Key Takeaways
- Surpass competitors by meeting heightened customer demands for instant, personalized support using AI tools.
- Integrate AI support systems that learn customer behavior to handle routine queries, freeing up human agents for complex issues.
- Enhance customer relationships by using AI for proactive support while retaining human agents for empathy-driven interactions.
- Learn how modern AI assistants accurately understand customer needs, moving far beyond basic chatbot limitations.
In 2020, the customer service and support software market was valued at $24.6 billion. And with 70% of consumers admitting to buying from a business based on good customer service alone, keeping the customer satisfied is an incredibly lucrative pursuit for both SaaS developers and eCom stores alike.
But with the latest advent in tech, chiefly the rise of AI-powered support solutions, have consumer expectations changed? The short answer is yes.
The bar for eCommerce support has never been higher. Customers expect lightning-fast response times, instant solutions, and personalized experiences at every step of their buying journey.
Perhaps your store is due an upgrade — maybe you’re eyeing up a new AI-based website chat widget, or you’re trying to decide whether it’s worth investing in a customer-facing knowledge base. Or, you could be an AI skeptic on the lookout for evidence that human support still reigns supreme.
Whichever camp you fall into, this guide will allow you to see the customer-support-based forest for the trees, as we discuss the future and present-day states of the industry.
The current state of play
Customer expectations have evolved faster than many businesses can adapt. Today’s online shoppers don’t just compare your product quality and prices with competitors — they benchmark your entire support experience against the best they’ve ever had, regardless of industry.
The truth is clear: customers are likely to make repeat purchases with companies that offer excellent customer service. Meanwhile, many have abandoned transactions because of poor service experiences. In other words, customer service has evolved, but it’s also more important than ever before.
What do customers really want?
First and foremost, they demand immediacy, expecting instant responses to their sales or marketing questions. They also value convenience, wanting support across multiple channels without losing context. Many prefer self-service options over speaking to company representatives, yet also desire personalization in their shopping experiences.
And increasingly, customers view brands more favorably when they send proactive service notifications rather than waiting for problems to arise; a recent survey found that 85% of customers want proactive communication. The challenge for eCommerce businesses is delivering on all these expectations while maintaining profitability. — and that’s where artificial intelligence comes in.
Breaking the chatbot stigma
When most store owners think “AI support”, basic chatbots come to mind — those frustrating, limited tools that often create more problems than they solve. But AI-powered support looks dramatically different. Today’s advanced AI assistants can:
- Recognize natural language patterns with remarkable accuracy, understanding customer intent even when expressed unclearly — a feature that solutions like Freshdesk (or a leading Freshdesk alternative like Crisp) have built a reputation on.
- Access entire product catalogs, knowledge bases, and order systems to provide accurate, specific information.
- Detect customer emotion and sentiment to adjust tone or escalate to human agents when necessary.
- Personalize interactions based on purchase history, browsing behavior, and customer segment
- Handle complex workflows like processing returns, suggesting product alternatives, or applying discount codes — or pass the customer over to a human support agent if they’re unable to assist.
In a nutshell, chatbots have come a long way from the irritating, unhelpful ‘bots of the past, and that’s all thanks to the power of LLM-based AI. Slowly but surely, the stigma against chatbots is fading away, as we move into a world where it’s becoming increasingly tricky to differentiate between AI and human support interactions.
But don’t go firing your support squad just yet. AI chatbots might be highly impressive, but they can’t completely replace your human agents.
The most successful retailers are implementing “AI+human” hybrid models. In these setups, AI handles the routine matters such as order tracking, product specifications, return policies, and basic troubleshooting. Meanwhile, humans handle more complex situations, emotionally charged interactions, and high-value customers.
The AI helps improve human productivity by offering suggestions, retrieving pertinent data, and handling other clerical responsibilities. In such a manner AI technology pulls heavy weight while humans extend their care, creativity, and understanding for solutions.
Areas where humans still outperform AI
Even the flashiest AI still has a few blind spots — moments where a real, thinking, feeling human is the only suitable option. Take, for example, customer complaints that don’t fit neatly into a category, or complex refund negotiations that require empathy and nuance. These aren’t situations where a machine learning model can just pick a response from a menu. They demand tact, tone, and sometimes a little improvisation — things that most AI isn’t wired for.
Not to mention the emotional reassurance only a human can provide. If someone’s order gets lost right before a birthday or they’ve had a string of poor experiences and need to feel heard, a chatbot saying “I understand your frustration” just isn’t going to cut it. While the lines are becoming blurrier by the day, people can still tell the difference between sympathy and simulated empathy.
AI-boosted engagement
Tailored interactions can be automated using smart algorithms which study the customer’s history of web page visits, website navigation, and even halts at payment portals. An example would be if a shopper idles on a product page, the AI can intervene and offer assistance, comparisons, or discounts. It’s as if a sales associate that is always available is ready to provide assistance without losing track of essential details regarding the clients.
This kind of proactive engagement is crucial because customers appreciate brands that anticipate their needs.
The engagement loop: where AI and humans tag-team
Perhaps the most exciting evolution we’re seeing is the emergence of a virtuous loop between AI and human agents. AI gathers intel — what customers are asking, how they’re feeling, what’s trending in complaints — and feeds it back to your team. Your human support agents, in turn, can use that data to adapt, improve, and even shape new scripts or policies.
The result? A support experience that doesn’t just react to customer needs, but evolves with them. One where the AI gets smarter over time, your team gets more efficient, and your customers feel increasingly like VIPs — even if they’ve never spoken to a real person.
So, what’s next?
In the near future, AI will not only streamline customer support — it will be woven into the very fabric of the customer experience. Imagine storefronts tailored to an individual’s browsing history, AI-generated product guide triangulating to user needs at every step of the shopping journey, and omnichannel support that maintains context regardless of the communication channel. Even creative elements like product visuals and promotional banners can now be generated using tools like Kittl’s AI Image Generator, helping brands maintain a fresh and visually compelling online presence without heavy design overhead.
AI isn’t here to replace the human touch, but used sensitively, it can extend it in ways that scale. Because let’s face it: customers don’t care who answers their question, so long as the answer is fast, helpful, and makes them feel valued. For more on the world of artificial intelligence in business, check out our article on AI in ecommerce, or head back to our AI commerce hub.
