Why do Humans have the edge in helpdesk?

What do we know about the definition of a helpdesk or customer service. You may have got it right!

Well, as the name itself suggests, its basically a support system designed to acknowledge and solve the customer’s mind boggling issues. Now that’s all done with true empathy only with the help of a human who can better understand the customer’s thinking. The human edge in helpdesk means that human support evidently have more advantages over AI based support. Lets discuss about a few qualities that transparently appreciate the human helpdesk:

Understanding

Consider a situation where a customer has a query about a product on the market. The customer, being a human, will likely prefer human-based customer support over AI support. Although AI is now popular in many fields, it can only provide support to a certain extent.

While AI may have all the valid answers, not every customer understands the terms used by AI. Imagine the prompts the customer has to think to communicate with a BOT! Choosing the right words and ensuring the BOT understands the query properly in order to get a suitable answer, can be quite challenging. Yeah, sounds tough. Personally, I may not have the patience for it and would opt for a human-based support team. It is simply more practical compared to AI services.

Emotional awareness

When a customer reaches out to the helpdesk with an issue, they certainly expect the support team to understand their emotional state and respond accordingly. AI would be able to identify the issue and may provide right answers to fix it but, as it is programmed, there is a limitation tag to it.

In such cases, it is more crucial to grasp the customer’s state of mind, mainly its weight and address the issue in a reassuring manner. Only humans at helpdesks have the ability to build rapport with customers. Reading the customer’s temperament and guiding them with positive words is best done by a human. Customers value a helpdesk that seems to accurately sense their emotions and respond to their emotions . Unlike AI, which uses mechanical language and lacks personal touch, human interaction offers a more engaging and adaptive approach. After all, this isn’t just an emoji game! AI responses are less detailed that relies on algorithms and fail to provide the emotional bonding that humans can offer. In short, human interaction is more effective as they tend to remember previous conversations.

Complex issues and flexible solutions

Humans, on one hand, possess experience and knowledge that far exceed what is programmed into AI systems. They have the ability to solve problems creatively, taking into account both the customer’s specific situation and their emotional state. In contrast, AI requires multiple steps and circumstantial knowledge to make progress in resolving an issue accurately. AI struggles with non-standard subjects because it operates entirely based on the information it has been fed. There is no substitute for a human being who can analyse a situation and provide comfort to a customer in distress. Human helpdesk agents create more genuine connection with its customers. After all, how many of us have AI friends or bosses? Exactly.

While AI can tackle most of the situations, but there are certain key elements missing such as personalization, the ability to understand a customer through their tone, the capacity for creative solutions based on experience. Human helpdesk agents come forward with more flexible responses tailored to the customer’s specific needs, unlike AI, which relies on pre-defined answers. Humans continuously improve their skills over time, adapting to different challenges and working to solve real-time problems with high versatility.

Clear communication

As we all know, AI typically provides solutions that are programmed with a standard approach, which can sometimes be too technical or generic. There are so many factors to consider here such as customer’s background, level of understanding, etc. For customers, who are human, it may be hard to grasp the pre-scripted solutions offered by AI, especially if these solutions are not altered to their specific needs. Consequently, AI might struggle to keep up with more dynamic or complex discussions. In contrast, a human helpdesk can engage in meaningful conversations and adapt their communication style to ensure the message is clear and understandable, making it a more effective choice for addressing diverse customer needs.

The conclusion

Why is AI helpdesk not a great choice?

Time for the key takeaways.

AI helpdesk:

1. Response Type: Programmed responses.

2. Flexibility: Challenging to adapt to complex issues.

3. Data security: Exposure risks when stored electronically.

4. Customer support : Insufficient support.

5. Customer experience: Lacks personal touch, which can lead to frustration.

6. Customer loyalty: Potential for customers to discontinue service if unsupported.

Human helpdesk:

1. Response Type: Personalized responses tailored to the customer’s needs.

2. Flexibility: Highly adaptable to unique and evolving situations.

3. Data security: Customer data is handled securely, with added personal care.

4. Customer support : Offers thorough and effective support, with empathy.

5. Customer experience: Provides warmth, courtesy, and genuine concern for the customer’s experience.

6. Customer loyalty: Builds customer trust and loyalty through individualized care.