It's not about A.I. vs human intelligence: successful customer service blends the two

By Iñaki Uriz Millan, CEO at ( caravelo (

We read a paper recently that claimed that the newfrontier of customer service will be delivered bychatbots replacing the concept of human agents.

We disagree. As chatbot builders, having successfullylaunched over a dozen bots to the industry, weknow that a bot only approach to customer serviceand engagement is doomed to fail.

We know too that companies that utilise bot technologyas a compliment to its service agents create astrong interlined team of digital and human.

We believe artificial intelligence should be guided by human intelligence to ensure an enriched customer experience.

With bots on hand, human agents can spend moretime tackling intricate, sensitive issues that chatbotsare not quite ready for.

Here’s how we see the role of artificial intelligencewithin the sphere of airline customer service bots.

The smiling first responder

When we first started consulting with airlines around digitalising elements of customer service, it was clear from the data that the overwhelming majority of inquiries to contact centers by phone or chat were easy questions.

Being asked 50 times a day ‘how do I check in online?’ or ‘what is my baggage allowance?’ and responding with an audible smile, every time. That’s tough!

That’s where the digital first responder comes in: there to answer the 70% of incomingqueries that are so easy a human can answer them in their sleep.

The assistant in the background

Real personal assistants are a necessity for the very few. But theconcept of having someone performing tasks in the background, tomake our lives easier is one we should all experience. That’s wherebots come in.

Checking prices, checking reward or upgrade availability, checking in,giving you the weather forecast for your destination, making relevantsuggestions on how to maximize your time at the airport/in flight/at destination... all of these things and more can enhance your travelexperience.

With customized bots, the travel experience can be enhanced at scale

The assistant in the foreground

Human intelligence is meant for far greater than repetitive currency conversions or giving advice about ‘the best pizza places’ at your destination. This information should be available without the expense of much needed brain power. This is where A.I. powered bots step in

Airline reps are there to help with the complex and sensitive, where bots aren’t.

Bots, in turn, can broaden the capability of service provision by theairline: not just checking flight arrival information, but helping with thebroader traveler needs that can’t, and shouldn’t, be delivered bycustomer service representatives.

Human agents and AI bots in harmony are the new frontier

And that frontier is being crossed, every day.

Our bots are created individually for multiple airlines as white-label, bespoke digital assistants that enable and empower human agents to perform better.

If you’d like to know more about how a bot can empower your customer service team as well as serving as a retailing assistant, please get in touch via our website - www.caravelo.com.