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in theory: customer support automation frees up support workers from focusing on repetetive customer issues to being able to devote more time to those difficult

in theory: customer support automation frees up support workers from focusing on repetetive customer issues to being able to devote more time to those difficult issues, providing better service at lower cost in practise: have you ever used any automated customer support for anything? it speaks for itself - it's literally worse than nothing.

cm2012 3y ago
Phone tree support is awful. AI of GPT4 level works because it is 100x better than that. And it will only get better in the next 5 years.
- tempodox 3y ago
  Promises, promises. They remind me of how cryptocurrencies were going to make everything better. “Just wait another 5 years and you'll see.”
avery17 3y ago
We've never had a gpt powered customer support though. It will be fine tuned on all of their recorded customer interactions ever. I could see this being way better than typical customer support where you have minimally trained, low wage employees who barely know how to use a computer just reading a script.
- krainboltgreene 3y ago
  [flagged]
- phpisthebest 3y ago
  You do understand that your comment is self nullifying right? If the majority of support people are "minimally trained, low wage employees who barely know how to use a computer just reading a script." then how exactly is the AI going to be better by using the recorded interactions of "low wage employees who barely know how to use a computer just reading a script"
- kec 3y ago
  The problem with customer support broadly isn’t having the agent understand you, it’s often about escalation until you get to an agent with the authority to handle your particular exceptional circumstance. There is no godly way any company will ever allow a chatbot, however capable, to go off script.
  - splatzone 3y ago
    No, but it could defer to a human if it’s unable to assist. If a chatbot can cover 80% of common support tasks, that vastly reduces the number of support staff but those who remain will be necessarily more skilled and have more authority
carlosjobim 3y ago
In practice I see a lot of businesses murdering their competition because they offer better customer service.
- TheCleric 3y ago
  I will pay up to 100% markup on things if: 1) I know there's a chance I'll need customer service with that thing 2) The company I'm buying from has actually good customer service.
- RugnirViking 3y ago
  the biggest companies in the world (microsoft, google, netflix, amazon, facebook) have pretty awful customer service no imo. What kinds of companies are you talking about?
  - carlosjobim 3y ago
    The world is so much more than these few tech giants where everybody at HN works.
    - raincole 3y ago
      Then give examples. You can't give 0 examples (while the comment you're replying to gave a list) and pretend you know better at the same time.
      - carlosjobim 3y ago
        For example Apple is famous for their good customer service, and it seems that worked out well for them.
rahimnathwani 3y ago
in practise: have you ever used any automated customer support for anything? I've used it to cancel orders, cancel subscriptions, change a broadband package, arrange a return/refund for faulty goods. Do you prefer to talk to a human for things like this?
- dkjaudyeqooe 3y ago
  No I prefer to use a normal user interface.
  - rahimnathwani 3y ago
    Automated customer support usually has a normal user interface.
    - dkjaudyeqooe 3y ago
      I mean a window with fields and buttons. Why use hit and miss voice or text interfaces?
- marcosdumay 3y ago
  I have never successfully used automated voice support, even for getting information plainly available on the place's database. But I have tried to use it plenty of times.
  - rahimnathwani 3y ago
    automated voice support is a small subset of all automated customer support
    - marcosdumay 3y ago
      Well, the same happens for chat text interfaces, but I have used those much fewer times. People usually don't call the normal usable UI that solves problems "automated customer support", but if you refer to a navigable web site with real options to solving things, then well, you are offtopic but that one works.

cm2012 3y ago

Phone tree support is awful. AI of GPT4 level works because it is 100x better than that. And it will only get better in the next 5 years.

tempodox 3y ago
Promises, promises. They remind me of how cryptocurrencies were going to make everything better. “Just wait another 5 years and you'll see.”

avery17 3y ago

We've never had a gpt powered customer support though. It will be fine tuned on all of their recorded customer interactions ever. I could see this being way better than typical customer support where you have minimally trained, low wage employees who barely know how to use a computer just reading a script.

krainboltgreene 3y ago
[flagged]
phpisthebest 3y ago
You do understand that your comment is self nullifying right? If the majority of support people are "minimally trained, low wage employees who barely know how to use a computer just reading a script." then how exactly is the AI going to be better by using the recorded interactions of "low wage employees who barely know how to use a computer just reading a script"
kec 3y ago
The problem with customer support broadly isn’t having the agent understand you, it’s often about escalation until you get to an agent with the authority to handle your particular exceptional circumstance. There is no godly way any company will ever allow a chatbot, however capable, to go off script.
- splatzone 3y ago
  No, but it could defer to a human if it’s unable to assist. If a chatbot can cover 80% of common support tasks, that vastly reduces the number of support staff but those who remain will be necessarily more skilled and have more authority

carlosjobim 3y ago

In practice I see a lot of businesses murdering their competition because they offer better customer service.

TheCleric 3y ago
I will pay up to 100% markup on things if: 1) I know there's a chance I'll need customer service with that thing 2) The company I'm buying from has actually good customer service.
RugnirViking 3y ago
the biggest companies in the world (microsoft, google, netflix, amazon, facebook) have pretty awful customer service no imo. What kinds of companies are you talking about?
- carlosjobim 3y ago
  The world is so much more than these few tech giants where everybody at HN works.
  - raincole 3y ago
    Then give examples. You can't give 0 examples (while the comment you're replying to gave a list) and pretend you know better at the same time.
    - carlosjobim 3y ago
      For example Apple is famous for their good customer service, and it seems that worked out well for them.

rahimnathwani 3y ago

in practise: have you ever used any automated customer support for anything? I've used it to cancel orders, cancel subscriptions, change a broadband package, arrange a return/refund for faulty goods. Do you prefer to talk to a human for things like this?

dkjaudyeqooe 3y ago
No I prefer to use a normal user interface.
- rahimnathwani 3y ago
  Automated customer support usually has a normal user interface.
  - dkjaudyeqooe 3y ago
    I mean a window with fields and buttons. Why use hit and miss voice or text interfaces?
marcosdumay 3y ago
I have never successfully used automated voice support, even for getting information plainly available on the place's database. But I have tried to use it plenty of times.
- rahimnathwani 3y ago
  automated voice support is a small subset of all automated customer support
  - marcosdumay 3y ago
    Well, the same happens for chat text interfaces, but I have used those much fewer times. People usually don't call the normal usable UI that solves problems "automated customer support", but if you refer to a navigable web site with real options to solving things, then well, you are offtopic but that one works.