As a consumer, it is scary and annoying that I can call a technologically literate, often multi-billion dollar, business and have my ears wounded by crackly hold music. Worse, the kind that loops every 30 seconds for 10 minutes, before I hang up in anger. In the digital AI era, how is that possible?
According to a 2023 Microsoft study, UK companies leave their customers hanging on for up to 85 minutes. In no way can that be described as customer “service”, even while the message repeats “You are a valued customer, thanks for waiting.”
To bring a degree of order to this mess, Intercom has launched Fin voice to join the AI-enabled customer support product melee, helping reduce wait times to zero. Badged as “The first AI agent that delivers human-quality service,” this seems like a compelling product.
That alone should make consumers and customers happier, or at least less grumpy. And if the information provided resolves their query, there’s no need for them to worry about AI being the provider of useful insight.
Fin, Intercom’s AI agent, learns everything about a company’s products through FAQs, call logs and web content, using that knowledge to generate accurate answers. According to Intercom, these resolve up to 90% of customer queries without waiting for a human agent. Fin delivers reliable support, available 24/7 with a voice that sounds human, clear and understandable. And if it can’t provide a suitable answer, they are easy to add or correct for future callers.
Of course Fin, while being thoroughly tested, is yet to meet the many millions on the other end of a customer support line. But Fin’s AI can personalise the service for every business and customer wherever they are, taking actions on their behalf, and adjusting quickly to serve changing needs.
The end of hold, say hello to Fin
Offering human-quality AI customer service by voice sounds like a game changer. That’s as long as the using company gets it right, which may be where the plot unravels if a business has less than stellar support to begin with. On the plus side, Fin identifies itself as an AI agent at the start of a call or chat, and should a consumer worry about talking or typing to an AI, they can always ask to speak to a human.
Fin supports some 45 languages, so can work for multinationals or businesses that want to expand into international markets. Working over voice, email, chat and SMS, Fin can leap into a company’s frontline support services, and take the pressure off agents, allowing them to deal with deeper or higher-value calls.
With many services offering varying levels of AI support agents, this class of voice feature will likely be table stakes for onmichannel service providers within a year. The question is, which service will fit into your business best, offer high-quality results and keep your customers happy? And how many hoops do you have to jump through to get to this promised land? Customer stories welcome!