10 AI tools for customer service: examples and how they can be used

AI tools for customer service are revolutionizing the business world. According to Intercom’s 2023 report, The State of AI in Customer Service, 55% of support leaders say that ChatGPT has made them more likely to invest in artificial intelligence in the year ahead.¹

Similarly, Gartner reported that 38% of executives say that their primary focus in generative AI investments is to enhance customer experience and retention.² Behind that, 26% of executives are investing in generative AI to prioritize revenue growth, followed by 17% focused on cost optimization and 7% to emphasize business continuity.

Though there are differences between traditional AI and generative AI, this article specifically focuses on solutions utilizing generative AI, the latest generation of artificial intelligence built using “Large Language Models” (LLMs).  

So if you've been contemplating the implementation of AI within your own business, now is the time to act. In this article, you’ll learn about AI tools for customer service, including what they are, how they can be used, and 10 examples of AI solutions.

What are generative AI tools for customer service?

Generative AI tools are solutions that enhance customer service by speeding up responses to common queries and automating basic tasks. This includes chatbots answering routine questions quickly and support reps using AI to summarize conversations, provide detailed answers, and generate helpful articles.

Generative AI is an advanced type of artificial intelligence that creates diverse content like text, images, video, and code. It accomplishes this by studying large datasets to produce a unique response resembling the input data. Some well-known examples of generative AI tools include ChatGPT, Bing chat, and Google Bard.

Examples of AI tools for customer service

AI chatbots

An AI chatbot delivers quick and accurate answers to customer queries by leveraging a company's own knowledge base and support content (it does not, in other words, generate its own unsupported answers).

AI-enhanced help desk

An artificial intelligence help desk is software that uses AI to enhance its capabilities, making it more efficient and powerful. For instance, the tool contains features that empower support reps to summarize conversations, elaborate on responses, rephrase answers, and fine-tune the tone of their communication right within the platform's inbox.

It’s worth noting that, by 2024, Gartner predicts a staggering 40% of business applications will have embedded conversational AI, marking a significant increase from the less than 5% recorded in 2020.³

How can AI be used in customer service?

Resolving common queries

Perhaps one of the best uses of an AI tool for customer service is to quickly resolve the most common queries. If a user has a question about a product or service, an AI chatbot can search the knowledge base and provide a quick and accurate response.

Troubleshooting

AI chatbots can help customers with technical issues by providing step-by-step guides and engaging in a conversation to gather more information when necessary. 

If the problem cannot be resolved by the chatbot, the platform can rapidly escalate the query to a human agent. The support representative is then able to utilize the information the chatbot has already gathered, thereby resolving the issue more quickly.

Summarizing

Customer support representatives often have to write summaries of conversations before handing them off to teammates. But an AI summarization feature can help by automatically summarizing the details of customer interactions using large language models.

The AI analyzes the details of what was discussed and generates a brief summary highlighting the key topics, questions asked, issues discussed etc. This saves support representatives time and allows them to focus on offering excellent customer service.

Writing help documentation

Because of the time-consuming nature of the task, many companies struggle to write enough articles to cover all of their customers' inquiries. An AI tool for customer service can significantly reduce the effort required to create help documentation. 

This not only enhances the efficiency of the support team but also motivates them to generate more helpful content. While it’s important to verify its accuracy, this feature greatly accelerates the process of composing an initial draft – which is often the most challenging aspect of these writing tasks.

Reporting

AI can help analyze interactions in real time, surfacing key themes and sentiments at scale. This empowers companies to understand customers better and pinpoint areas needing improvement. With comprehensive conversational analytics, support teams can track metrics like resolution time, customer satisfaction (CSAT), and performance. 

Benefits of AI tools for customer service

Fast, consistent 24/7 support

Thanks to powerful AI tools like chatbots, you can provide support around the clock to your customers without compromising on speed or quality. No longer bound by traditional office hours, AI tools are always ready to engage, answer queries, and consistently resolve issues with reliable information from your help center.

In our report The State of AI in Customer Service, leaders eagerly shared their expectations about the possibilities AI brings to the table: while 60% of them are excited about faster responses, 45% are enthusiastic about the prospect of more consistent responses.

Higher customer satisfaction 

AI unlocks a world of possibilities for you to offer efficient support experiences that leave customers delighted. Above all, AI enables quicker, more accurate responses to customers – whether through chatbots or empowering support reps with AI tools.

