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Integratz 5 minute read

7 Ways AI for Customer Service Has Improved the Logistics Industry

AI is a relatively new experimental technology, yet it seems like it's everywhere and ever-expanding. Wherever you have humans, you can easily find a way to insert AI to improve the overall experience within that particular field or industry. Logistics and customer service are no exceptions.

Customer service and logistics have had a rather bumpy ride together. Each is similar to the like poles of a magnet. Repellent and even rebellious. In this case, AI serves as an opposite pole, connecting the two like ones. It helps to even the playing field between the two fronts and bridges the various gaps between customer service and logistics. Here's how AI in customer service helps the logistics industry!

1.      Automate Information Processing

Information processing is a necessary element of the logistics industry. In fact, the majority of the logistics industry operates on the basis of the exchange of information and statistics to and from the various points of dispatch and delivery throughout the supply chain. 

However, this information processing isn't as easy, simplistic, or linear as it may seem. Logistics comprises a constant stream of changing information. Manually processing and handling the flow of information that comes in from the customer service department can lead to technical errors and faults of judgment within the whole system.

Luckily, automating this flow of information at the customer service front can help simplify and streamline the tasks that are lined up at the logistics' end. For instance, if once customer reports a faulted item in their shipment, your automated system may take note of the complaint and report it to the automated processing software at the logistics department. 

When you receive multiple complaints pertaining to related products, say, from the same batch or the same model, your logistics department will receive automated alerts from the customer service departments, enabling them to maintain rigid quality checks on the items they've received stocked and dispatched. 

2.      Automated Feedback

Another useful development that you can credit automation for is the ability to enhance the quality, standard, and reliability of feedback that customers and clients send in reaction to the products they receive or use. There is a pretty impressive variety of feedback plug-ins, such as star-based rating mechanisms, written reviews, statistical satisfaction charts. 

These and other similar feedback-recording tools submit reports to the automated feedback receiver at the company's central hub as well as the logistics front. Instead of manipulable, shaky, and subjective feedback processing, automation allows for a more objective, value-driven, and clear feedback on different products associated with the logistics department, as well as the standard of services carried out to ship and dispatch the product. 

This can help the logistics analyze how well their products are doing in the market. By extension, they can help them decide if they want a new shipment on customer demand or clear out the failed stock at a discounted rate!

3.      Predict Trends

Besides providing information on the current status of their stocks, AI-based customer service can also help logistics dealers predict trends for the future. In this case, automation works to identify the various needs and expectations that customers have from a particular brand. When this data comes through, the customer service AI systems then pick up cues from the responses of the entire customer base to analyze their needs and transcribe them into more coherent forms. 

This way, when the company is looking to launch something new or to introduce changes within their current products, they don't have to blindly experiment with different schemas. Instead, they can confidently pick cues from the data they've received through AI interpretation of customer expectations to introduce changes and additions that they're certain will be met with a positive reaction. 

In a nutshell, integrating your customer service with Artificial Intelligence tools can help the logistics industry identify what their customers expect, what's trending in the market, and what's going to be an easy success on the shelves, so then they can consequently pick the best stocks items for the next batch.

4.      Reverse Logistics

Reverse logistics is another major area where the logistics industry has had help from automated customer services. However, just like the path from logistics to customer service is protected at both ends by Artificial Intelligence, it also forfeits the returning path of customer service to reverse logistics. 

Whenever there's a return in the dispatched stock, the customer service department looks into the whole process of how and why the item has been filed for return. Then, the automation system at the customer's service records the entire procedure and sends this information to the reverse logistics department, where it is processed to observe the filing and distribution of returned items, as well as other logistical operations.  

5.      Quicker and Better Customer Service

The use of artificial intelligence in customer service can also greatly reduce communication errors between customers and service personnel. This is because AI customer service agents will have perfect knowledge of every possible issue a customer could tackle. Hence, they will be able to promptly reply to customers the second a problem is relayed to them. In contrast, a human person would have to make the customer wait until they could find the answer. 

Traditionally, every time a company's product or service is updated or a new one is offered, all customer service personnel must receive training about the new product so they are able to handle customer queries. However, it may take them some time to understand how the product works even with the training. In contrast, you can just update AI agents with all the latest information about a new product or service, and they will be able to retain it without any problems.

By using AI, you can also minimize small errors that humans are prone to making. For example, you won’t have to worry about spelling errors in any customer service responses sent out. You also won’t have to worry about employees forgetting to reply to customers as the whole process will be automated. 

6.      More efficient distribution of resources

When it comes to using artificial intelligence in customer service, there are a plethora of ways you can incorporate this technology. You can choose to automate one customer service channel – such as emails – and free up employees to focus on more important tasks. 

For example, suppose you automate your email query system. In that case, AI technologies will automatically reply to all customer questions you get via email. The employees that were stuck behind a computer answering emails all day will now be free to focus on areas where they’re needed more. This would include answering phone calls, where whether they’re talking to a machine or a human matters more to customers. 

With some aspects of customer service automated, employees will also have to go through shorter training periods allowing them to get to work sooner. This also frees up a lot of resources for companies, which would have otherwise been used on training. 

7.      Maximize Sales and customer satisfaction

We’ve already talked about all the benefits of using AI for customer service. Now, let’s talk about how these benefits mentioned above cumulate to one big one: maximizing sales. When customers are satisfied, which comes from having a good experience with customer service, they’re more likely to use your services and thus increase your revenue. 

Automating customer services with AI also allows customers to get personalized responses. For example, AI can track all past behavior of certain customers, such as their previous interactions with your company and past services they have availed. 

By doing so, AI technologies can generate customer profiles that allow them to give targeted responses to the customer, increasing customer satisfaction. A more personalized experience also makes clients trust companies more, making it likelier for them to use your services again in the future.

Specific algorithms can also use customer service concerns to pick up on general problems that customers seem to be having, allowing you to implement solutions before even more customers are affected. 

Final Thoughts

There’s no denying that artificial intelligence can help improve customer service in the logistics industry. As a result, we see more and more companies in the industry implement these technologies. One of the biggest examples is the use of automated chat robots on company websites. 

As is clear, AI solutions save time and money. They also bring a range of other benefits, such as trend forecasting and enhanced customer experience. However, it can be tricky to start if you haven’t dabbled in these technologies before. 

If you’re finding yourself getting lost n the world of AI, don’t worry. At Integratz, we can help you implement smart, automated solutions to your problems. In addition, we can break down these complex technologies and make them easy for you and your employees to use. So, if you want to take advantage of all the benefits AI customer service can bring, get in touch with us today!

 

 

References

https://www.shdlogistics.com/robotics-automation/role-artificial-intelligence-logistics-industry

https://emailtree.ai/customer-service-automation-logistics-transportation/

Published by Integratz
Integratz