While I acknowledge that many airlines are struggling to provide satisfactory customer service as they expand their staff and flights post-pandemic, I do not wish to unfairly single them out. The issues being described in this article are not exclusive to air travel, nor are they technology-related; they are problems of imagination.

Chatbots, self-service mobile apps, and similar technologies are merely tools - they are neither inherently good nor evil. The issue is that organisations frequently rush to implement these tools without fully comprehending all possible customer service or interaction contexts.

Understanding and mapping out all edge cases - uncommon or unforeseen situations where something fails to function as anticipated - requires time, domain knowledge, and, very often, creative skills to envision unexpected scenarios, complications, or events that must be addressed.

Adopting customer service technologies can certainly streamline processes and enhance efficiency, but it is not a panacea. Automating flawed procedures only amplifies errors. As a result, it is critical to ensure that your processes function for all use cases - core or edge. Solutions must be "stress-tested" and validated over time before front line personnel are removed or diverted to other tasks.

None of this is rocket science. Nevertheless, the rush to embrace new automation and customer engagement scenarios made feasible by generative AI - with a corresponding denuding of front line staff that typically follows - suggests that we are likely to encounter more customer frustration and resistance before these lessons are (re)learned.

#ai #technology #automation #customerservice #engagement #generativeai #usecases #creativity #events #creative
https://lnkd.in/dEaunZWS