Service automation: What does Vicky’s customer service look like in the future?

One doesn’t need a crystal ball to predict the future of service automation. For Thomas Schweigler, customer service expert at BSI Software, one thing is clear: AI is no longer a vision, but has long since established itself in service centers as a productive lever for greater efficiency and quality. What does this mean for Vicky Valetti, the personified customer service employee? In the following interview, Thomas provides us with answers.

Customer service operates at the intersection of efficiency and emotion. This is precisely where artificial intelligence is already demonstrating its strengths today. While most areas are still searching for value-adding applications for AI, it is already an integral part of everyday work for Vicky and her colleagues.

Many AI applications are already firmly established: chatbots, voice bots, input management, issue recognition and routing, knowledge management including AI-supported action and response suggestions, as well as automated speech recognition, translation and transcription... the list of technologies in customer service is long and continuously getting longer. The ingenious thing about it is that much of it can be used ad hoc, without the need for lengthy AI projects, and companies can then decide where people's strengths are best utilized.

The future will be significantly shaped by agentic AI – and this will not only take place in companies' IT stacks. Very soon, customers' personal AI agents will increasingly contact customer service and bring service issues to our attention on behalf of customers. This will significantly reduce the proportion of routine tasks in Vicky's daily work.

Another AI topic of the future is predictive service: Is something about to go wrong? Could there be a problem with a shipment? Vicky receives notifications from the system, can proactively investigate and thus fix errors before they affect her customers. BSI Software already has this topic on its radar.

With routine tasks becoming fewer, the focus of Vicky's work is increasingly shifting to tasks where she can provide the best possible advice to end customer Lena. Developing creative solutions, maintaining customer relationships and upselling and cross-selling are becoming more important. Emotional intelligence and communication skills as well as consulting, problem-solving and sales skills are also becoming key competencies.

At the same time, pure product and process knowledge, writing skills and rhetorical abilities are becoming less important.

Service employees are driven by their backlog. Fortunately, automated processes will reduce this backlog – ideally in favor of a consistent service attitude. This not only ensures greater customer proximity, but also higher quality and targeted optimization of automation.

Like this, for example: Vicky works from home. She logs into the system in a good mood. Her personal virtual agent greets her warmly, gives positive and constructive feedback on cases from the previous day and informs her about trends and changes. All of this happens directly in the system, tailored individually to Vicky.

This is how her working day begins. As soon as Vicky sets her status to “available,” the first customer request is routed to her. The system provides her with all the relevant information in a structured format and has already researched suitable solutions in the knowledge database – including reasons and sources.

Vicky decides on an option and selects one of the suggested responses, which she only needs to review and fine-tune. Meanwhile, the AI continuously evaluates how likely the customer is to be satisfied with the response. The process is then complete for the time being and is available as an interaction to all journeys in real time.

With routine tasks continuing to decline, Vicky's focus will shift even more toward strategic and consulting-intensive tasks. Resolving customer inquiries, finding creative solutions and building lasting relationships will take center stage. Emotional intelligence, strong communication skills as well as consulting and sales skills will be crucial.

One thing is clear: Vicky does not need in-depth IT skills. A strong service attitude, on the other hand, will be central – and should be specifically trained. For the first time, she will have the necessary freedom to process inquiries in a truly customer-oriented manner.

In addition, there are new tasks in cross-selling and upselling. In the future, Vicky will provide more advice and also sell more. The system provides her with everything she needs for this – optimally prepared with the help of AI.

The boundaries between service and sales are becoming increasingly blurred, and those who do not use the many interactions in service for sales purposes will probably find it difficult in the market.

I would recommend the BSI Customer Suite to Vicky because it provides her with a tool that is consistently geared toward effectively supporting customer service in their daily work.

Support from AI agents within the BSI Customer Suite will be expanded and further refined in the future. In addition to today's “standards”, such as recommendations for action and writing assistants, functions such as stress level detection and filtering of stressful communication will make customer service work easier. Frequent context changes will be reduced through similarity analyses, and the best agent engine will enable the optimal match between Vicky and her customers. The possibilities for support are enormous – with BSI software, Vicky is relying on tomorrow's leading technologies today.