In recent years, the concept of the metaverse has become increasingly relevant as a virtual world where people can interact, transact, and consume digital products and services. In fact, the size of the global metaverse market is expected to reach $678.80 billion by 2030.
Therefore, the metaverse is becoming more than just a buzzword as we move towards a more digitally-centric world, where consumers are increasingly expecting faster and more personalized service from businesses.
To keep up with these demands, businesses, CX agencies, and call centers are turning to new technologies, such as artificial intelligence (AI) and automation, to improve their customer support services within the metaverse.
If you are wondering how AI developments will turn the metaverse into a new channel for customer support, then you are in the right place!
Through this blog post, we will explore the potential of AI and automation in metaverse-based customer support, examples of using these technologies, and the value they can generate for both virtual and human customer support teams.
What Is the Metaverse and How Is it Relevant to Customer Support?
The term "metaverse" refers to a fully immersive, 3D virtual world that can be accessed via the internet. It's a shared virtual reality space that allows users to interact with each other and with virtual objects and environments, creating a sense of presence and immersion.
The metaverse concept has been around for several decades, with science fiction authors like Neal Stephenson popularizing the idea in books like Snow Crash in the early 1990s.
Today, the metaverse is becoming a reality thanks to advances in virtual and augmented reality, as well as other technologies like blockchain and artificial intelligence. Companies like Facebook, Google, and Microsoft are investing heavily in creating metaverse platforms that can be used for everything from gaming and entertainment to education and e-commerce.
One of the key benefits of the metaverse is its potential for customer support. As more businesses move into the metaverse to offer virtual products or services, they will need to provide customer support that is tailored to this new environment.
For example, a business that sells clothing in the metaverse may need to offer support for issues related to sizing, customization, or technical glitches. Such an example is the retail giant Nike which built a virtual world called Nikeland where customers can interact with the brand in playful and unique ways, get information about products, and try them on their avatars.
Of course, to provide effective support in the metaverse, businesses will need to use a combination of technology and human expertise. They may need to develop chatbots or virtual assistants that can help customers troubleshoot issues. Or they may need to hire trained customer experience agents who are familiar with the metaverse and its unique challenges.
Ultimately, the metaverse represents a new frontier for customer support, with new opportunities and challenges that will require businesses and agencies to be innovative and adaptable.
Ways to Utilize AI and Automation in the Metaverse for Customer Support
From retail and business-to-business (B2B) companies to technology and business-to-customer (B2C) companies, the metaverse offers all kinds of businesses with a virtual customer support environment which they can personalize according to their unique business needs.
Here are some examples of how businesses can use AI and automation-powered tools to improve their services.
1. Chatbots
Chatbots are common AI-powered tools used for customer support. They can be integrated into the metaverse to provide instant support to users. These tools can handle basic queries and help users find the information they need quickly. They can also escalate complex queries to human support agents.
2. Voice assistants
Voice assistants, like Siri and Alexa, are becoming increasingly popular in the real world, and they can be integrated into the metaverse as well. Users can use voice commands to get support or ask for information, which can save time and enhance the user experience.
3. Virtual agents
Virtual agents are digital assistants that can provide support and interact with users in the metaverse. They can be customized to represent a company's brand and provide a more personalized experience for users. Virtual agents can also handle complex queries and provide more in-depth support than chatbots.
4. Automated notifications
These notifications can be used to inform users about updates, changes, and promotions. They can be sent via email or within the metaverse itself. Automated notifications can be personalized based on a user's preferences and behavior, which can improve their experience.
5. Predictive analytics
Predictive analytics can be implemented to anticipate user needs and provide personalized support. AI algorithms can analyze user behavior and make recommendations based on their past interactions with a company. This can help companies provide proactive support and improve customer satisfaction.
6. Augmented reality
Augmented reality can be used to provide visual support to users. Users can point their device's camera at an object and receive information and support on how to use it. This can be particularly useful for products that require assembly or maintenance.
The Benefits of Using AI and Automation in the Metaverse
It is clear that AI and automation are here to help businesses provide more efficient and personalized customer support services in the metaverse. Here are some benefits of utilizing AI and automation in metaverse-based customer support.
1. Faster Response Times
There are two key performance indicators demonstrating the quality and timeliness of provided customer support: average response time and first call resolution.
AI and automation tools, like chatbots and virtual assistants, offer great opportunities to optimize these KPIs and improve the service level virtual teams provide. First of all, these tools are designed to respond to inquiries instantly, 24/7, without the need for human intervention, thereby significantly reducing response times.
Secondly, they use advanced algorithms to analyze customer inquiries and provide the best possible solutions, reducing the need for customers to follow up multiple times or escalate their issues to higher levels of support.
2. Improved Personalization
AI-powered tools within the metaverse can collect actionable customer data and analyze customers' behaviors to provide more personalized recommendations and responses to customer complaints, problems, or inquiries.
This way, it can enable virtual assistants or service teams to provide more customer-centric support services and reduce the average resolution time, which is significant for an enhanced customer experience.
3. Scalability
Automation can handle repetitive tasks, such as responding to simple customer inquiries, and freeing up real customer support teams to focus on more complex issues.
There are multiple ways AI and automation can free up these teams' time. For example, AI-powered virtual assistants or chatbots can answer the most common questions related to products or services, process orders, respond to customer emails, provide technical assistance, or interact with customers through live chat support.
4. Improved Productivity
Clearly, AI and automation tools offered by the metaverse take a huge workload from the shoulders of real service teams and free up their time to work more strategically.
While AI and automation tools handle repetitive daily tasks, customer support team members can focus on creating new strategies to enhance the customer experience by utilizing the data provided by predictive analytics.
So these tools enable customer support teams to design new strategies to proactively address issues before they become significant problems, increasing productivity and reducing the risk of errors.
The Future of Customer Support Is in the Metaverse!
As we have seen, the metaverse represents a promising new channel for businesses to provide good customer service and support. Still, it is important to note that the metaverse is still in its infancy, and businesses should not rush to adopt it as their primary customer support channel without first ensuring that their current services are up to modern digital standards.
At Mplus, we are committed to helping our partners upgrade their digital channels with cutting-edge solutions and services. So we are here to support you in transforming every customer interaction into an opportunity with our customer experience, technology, and consultancy solutions and services.
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