Our State of AI in Customer Service report also revealed that support leaders who use AI and automation are already reaping the benefits of faster, more responsive customer service: 58% have already seen improvements to their CSAT scores.

Ease the burden on teams

AI tools for customer service can lighten the workload, sparing support reps from the overwhelming volume of often repetitive inquiries. By automating routine tasks and providing AI solutions, teams can focus their energy on more complex, high-value, and intellectually stimulating customer interactions.

The constant influx of queries can be mentally and emotionally taxing for teams. However, with the integration of AI tools, support leaders can proactively address burnout and overwhelm, safeguarding their team's well-being. 

According to Intercom Customer Service Trends Report 2023, 81% of support leaders trust that technologies like automated support tools will help improve employee engagement and reduce attrition among their support teams in 2023.⁴

Increase team’s productivity

AI technology offers companies an opportunity to boost team’s efficiency, particularly by automating repetitive tasks and streamlining support representatives' workflows.

According to a McKinsey & Company report, The Economic Potential of Generative AI, applying generative AI to customer care functions could increase productivity at a value ranging from 30% to 45%.

Intercom’s The State of AI in Customer Service report also shows that 66% of support leaders express excitement about harnessing AI and automation to boost their team's productivity in the upcoming year.

Easy to set up

Another benefit of using an AI tool for customer service is that, unlike traditional chatbots that require users to establish predefined rules, it requires no previous training.

With a conversational AI chatbot, there's no need for complex configurations or the creation of new bot paths from scratch. It's as straightforward as routing the chatbot to a knowledge base or help content, and it will effortlessly absorb all the information required to supply a conversational and automated customer service.

Higher scalability

As the customer base grows, support must scale up while keeping service fast, reliable, and consistent across multiple touchpoints. An AI tool allows companies to scale support operations more efficiently in two key ways. 

First, an AI-enhanced help desk increases support reps' productivity by enabling them to handle a greater volume of queries with the help of AI. Second, AI chatbots can resolve countless basic queries without human intervention, further optimizing efficiency. 

Moreover, AI chatbots uniquely scale instantly according to demand spikes. For example, if support requests suddenly surge due to a widespread issue, the AI chatbot can smoothly handle the influx without any problems. 

10 AI tools for customer service

Now, let’s explore some of the most useful AI tools for customer service.

1. ChatGPT

The market-leading AI tool has spent the past year astonishing and winning over users worldwide. Since its release in 2022, people have been using ChatGPT to write, code, and find answers to general questions.

Despite not originally being designed for customer service, support teams can use ChatGPT for a myriad of vital tasks. These include: 

• Create ready-to-use templates to address common customer queries, saving time and ensuring consistent, accurate responses.

• Summarize conversations to extract essential information so teams quickly grasp the main points without sacrificing important details.

• Expand or rephrase messages to help support reps in composing well-crafted and personalized responses.

• Adapt the tone of voice to align with the brand's style, guidelines, and even the conversational context. 

• Generate questions for customer surveys to enable businesses to gather valuable feedback.

• Create knowledge base articles to assist customers with self-service and reduce overall workload on customer support reps. 

Solutions like Intercom allow you to leverage the power of ChatGPT in a dedicated customer service platform.

2. Segment

Segment is an AI data platform that enables companies to collect and control their customer information at scale. Businesses gain real-time insights and capabilities to understand, predict, and engage with each individual customer.

With generative and predictive AI, Segment empowers users to create highly personalized experiences with sophistication, transforming customer relationships and unlocking their full potential.

3. Typeform

Typeform is a popular online form building platform used by companies to collect customer feedback and other data. It offers pre-made templates for common use cases like frequently asked questions (FAQ) pages, Net Promoter Score (NPS) surveys, and satisfaction polls.

Now the solution is also powered by AI features that help users customize and optimize their forms with ease. Typeform's AI is able to draw on best practices from how other effective forms have been designed, and it analyzes characteristics of a user's newly created form to suggest improvements.

4. Klaus

Klaus is a customer service quality management platform that aims to proactively identify gaps in experience. Their artificial intelligence collects, analyzes, and acts on customer feedback data.

Klaus gives companies a customizable AI CSAT solution, enabling teams to pinpoint where their service may be falling short by surfacing insights from feedback collected directly from clients.

