Is the growth in Chatbots signalling the end for humans?
Customer preference will always play a role in the customer service experience. The nuances of that will make the future of Chatbots versus humans a difficult outcome to predict. So, before I even jump into this blog, I am already presenting a muddled view on whether advancing technologies can truly replace the role of a human being.
I have been in Information Technology for over 30 years and continuously find myself amazed at the pace of Digital Transformation and even more so since the Pandemic. According to a McKinsey Global Survey of executives, “companies have accelerated the digitisation of their internal operations by three to four years” as a result.
The benefits that Digital Technology have brought to our everyday lives are extraordinary. Thanks to technology I no longer need to make my way into town to solve my banking problems as I can simply engage in a conversation with a Chatbot from the comfort of my sofa.
My experience and interactions with Chatbots have been mixed but, at the same time they have been a lot more convenient than visiting town; or being held in a queue waiting to talk to someone. So maybe the answer to my question is, yes?
The growth in the use of Chatbots has been increasing in recent years and will continue to displace the need for human interaction in many situations. Chatbots are becoming more intelligent with developments in Artificial Intelligence and Natural Language Processing making interactions as good, if not better, than similar interactions with a human. But will they replace the need for quality, human interaction in the foreseeable future?
I personally do not think so and believe, like me, customers will continue to value the importance of human based channels such as the telephone for the foreseeable future. According to a Gartner report from November 2020, “Over 90% of business consumers avoid engaging with virtual support agents, leaving the investment largely unused” (2), which seems to back this up.
So, like they say in the Dragon’s Den,” it’s for that reason I am out,” I will not be investing in replacing all human based channels for digital ones right now here at Delt.
Instead, maybe the answer is that there is room for both. Continuing to augment our talent with digital technology such as Chatbots seems like the right thing to do, for us, and therefore in conclusion, the answer is no, the human at Delt is still very much alive.
Humans are our greatest asset at Delt, and we will continue to invest in Digital and Humans to deliver the optimal “Better, Faster, Cheaper” outcomes for our customers for the foreseeable future.
Paul Jones, Chief Information Officer
Note: Link (2) below is for Gartner Clients only.
