Inflation and economic uncertainty are putting new pressure on customer service operations, exposing the limitations of AI systems designed primarily to deflect support inquiries.
AI bots can handle volume, but price-sensitive interactions often require more context and nuance, according to Ali Fazal, CMO of Gladly. He said brands should focus less on automating every interaction and more on determining which conversations AI can handle effectively.
Gladly is an AI-powered customer service platform that organizes interactions around customers rather than individual support tickets. It maintains conversation history across channels and incorporates customer information such as purchases, loyalty status, and lifetime value (LTV).
This approach runs counter to a long-standing customer service priority: deflecting inquiries before they reach human agents. Fazal sees that strategy as counterproductive when customers want explanations about higher prices, product changes, or other issues that affect purchasing decisions.
Rather than measuring AI support primarily by how many interactions it deflects, he said brands should consider its effect on the customer relationship.
