How AI Is Changing Sales and Customer Service Teams

Jayson DeMers
Fri, 27 Sep 2024 16:55:07 +0000
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Today, the explosive rate of technological growth has become even more impressive with AI becoming mainstream. But how exactly is AI changing the world of sales and customer service? And how are teams adapting?

AI is everywhere, and top performers in sales and customer service are already taking advantage of it. These are just some of the ways that AI is changing how sales and customer service teams operate.

How AI is changing sales and customer service

1. Faster responses to sales and customer service emails

Increasingly, customer service and sales teams are relying on automation. Automation is nothing new, but it has become much more powerful with the advent of AI.

For example, users can deploy AI automation to detect emails that require a response, but haven’t been responded to within a set amount of time. Because both sales and customer service teams depend on quick responses to close deals and ensure customer satisfaction, teams that integrate AI-powered automation have a new, key competitive advantage. After all, faster responses mean more sales and happier customers.

2. Researching prospects and customers

Researching your prospects or customers is an important way to boost your chances of making a sale or leaving a positive lasting impression on your customer. And research is getting easier and faster with AI. Instead of hunting down secondary sources through conventional searches, customer service teams can accelerate their research and eventually come to much better-informed conclusions with some simple help from ChatGPT.

For example, a sales rep conducting a cold email outreach campaign can use AI to research and write an icebreaker that’s unique for every recipient on their outreach list. This would boost response rates, start more conversations, and enable the rep to close more deals than they would using a generic, non-personalized message.

3. Writing and editing emails or messages

It’s probably not a great idea to use AI to just write everything, in part because AI content can be detected by some tools, it’s often repetitive, and there’s the possibility of AI hallucinations, responses containing false or misleading information.

However, using AI to help you overcome writer’s block or draft a reply to an email that you then edit can save you a lot of time. Instead of drafting something entirely from scratch, you can use AI to generate a first draft and make changes as you see fit.

And if you still prefer writing things yourself, as many experienced salespeople do, you can at least use AI to proofread your work or to make it sound more friendly and professional.

4. Forecasting

One of the best illustrations of AI's impact on sales forecasting is the integration of AI tools into CRM systems. For example, an e-commerce company could implement an AI-driven platform to analyze their sales pipeline. The AI tool could identify patterns in customer behavior, predict which leads were most likely to convert, and even suggest the optimal timing for follow-ups.

This allows the sales team to prioritize their efforts more effectively, reducing the time spent on low probability leads and ultimately increasing conversion rates. With AI handling the data analysis, the sales team can focus on building relationships with high-potential customers rather than sifting through endless reports and spreadsheets.

5. Boosting autonomy and morale

AI has led to a breakthrough in employee autonomy. With such a powerful tool at their disposal, individual customer service reps and sales reps have much more flexibility in how they approach their work. For example, a telecommunications company could implement an AI-powered customer service assistant to provide real-time suggestions for responses, offer guided problem-solving steps, and even preemptively address potential issues based on customer data.

As a result, customer service reps would no longer have to rely heavily on scripts or constantly escalate issues to supervisors. They’re empowered to handle a wider variety of customer inquiries independently, leading to faster resolution times and more personalized customer interactions. The increased autonomy not only improves efficiency, but also boosts employee morale, as reps feel more confident and in control of their work.

Incorporate AI tools into your business

If you're a decision maker in the world of sales or customer service, you should know that your success hinges on your ability to recognize and utilize the power of AI. Now is the time to adjust your team, adjust your expectations, and incorporate these powerful tools into your repertoire.