Why AI is the key to a better e-commerce CX

Picture this: A prospective customer visits your online store, eager to make a purchase. They run into a snag and reach out to customer support where they’re entered into a queue. After a lengthy wait, they finally speak to a representative who does little to resolve their problem. Frustrated, they hang up and search for an alternative to your product.

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Now picture this happening over and over again. Not so good, right?

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The fact of the matter is, customer experience (CX) is king in today’s hyper-competitive e-commerce landscape. Quick information and personalized support are the pillars of a good CX.

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Enter artificial intelligence (AI). 

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AI has taken center stage in CX, transforming the way businesses approach their e-commerce sales funnel. With the ability to automate inquiries, slash wait times, and personalize interactions, more and more organizations are embracing AI. In this blog, we’ll cover the reasons why they’re smart to do so.

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Read on to learn why AI for CX is a necessity, not a luxury. Also find out how Yuma AI can empower you to achieve True Automation and get a leg up on the competition.

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The evolution of the e-commerce CX

First things first: How did we get here?

In the early days of e-commerce, businesses often viewed CX through a reactive rather than a proactive lens. That is, they staffed customer service agents to resolve customers’ concerns after they happened.

These companies struggled mightily with fragmented communication, inconsistent information, unreasonable wait times, and service quality that varied depending on the experience and interpersonal skills of individual agents. This made customers yearn for a better experience — but it took a while to materialize, as shoppers continued to frequent brick and mortar locations.

Today, virtually everyone shops online. That means your competitors are a click away and your customers have no incentive to settle. Why wait on hold for an hour to talk to a representative who may or may not be able to resolve their issue?

As a result, companies began to leverage AI for CX. This brought about a paradigm shift, as retailers were able to automate responses, route inquiries, anticipate their customers’ needs, and even handle surges in demand.

Shoppers have options, and so AI quickly shifted from nice-to-have to essential. Personalized interactions at scale, actionable insights, efficient support — these things can make the difference between success and failure.

Just keep in mind, not all CX AI solutions are built equal. Yuma AI’s True Automation is best-in-class, boasting 50% ticket automation in just two months.

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The benefits of generative AI

AI has ushered in a new era in e-commerce, which is only logical given its many advantages:

• Speed: With AI, online retailers can respond around-the-clock via chatbot or virtual assistant.
• Personalization: AI can analyze vast amounts of customer data and interact with users in a way that will resonate with them. This personalization — from tailored responses to product recommendations — fosters brand loyalty.
• Accuracy: AI reduces the risk of human error in customer interactions, which in turn builds trust. Given that AI improves with experience, it will only become more proficient as time goes on.
• Scalability: Whereas traditional customer support models require additional staffing to meet a rise in demand, AI-powered solutions can scale without a spike in costs (not to mention the time spent hiring and training new employees).
• Seasonality: Many businesses are seasonal in nature. Because AI is scalable, it can handle increases in customer inquiries and orders around holidays, sales events, and other peak periods.
• Fluency: Language processing models can communicate with customers in their preferred language, breaking potential communication barriers. This, in turn, helps expand market reach.

Ultimately, AI can be leveraged to streamline your operation and drive cost efficiencies — both of which contribute directly to a better CX.

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Dispelling myths about AI for CX

There has to be a catch, right?

Not so much. There exist several misconceptions about generative AI as it relates to e-commerce CX platforms. Here we dispel a few of them.

• The human touch: Some worry that AI will make things seem too impersonal. The opposite is true: AI won’t replace the human touch, it will complement it. The goal is to make CX as seamless as possible, and AI is designed in many ways to make life easier for your team. By managing mundane and routine tasks, AI frees up human agents to focus on complex issues and deliver personalized support in other crucial areas. Moreover, receiving an instant response can actually feel more human, too.
• Data privacy: Concerns about data privacy are understandably top of mind. This is where reputation matters greatly. As an SOC2 compliant company, Yuma AI prioritizes data safety, compliance, and transparency. We use robust security measures to ensure your customers’ information remains confidential and secure.
• Infinite growth: AI systems are designed to improve as time goes on. This is a good thing: Your AI-powered customer service will only get better at understanding queries, providing relevant information, and adapting to users’ unique preferences.

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Preparing to make the switch to AI

Preparation is key. If you’re planning to upgrade your e-commerce CX with AI, keep these things in mind:

• Assess your existing processes: Evaluate your current customer service operations, technological infrastructure, and team capabilities to identify areas to automate with AI.
• Define your objectives: Identify your key performance indicators (KPIs). For example, are you looking to improve response time? Reduce costs? Prepare for busy season?
• Communicate with your team: Your customer service representatives might be wary of working alongside AI-powered tools. Be sure to communicate the many benefits of AI and reiterate that the intent is to make life easier on them by eliminating mundane tasks while leveraging their skill sets to tackle more impactful work.
• Pick the right vendor for your needs: What separates Yuma AI from the competition beyond having the best tech? It’s the fact we support you throughout the entire customer journey. More on this in the next section.

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Not all services are the same

Yuma AI has revolutionized the e-commerce CX by developing an end-to-end customer journey. We’ll help you throughout every touchpoint.

With Yuma AI, you’ll be able to:

• Field pre-sale questions: Yuma AI’s task-oriented automation is capable of handling virtually any pre-sale inquiry, providing product information, and guiding customers through their purchase decisions. Our technology can even offer personalized recommendations based on customers’ preferences.
• Provide shipping and delivery updates: Provide your customers with real-time updates without defaulting to customer service representatives.
• Troubleshoot: Provide your customers with specific troubleshooting guides and resolve tickets minus the prolonged wait times.
• Monitor post-sale feedback: Leverage our AI to analyze customer feedback and reviews across platforms so your business can gather insights and address issues promptly.
• Manage refunds, returns, and exchanges: Our AI can streamline these processes by automating routine tasks, verifying eligibility, and guiding customers through each step.
• Keep an eye on social media: Your reputation on social media is paramount. Our AI can monitor social channels for mentions and automate replies to negative comments, minimizing any potential harm to your brand.
• Filter your inbox: Automatically clear out your support inbox and save your agents time by filtering out spam, automated replies, and other unwanted messages.

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Unlock True Automation with Yuma AI

When it comes to CX, AI isn’t a luxury — it’s a necessity. With Yuma AI, you have the key to a better CX and, in turn, the ability to maximize your ROI.

Here are just a few of our success stories:

• With Yuma AI_, MFI Medical improved initial response time by 87% and automated 45% of its customer inquiries.
• MyVariations leveraged Yuma AI to bolster response time by 70% and automate 30% of its customer support tickets.
• Omnie’s top clients achieved 50% automation and cut first response time by 85% after teaming up with Yuma AI.

Ready to improve your e-commerce platform’s CX? Contact Yuma AI to start your free trial.