Invoca: 85% of customer interactions are handled without a human

Brands are betting on AI and digital communications to enhance their customer experience, with 85% of customer interactions being handled without a human operator. According to an online survey of more than 2,000 U.S. adults commissioned by Invoca and conducted by Harris Poll, consumers do not seem to be fully comfortable interacting with brands only through digital touchpoints.

The survey found that more than half of consumers (52%) feel frustrated when a company only has automated communications, and nearly one in five (18%) feel angry, while only 16% say they enjoy interacting with such brands.

From an industry perspective: nearly half of consumers (49%) trust AI-generated retail recommendations, 38% trust AI-generated hotel recommendations, only 20% trust AI-generated medical recommendations, and 19% trust financial services recommendations.

From a generational perspective, younger consumers are more likely to trust AI-generated advice (80% of 18-34-year-olds vs. 62% of those 35+), especially in financial services and healthcare. 22% of 18-34-year-olds trust AI-generated advice in healthcare and finance, compared to just 10% of those 65+.

The ability to solve a problem, build trust, or complete a purchase is critical. In healthcare, for example, 32% of consumers complete transactions over the phone, 30% prefer face-to-face transactions, 25% prefer online transactions, 6% complete transactions through a brand’s mobile app, and 5% complete transactions through artificial intelligence such as chatbots.

When it comes to completing retail transactions, face-to-face is the most popular preferred transaction method (46%), with 35% of consumers preferring online transactions. When it comes to home repair and renovation transactions, face-to-face is the most popular (39%), followed by telephone and online transactions (24%).

Women are more likely than men to complete transactions over the phone in healthcare (36% vs. 28%), home maintenance/improvement (27% vs. 20%), and hotels (17% vs. 12%).

199IT.com Originally compiled from: Invoca Do not reprint without authorization