We deployed AI customer support six months ago. The first month was a disaster—customer satisfaction dropped 20%. Six months later, it's up 15% from our pre-AI baseline. Here's what we learned from 10,000 support tickets.
The biggest mistake was letting AI handle everything. Customers can tell when they're talking to a bot, and many resent it for complex issues. The fix was intelligent routing: AI handles password resets, tracking inquiries, and FAQ questions. Anything requiring empathy or complex problem-solving goes to humans immediately.
Equally important was giving AI access to real customer data. Generic responses frustrated users who'd already provided context. Once we connected the AI to order history, account details, and previous conversations, response quality jumped dramatically. The AI could say "I see you ordered the blue widget last week—is this about that order?" instead of asking users to repeat information.
Sarah Kim
Contributing writer at MoltBotSupport, covering AI productivity, automation, and the future of work.