of low performers and 40% overall.

The report also concluded that iconic companies are using AI for more than just automated chatbots. Most agree that AI is driving their customer analytics. Optimizing tools, applications, and operational processes that serve customers at every stage has always been considered a core growth strategy for globally successful businesses. And that success is only achieved with the help of technological advances such as big data analytics that turn customer information into predictive assets, and virtual assistants that help companies manage customer requests more effectively.

Iconic companies consider technology leadership to be three times more important in maintaining a great customer experience. Meanwhile, only half of companies with low customer experience satisfaction and low brand recognition are implementing relevant technologies, and 10% have no intention of doing so.

“This research confirms what we predicted – AI will play a key role in driving customer satisfaction to new heights,” said Merijn te Booij, chief marketing officer at Genesys. “We’re excited that Kate, our new customer experience AI tool, will help enable smoother, more contextual interactions between bots and humans. Combining the power of automation with the human touch across the enterprise will deliver the powerful collaborative AI solution that any customer experience leader needs.”

The Towards Iconic report also includes a global survey and case studies from customer experience leaders such as Alibaba, BT Global Services, Lexus, Nubank, Uber, and Zurich Insurance.

Other findings from the report show that nearly 90% of senior leaders at iconic companies feel comfortable managing omnichannel customer experiences, compared to 75% of all leaders surveyed, and 66% of low-performing companies.

Iconic companies are increasingly taking an active role in ecosystem management. On average, they are twice as likely as general enterprises to require ecosystem partners to adhere to their customer experience standards, and nearly three times as likely to require their customer experience systems to be integrated with partners.

One-third of iconic companies say they do not actively share customer insights within their ecosystem, well above the average. Iconic companies see significant competitive advantages when they leverage customer insights.

Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) is also a differentiator for iconic companies. 75% said CSR was one of the most important components of brand value, compared to just 21% of low-performing companies.

According to VnMedia