yes, we really need AI

Not too long ago I needed to make an enquiry on a banking transaction-basically I needed to find out the process if I wanted to do such and such.

 

And because it seemed more convenient, I did it the old school way and called the customer service hotline at the bank.

Bad mistake.

 

Three times I enquired, three times I got three different kinds of answers.

 

First customer representative told me that I needed to inform the other party three details.

 

Second customer representative told me that in order to get what I needed, I was required to inform seven details.

 

Third customer representative told me that in fact, for this particular transaction, I didn't need to inform seven details, or even three. All I needed was only two.  

 

Needless to say, I got extremely confused- and very embarrassed.

 

Because I'd informed the other party the necessary information each time and it was beginning to look like I didn't know my own banking s***. Worse still, it was coming out like my own bank didn't know their own banking s*** either! 

 

By the time the third enquiry came into place, I wanted to go thump the bank teller's counter and ask them would they please tell me what in the high heavens was I supposed to inform the other party and would they please give it to me one shot just so this d*** transaction could go just right!

 

Of course they could say that I should b***dy well know, but I also wanted to tell them that, look, this might be second nature to you, and this might be second nature to many a person, but it is not necessarily the same for everyone, and so there will be customers who will either be doing this for the first time, or who have not done it for a long time and thereby forgotten how to go about doing it. Let's not assume.

 

Well, I'm glad to say that the matter is settled now, it's all clear and we're all good.

 

But this has started me seriously pondering about the use of AI, Machine Learning, Intuitive Websites, Apps and Avatars in corporations whose industries involve plenty of enquiries, explanations, clarifications, introductions of business offerings and the like.

 

I'm talking telecommunications, financial institutions, hospitality, government bodies, insurance corporations and the like.

 

This isn't an epiphany sort of perspective.

 

With AR and VR coming about, with blockchain and bitcoin and Machine Learning and AI being the buzz for a while, it's already been explored and already been discussed, and many a corporation are already using chatbots and analytics for customer engagement, still, when it comes to situations like what I've experienced, a d*** solid AI could be well put to use.

 

It's like, a website can be more than a website. After all, there can only be that many questions when it comes to certain transactions. Sure, there are many, many, many questions for the many, many products, and there are many, many clarifications for the many, many transactions, but I'm quite sure there is a number to it all.

And if it can be quantifiable, it means that all of it goes into a single set manual or if I may boldly interpret it- Artificial Intelligence- where keywords are recognized, interpreted, confirmed and then key answers made available.

 

Unless the AI decides to curate the information(!), I'd think a simple "how do I do it" question would fit easily into the standard AI manual which would then generate me the standard answer to which I'd have a full and complete direction as to what to do.

 

And not have three different answers on three different occasions for the same d*** question.

 

It irritates me no end, I'm telling you, even thinking about it. Because it's time wasting when things get held up and when you can't move forward or backward because there'll be implications and you're just sitting there prepping, prepping, prepping.

 

And neither is it a situation where you either have no bank, a bank, or a bank that exists but is so complicated that everyone openly says they don't want to use.

 

It is a situation where it's strongly believed that processes are streamlined and oh, there's no problem anywhere and we just have to do this and do this and do this and we'll be fine.

 

But it's not.

 

And so maybe this is a great opportunity for AI. Will there be anomalies? Will there be that one weird question that pops out from a customer somewhere which the AI hasn't figured out? Sure. Most certainly there will be.

But that's where the human touch comes in, and hat's where Machine Learning comes in.

There's this overwhelming (but valid) concern that AI and Machine Learning will overtake the human element. I cannot say for sure, but there's also the possibility that instead of overtaking jobs, it may enhance the human experience further- because it takes the pressure off the employees and customer service person- and so the staff can really focus on doing what the AI cannot do- be the guiding point to the AI manual, be the  emphatic human, be the listening ear and be the helping friend customers will definitely need.