Are you feeling left out in the race for AI-based self-service? Would you like to adopt AI-based self-service tools to enhance your customer satisfaction?
Well, you are not alone.
According to a study, 67% of customer churn could be avoided if businesses resolved issues the first time they occurred. The most effective way to do this is to level up your self-service, as almost 70% of customers prefer self-service over speaking to a customer representative when an issue arises.
Enter – self-service tools with the added superpower of artificial intelligence.
In this article, we will discuss AI-based self-service in detail, including its definition, benefits, examples, and some top-performing tools.
So, without any further delay, here we go!
What Is AI-Based Self-Service?
Empowering your customers with artificial intelligence in the form of assistance and information so they can resolve their issues and queries themselves without wasting time is AI-based self-service.
AI self-service is provided through different tools such as chatbots, virtual assistants, knowledge bases, process automation tools, and more, the solutions are varied as per customer requirements.
Let us look at some real-life examples of AI self-service tools to understand them better.
Apple’s Siri is one of the early examples of an AI-based self-service tool, a digital assistant that can help you be more efficient by setting reminders, making phone calls, and completing online searches for you.
Grammarly is another commonly known example of AI-powered contextually relevant writing assistance that most of us use today. Instead of going back to the thesaurus or dictionary which takes considerable time, we prefer using Grammarly to make more efficient language choices without wasting a minute.
From recognizing voice to understanding text queries with their underlying intent and asking follow-up questions, AI self-service has come a long way.
Now, let’s look at the kind of benefits it can bring to your business when used right.
Benefits Of Having AI-Based Self-Service
Operates 24/7 Providing Support Anytime
In a world unified with the internet, you cannot afford to divide your customers into time zones, unless you don’t plan to scale. To provide international support, 24/7 customer service is the only option and AI-based tools make it easier and more affordable.
Even for a traditional business, a lack of support outside business hours is a restriction that may result in lost opportunities. Chatbots, AI-powered knowledge bases, and other AI self-service tools support you in serving your customers globally in any language at any time of the day, retaining maximum opportunity for your business.
Resolves Issues Quickly With Immediate Assistance
If you have ever used ChatGPT for a search, you know what lightning-fast results mean. Not all AI tools will have the same efficiency, but almost all AI tools will always come up with faster responses than human responses.
It may not be true for more complex issues, but for repeat queries, simpler questions, purely information, or data-based queries like monetary transactions, AI is the perfect solution. And with the fast-evolving AI technology, the possibilities are endless.
Reduces Costs By Minimizing Support Team Size
When you have an AI-powered customer service portal to take care of your frontline queries, your human support team is no longer burdened with mass queries that don’t do justice to human potential. Job satisfaction is also higher among such support teams as they have an opportunity to provide solutions that need brainstorming.
You can do quality hiring and minimize the size of your support team while AI reduces the total ticket size by seamlessly going from channel to channel catering to baseline issues 24×7.
Ensures Consistent And Unbiased Responses
Unlike humans, AI has no bias or opinions of its own. It is purely driven by data and machine learning. As long as AI’s training data efficiency is ensured, you can be sure its responses are always inclusive, honest, and simple.
Also, unlike human beings, AI has no physical or mental limits that cause exhaustion, exasperation, or mood swings. So, customer support is of consistent quality no matter what time of the day it is, or how many times it is asked the same question. This is also very helpful in maintaining a consistent brand voice and image.
Handles High Volumes Of Inquiries With Ease
As we discussed, with no physical or mental limits, AI can handle high volumes of inquiries with consistent ease. You don’t need to hire a new support team with every increase in traffic volume. And neither do you have to hire more AI agents because well, it is not an individual but a computer’s ability to perform a certain function with limits that are only defined by your AI service provider as per your subscription level.
So, businesses that are trying to scale up cannot afford to exclude AI self-service tools if they want to maintain cost efficiency.
Improves Customer Experience With Personalized Service
AI self-service platforms can understand customer preferences and needs by analyzing data, thereby providing personalized interactions and solutions.
Now, this gets better with each upgraded AI version, but even with an average model, this personalization can improve customer experience, trust, and product adoption.
So, once we understand the multiple benefits of AI self-service, it is time to talk about the various AI tools for different business requirements.
Examples Of AI-Based Self-Service Tools
AI-Powered Knowledge Bases/Self-Service Portals
AI-powered knowledge bases are one of the most versatile and widely used AI self-service tools. That is because knowledge is a common asset across all industries, whether it is SaaS, healthcare, finance, education, or any other.
Every efficient business needs at least a good FAQ page right, and that is only the most basic function a knowledge function can perform for you. AI knowledge bases keep evolving as they learn from interactions.
So, if there is a tool that can manage and process your knowledge in one centralized hub, and produce it to your audiences in the most contextual manner, you have a self-service gold mine at your hands. And that is exactly what AI-powered knowledge bases do for you.
They are like your traditional knowledge bases but with superpowers! With AI-powered knowledge bases, organizational knowledge can be used more efficiently by internal teams and they also make for great customer self-service portals.
AI Chatbots
Also, one of the most common AI self-service tools, chatbots is a very popular choice across industries from real estate to hospitality, consumer goods, human resources, and more.
