AI vs. Human Support: Bridging the Gap in Customer Experience
Stephanie Bannos-Ryback, EVP & Customer Experience Service Line Leader, Ipsos
While Gen AI holds promising potential to enhance virtual assistants, a recent Ipsos study indicates that a significant segment of consumers (39%) still believe human support is superior. Additionally, many consumers that are interacting with virtual assistant while shopping are doing so to contact a human associate (33%). This apprehension underscores a crucial opportunity for brands to foster trust through transparency and thoughtful design.
When it comes to virtual assistants, consumer preference regarding the personality of AI is currently divided. While 29% of consumers prefer a clearly robotic interaction, a slightly smaller group (25%) favor a human-like personality. The largest segment (45%) remains undecided, highlighting a key opportunity for brands. Retailers can leverage this openness by strategically crafting the persona of their AI assistants to shape consumer perceptions and build trust with their brand.
Transparency is a critical element of building trust, with 73% of consumers deeming transparency around AI usage as “very” or “extremely” important in ecommerce environments. By embracing transparency and thoughtfully designing AI interactions, brands can foster trust and pave the way for positive AI-powered customer experiences.
Ipsos can help brands design and implement virtual assistants that resonate with your target audience, build trust, and deliver exceptional customer experiences. Contact us to learn more about this study and how we can help you navigate the evolving landscape of AI-powered customer experience.
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This study was conducted in Fall 2023 as the fourth annual installment of a grocery ecommerce study that Ipsos has conducted since 2020. This study was designed to differentiate between three different fulfillment methods of obtaining grocery orders: In-Store Pick-up, Curbside Pickup and Delivery.
The approach was 2-pronged:
- Step 1: Ipsos conducted a 7-minute survey of 1,200 Americans to understand which elements of grocery pick-up and delivery are most important to consumers. The survey was conducted October 25, 2023. A Key Drivers Analysis was conducted to identify the top drivers of “Likelihood to Use Brand Again for grocery ecommerce” using Ipsos’ proprietary Ipsos Bayes Net (IBN) modelling technique.
- Step 2: Ipsos then deployed their panel of trained mystery shoppers to measure brand performance across a specific set of elements related to grocery pick-up and delivery. Roughly 33 mystery shops per method (In-store Pick-up, Curbside Pick-up, Home Delivery) were conducted for each qualifying retailer. Retailers were only shopped for methods they offered, so in some cases sample was redistributed appropriately across offered methods. Geographic representation was ensured across 4 regions (West, Midwest, Northeast, South). Mystery shops were fielded between October 23 – November 17, 2023. The relative importance of each service element ascertained from Step 1 was applied as a weighting factor to the Mystery Shopping results.
For a full copy of the results or to participate in Ipsos’ next ecommerce study (coming Fall 2024), contact Silvana Daehn at silvana.daehn@ipsos.com.
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At Ipsos Channel Performance, we partner with our clients to understand their shoppers and how they shop. We measure the execution of brand promises. We drive compliance and sales conversion. We improve performance across all sales and service channels – physical, contact center, and digital – and help deliver profitable growth. Learn more.
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Contact: Silvana Daehn
Email: silvana.daehn@ipsos.com.