5. OneTone

OneTone is an AI monitor to keep track of all of your customer support interactions. Monitoring tone, content, and issues helps support teams enhance performance and outcomes. 

This AI for customer service detects important details that reps may miss, like unresolved questions, incorrect resolutions, forgotten apologies, or alternative options left unexplored. OneTone also identifies unprofessional conduct or typos, contributing to the maintenance of integrity.

6. Auto Gmail

With Auto Gmail, you can connect your inbox – whether it's Gmail, Outlook, or another email provider – and leverage the power of ChatGPT to draft responses to all your customers.

By analyzing the emails you've sent in the past, Auto Gmail learns your communication style and preferences to produce drafts that authentically capture your voice and brand. When you open your inbox, you'll find that Autogmail has already drafted responses for all your unopened emails, saving you valuable time and effort.

Further, you can easily review and edit each of these responses if needed, ensuring that they align perfectly with your intended message.

7. Polymer 

Polymer is an AI tool that simplifies Business Intelligence (BI), and can be used for customer service data. Unlike the traditional complex setup and steep learning curves associated with BI, Polymer enables you to effortlessly present data within minutes.

One of the standout features of Polymer is its AI analysis capabilities. It intelligently examines all information, extracting valuable insights, and automatically generates visually appealing dashboards.

Sharing discoveries is also simplified. You can drop dashboards straight into presentations, embed visuals on websites, or share entire boards via link. 

8. BetterFeedback

Driven by the GPT-4 technology, BetterFeedback provides teams with the fastest and most efficient means of detecting customer needs and pain points. The platform consolidates all qualitative customer feedback into one unified hub, seamlessly integrating with tools like Intercom.

Whether you have quick queries or need in-depth insights, BetterFeedback’s ChatGPT-like AI chatbot delivers complete and detailed answers in seconds by drawing from your data. 

Some of BetterFeedback’s features include: 

• Sentiment analysis

• Feedback analysis

• Automatic topic discovery

• Trends

• Integrations and data sources

9. ResolveAI

ResolveAI is a simple and straightforward platform that offers two main AI tools for customer service: chatbots and AI agents. The platform’s chatbots provide 24/7 customer support, answering customer questions as soon as they come in.  

AI agents, meanwhile, function like dedicated personal assistants. They automate tasks like collecting emails, booking meetings with new clients, summarizing meeting notes, and recording feedback, ensuring that your team is always running efficiently and at full speed.

10. Intercom

When it comes to AI tools for customer service, Intercom’s software stands out from the crowd. While many tools focus on specific tasks, our platform has a suite of tools and features all in one place to meet your support needs.

Our AI chatbot, Fin, can instantly resolve 50% of your support questions. It automatically displays safe and accurate conversational answers based solely on your support content, including your knowledge base.

Intercom offers a centralized customer service platform with an AI-enhanced help desk that enables your team to accomplish more, faster. Our AI-assisted inbox tool empowers your support reps to streamline their workflow. 

Support teams can quickly summarize conversations, expand replies, rephrase answers, or even modify the tone of their responses without the hassle of navigating through ChatGPT itself.

What is the best customer service AI tool?

Choosing the best AI tool for customer service is a task that requires you to consider  the specific needs of your business. We do, however, believe that Intercom is a complete solution to help you manage your conversation volumes and optimize your resources. 

Intercom offers a single, powerful, user-friendly platform where you can bring together AI, automation, conversations, tickets, customer data, and reporting. By connecting all your other tools to our platform, you can maximize your team's performance and efficiency.

Start a free trial or ask for a demo today to see what one of the best AI tools for customer service is capable of. 

Sources

1. Intercom, The State of AI in Customer Service Report 2023. We commissioned an independent market research firm to survey a random sample of 1,013 global support leaders and practitioners. The margin of error for this study is +/- 3.7% at the 95% confidence level.

2. Gartner, Beyond the Hype: Enterprise Impact of ChatGPT and Generative AI webinar. Gartner conducted a poll among 2,544 respondents as part of a webinar series in March and April 2023.

3. Gartner, Experts Answer the Top Generative AI Questions for Your Enterprise.

4. Intercom, Customer Service Trends Report 2023. We commissioned an independent market research firm to survey a random sample of 1,775 global customer service leaders and decision makers. The study’s margin of error is +/- 2.3% at the 95% level of significance.

5. Mckinsey & Company, The economic potential of generative AI: The next productivity frontier.