A few years ago, when we talked about AI, the main focus was on how to use it to robotize and automate many corporate tasks, such as customer service. Today, the scenario is different: it's not just about incorporating this technology, but also about bringing in a more humanized aspect that improves the connection with people and increases their satisfaction and brand retention. But how do you generate a certain behavior in a technology that belongs only to human beings? Through many points of attention that stem from empathy, sensitivity, and transparency with the customer.
According to data released by HiverHQ, companies that adopt AI-driven personalized communication can see a 30% increase in customer retention rates – and there's no shortage of arguments to justify this. The modern consumer no longer wants to interact with robotic, cold, and impersonal technology because they know how much these resources can contribute to a much more personalized service that better meets their needs.
Their expectation now is to have more meaningful interactions that promote a more human experience, which can bring enormous benefits to both sides. Their satisfaction with the brand will certainly be improved, feeling more understood and valued, with even greater chances of becoming loyal to the business due to a much more positive emotional connection. For companies, in addition to having this greater customer retention, which will make them less likely to seek a competitor, they can improve their market image by focusing on meeting this latent consumer demand and trend.
Internally, this strategy will also bring greater operational efficiency and cost reduction, freeing up human agents to solve more complex problems; in addition to allowing the collection of more valuable insights regarding the behavior and expectations of their target audience, so that they can constantly improve their strategies in favor of continuous growth in their segment.
Observing these benefits is dazzling for any entrepreneur, however, achieving them is not so simple. A lack of structured planning for this strategy can cause AI to become a trap in customer service, instead of a valuable resource, failing to achieve true humanization that meets customer needs and understands their emotions. Without due care in bringing the brand's identity and tone to this technology, its authenticity and market reliability can be severely damaged.
Overcoming internal technological limitations is also a common challenge faced by many companies, since the success of humanizing AI involves aspects such as the complexity of human language and cultural context, something that is even more complex in the vast territory of our country, with so many cultures and accents. This is without even mentioning data security and privacy, since AI processes sensitive information that needs to be technologically protected.
The costs involved in all of this are usually high, depending on the complexity of the project designed. Therefore, for companies to humanize this technology and obtain the highlighted advantages, it is first necessary to understand the levels of humanization that can be incorporated into AI and its customer service, which will guide the next steps in this direction.
They encompass language and tone of voice (from the most serious to the most friendly, depending on the brand profile), personalization (adapting the interaction based on captured history and AI learning), emotional intelligence (recognizing and responding appropriately to users' emotions, detecting frustration, impatience, irritation, or happiness, for example), transparency (explaining the reason for each response provided as a way to increase trust and connection with the customer), and prioritizing a human-centered design, being intuitive and considering people's needs and limitations.
All the levels mentioned above must be taken into account when following this strategy, using customer data to personalize AI, always prioritizing empathy in reading emotions, transparency in the responses provided, creating easy-to-follow flows and, above all, constantly monitoring all actions, identifying adjustments that need to be made and frequent improvements to ensure the good performance of this technology.
Don't implement this humanization across the entire company all at once. Identify the areas or activities where this strategy is most urgent and will have the most significant impact, making it worthwhile to adopt it first. This will be extremely beneficial for scaling this technology while maintaining quality, operational efficiency, and personalization on a large scale.
We are facing a trend that is increasingly taking over the market, where robotic automation no longer makes sense for consumer needs. Their expectations regarding how they are served will be ever higher, and more than ever, it is necessary to combine the best of AI with our human side, relying on a tool that will optimize this task into a much more personalized and enriched experience for each customer.
