Is automating customer support the ultimate solution?
Today I read in TechCrunch that Airbnb says a third of its customer support in the US and Canada is now handled by AI.
Many CRM-focused platforms are following suit, automating support with their own “AI bots” – for example, Crisp, Chatbase, and others.
From a business perspective, it makes perfect sense: lower costs, faster responses, and fewer lost customers.
From a customer perspective:
I remember the situations where you just can’t reach a real human, and AI can’t solve the specific problem.
This happened to me just a month ago on Trading 212, where I needed to provide statements from an old bank account I had closed three years ago. I was redirected to a bank chatbot that couldn’t help, and the general email gave me an automatic reply saying it couldn’t handle my request.
In the end, I had to go in person to the bank branch.
Today’s technology forced me to use a solution from the 1980s.
In finance, which is sensitive in 99% of cases, I wouldn’t fully rely on AI support, but would instead prefer a hybrid model, where AI is complemented by human assistance.
Of course, in such a setup, support agents may not be fully occupied at all times, but customers get help when they really need it.
The question for companies: How can you optimally integrate AI into customer support while keeping humans available when it counts?
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P.S. but this is not only about financial world. You pay for products, apartments, electronics etc. Money are still involved here and people are very sensitive when it comes to refund and solving problems related to money.
Interesting topic, @busmark_w_nika! I don’t think automation is the ultimate solution. The real issue isn’t AI answering questions. It’s when AI refuses to escalate. In sensitive areas like finance, the bot shouldn’t try to solve everything. It should quickly recognize when a case is complex and route it to a human with full context.
One example from what my team and I building at @AskYura, we focus on keeping the balance right. The AI handles fast tier-1 questions, but we design clear escalation rules so it knows when to step aside. When that happens, the full conversation summary is passed to the human agent, so users don’t have to repeat themselves. We also support screenshots and image inputs to make things easier. And if the case needs quick help, there’s a built-in “notify human agent” feature to step in immediately.
Curious how others are approaching this and optimizing their setup too. 👀