They don’t just serve customer service teams, but can also act as the first line of support for sales, marketing, and even assistance for internal teams. You can install them on your website, app, and even your social media pages. Messaging bots are also big with the ability to conduct campaigns on platforms like WhatsApp, FB Messenger, and WeChat.
IVR Systems
IVRs or interactive voice response is one of the oldest existing systems used by businesses. From busy lines to automated reorder calls and voicemail, we are all familiar with them. But AI-based IVR takes things to a new level.
AI-based IVR uses natural language processing and advanced voice analytics to understand and respond to callers. They help reduce call volume for customer support teams and when done right, can also improve customer satisfaction.
They are not the most common, but they are popular in a few industries more than others, Telecom being one of them. Telecom companies use them to help customers with bill payments, service activations, and technical troubleshooting among other things.
Top AI-Based Self-Service Tools
Document360
Document360 is an advanced AI-powered knowledge base tool you can use to build world-class knowledge bases. You can build internal, external, and hybrid knowledge bases with Document360 and improve your employee as well as customer satisfaction at the same time.
Most importantly, the Document360 knowledge base is designed to empower content producers and simplify the lives of content consumers. So, both creation and consumption are easy on this platform.
Editors, writers, and reviewers can use its state-of-the-art editors, category managers, analytics, and even automated content production features to increase their productivity and seamlessly produce branded content.
On the other hand, internal as well as external audiences get their answers quickly and easily from multiple channels including websites and apps. You can also connect Document360 with in-house tools like help desks, chatbots, and team collaboration tools to amplify its usage across teams.
Its AI search assistant helps your audiences to find answers faster and better by contextual auto-suggesting, giving them a high-tech experience even if the questions are complex or technical.
You can also use its analytics features to track metrics such as views and queries to see how your users are interacting with your knowledge base and revealing knowledge gaps as well as the most popular content.
Schedule a demo with one of our experts to seamlessly set up your AI self-service solution
Book A DemoLiveAgent
LiveAgent is AI-powered customer support software. It is very affordable for small and medium businesses in industries such as e-commerce, telecom, insurance, and SaaS.
With over 200+ integrations, you can connect LiveAgent to your existing business tools to streamline all customer interactions and manage them from a single platform. It comes with an enormous amount of features including:
- Automated ticket distribution
- Agent collision detection
- Canned messages
- Chat button animations
- Chat embedded tracking and many more.
The AI answer assistant in LiveAgent boosts customer service by crafting polished email responses using ChatGPT. This not only enhances agent productivity but also cuts costs and elevates customer satisfaction with fast, personalized replies, it supports over 43 languages.
Freshdesk
Freshdesk’s AI-powered self-service tools focus on enhancing customer support and empowering users to resolve their issues.
With Freshdesk, you can let AI email bots answer common questions automatically, without creating a ticket. Freddy, the AI agent, replies to queries day and night, referring them to relevant information in your knowledge base and resolving issues faster.
It comes with added capabilities such as:
- Unified agent workspace
- Advanced ticketing management
- Analytics and insights, and
- Helpdesk AI
In case of complex queries, customers can also create tickets.
Intercom
Intercom is a comprehensive customer service solution that puts AI at the forefront. It features customizable live chat widgets, supports multiple channels, and integrates with over 300 different apps.
To deliver an exceptional customer experience, its AI-driven platform is based on a unified AI system with three key elements:
The AI Agent delivers quick and precise answers to customers around the clock, ensuring a human-like quality of service. It taps into your support knowledge, communicates in your brand’s voice, and tailors each interaction to the individual.
The AI Copilot offers real-time, continuous support for customer service agents, boosting their efficiency with an AI-enhanced inbox.
The AI Analyst gives in-depth AI insights and suggestions for support leaders, enabling them to create powerful automation using a no-code visual builder.
All three components learn from every customer interaction, continuously enhancing the system.
How AI-Powered Self-Service Tools Help Business In 2025
If you use the above-mentioned AI-powered self-service tools, you can elevate the course of your business.
- You can amp up your self-service success rate by providing a more comprehensive and better-structured AI-powered knowledge base.
- You can increase your call deflection rate by installing a successful AI-powered IVR system in place that guides customers to no-voice channels smoothly.
- Your customer satisfaction rates can go higher as they can quickly resolve issues with no or minimum human interaction via the different self-service channels you provide.
While you integrate AI-powered self-service tools in your business, ensure that your systems are continuously learning and improving and that customer adoption is made as easy as possible.
Conclusion
I hope that by now you have a fair idea about what AI-based self-service tools are and what they can do for you. It is time for you to pick the right one for your business and not just empower your customers with what they want, but also increase your business efficiency in every way possible!
An intuitive AI-powered knowledge base software to easily add your content and integrate it with any application. Give Document360 a try!
GET STARTEDFrequently Asked Questions
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Is AI-based self-service secure?
The AI self-service tools that comply with data privacy regulations like GDPR and CCPA, handle sensitive customer information securely.
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How does AI-based self-service improve over time?
By learning from each interaction and integrating those learnings into its functionality.
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What industries use AI-based self-service?
AI-based self-service is relevant to all industries, from healthcare, lifestyle, retail, financial services, real estate, and more, the applications of AI-service tools are only limited by your imagination.
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What should businesses consider when implementing AI-based self-service?
Businesses must consider how secure and private the AI service is and how it can integrate with their present tools. Also, they must continue to have a team of human support agents for complex queries.