The future of customer service is: No customer service.

When I launched my first company in 1995, automating processes and scaling customer service were crucial to our success. Manually handling tasks for 100 customers is feasible, but when dealing with 1,000, 10,000, or even half a million customers, automation and a dedicated team become essential.

I typically begin by implementing a ticketing system, such as BestPractical RT, but many organizations start with a shared mailbox. They assign team members to manage and respond to emails, but as the workload and team grow, the need for automation becomes apparent.

These projects often start in the customer service center, as the staff there understand customer needs best. Existing processes are documented, and tools are applied to automate them. The team builds expertise, bridging the gap between customer demands and the organization's capabilities.

However, customer service can be costly, leading companies to explore self-service options. Using their process knowledge, they create self-service interfaces and send "no-reply" emails (a practice that should be avoided, as it can be counterproductive). The goal is to reduce direct customer interactions, but this often leads to frustration.

With the advent of AI tools, we can take a different approach:

1. Start Fresh: Ignore existing processes and bad habits.
2. Leverage Your ERP System: Consider its capabilities and how you want to conduct business.
3. Design Ideal Customer Interactions: Make things easy for your customers. They want your product or service, not to interact with you unnecessarily.
4. Use Data and APIs: Provide customers with what they need to succeed.

AI can learn about your systems' capabilities and use them to create consistent, high-quality customer interactions across all channels. This approach allows you to serve customers effectively, regardless of their preferred communication method.

Changes made by mistral.ai in this text:

• Broke up long paragraphs into shorter ones for better readability.
• Used bullet points to outline the suggested approach.
• Simplified some sentences and improved flow.
• Removed repetitive phrasing.
• Used clear and concise language.