One of the most striking findings of the survey relates to the feelings that the use of Artificial Intelligence and automated customer service processes evoke in people. In this regard, 52.3% stated that they feel “uncomfortable” or “very uncomfortable” interacting with Artificial Intelligence bots, compared to direct communication with human beings when dealing with companies.
This discomfort peaks in situations where a customer is making a complaint or seeking to resolve a problem (63%), while the figure drops when it comes to requesting information and making inquiries (48.7%) or making a purchase (45.2%).
Age is also a very relevant factor in this regard, as the discomfort felt toward bots increases with the age of the respondents. The percentage of people between 18 and 29 years old who say they feel “uncomfortable” or “very uncomfortable” is 36.9%, while that percentage climbs to 71.6% for people between 60 and 75 years old.
“These results are a relevant element for designing strategies for adopting these types of tools in customer interactions. On one hand, recognizing the differing predispositions among different types of customers and types of interactions, and on the other hand, providing service with a human touch—independent of automation—are critical elements to facilitate and accelerate the penetration of these technologies,” commented Patricio Hernández, Director of Business & Strategy at BBK Group.
On the other hand, the survey also measured people’s perception of companies’ use of personal data and transaction histories to provide information and personalized offers. 53.6% of respondents say they “disagree” or “strongly disagree” with this practice. In contrast, only 17.7% say they “agree” or “strongly agree.”
The reception of this practice is better among people between 18 and 29 years old (23.1%). At the other end of the spectrum, people between 60 and 75 years old have the poorest perception of the use of personal data for advertising purposes (70.7%), while only 5.3% of them are in favor of this practice by companies.
In this same vein, when asked, “When companies send you offers or contact you proactively to offer you products or services, in general, how personalized do you feel those offers are?”, 51.2% believe they are “not at all” or “barely” personalized, while only 17% feel they are “quite” or “completely” personalized.
In this area, it is also observed that age is a relevant factor, as the negative perception of offer personalization reaches 39.7% for people between 18 and 29 years old, while the figure increases to 73.4% for those between 60 and 75.
“Artificial intelligence in customer service and the use of data for personalized offers presents a significant challenge. It is imperative to develop adoption strategies that integrate the diverse needs of users. Only then can the potential of AI be maximized, ensuring an implementation that is not only efficient but also aligned with people’s expectations,” concluded Patricio Hernández.