Microsoft Injects AI into Customer Service with New Tools

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Despite facing competition from established players like Salesforce.com, Microsoft aims to leverage its AI capabilities to enhance customer support operations. The new AI tool will enable companies to train chatbots more effectively by analyzing help manuals and other resources to provide better responses to customer inquiries in chat windows. While many of these tasks are already automated, Microsoft seeks to improve efficiency and effectiveness.

The primary advantage of this AI tool, however, lies in its support for human customer service agents handling phone calls. These agents often face challenges navigating multiple outdated and slow applications while attempting to assist customers. Microsoft’s solution aims to streamline this process by aggregating relevant information and enabling agents to access it more quickly and intuitively using natural language commands.

Jeff Comstock, corporate vice president of Dynamics 365 Customer Service at Microsoft, emphasized the goal of reducing the manual effort and inefficiencies commonly associated with customer service tasks. He highlighted the burdensome nature of existing tools and processes, describing the customer service space as “rife with toil and drudgery.”

Microsoft plans to make the new contact center software available starting July 1, signaling its commitment to revolutionizing customer service operations through AI-driven solutions. This initiative reflects Microsoft’s broader strategy of harnessing AI technology to empower businesses and improve productivity across various sectors.