We’re a society of texters: 8.5 billion text messages1 are sent in the United States every day. On a personal level, it’s about 26 sms messages, per person, per day. With that much volume, if your business does not have an SMS customer service strategy – powered by SMS chatbots – it’s obvious that opportunity is passing you by. Even as texting is an inherent part of our daily lives, companies have historically shied away from providing customer support via text.

These are painful customer experiences we can all relate to and top indicators of poor customer service according to Zendesk’s 2021 Customer Experience Trends Report. With 75% of people willing to spend more money on a brand that provides a great customer experience, companies now know that customer loyalty depends on delivering exceptional customer service. However, brands often go about trying to improve customer experience in the wrong way, despite their best intentions.

AI is transforming customer service, making it more convenient and personal by automating high-quality resolutions on consumers’ terms and empowering human agents to work smarter. The use cases for automated customer service seem endless, so we’ve pulled together the best opportunities for leveraging the power of artificial intelligence in customer service that we see today. How are our customers using automated support to rethink retail customer service?

Today’s digital world is littered with companies providing omnichannel experience scenarios for their customers. Here’s a real-life example of an omnichannel experience: While looking through photos, you see an ad on Instagram for an all-inclusive tropical getaway from an online travel agency. You click on the ad and start researching the property. You open your laptop to read reviews before you complete your booking.

For busy customer service teams, every minute counts. So being able to save over 240 hours a month would count for a lot. And that’s exactly how much time customer service teams handling 20,000 support requests a month can save by using chatbots, according to Zendesk’s user data.