These days, customer service comes in a bewildering array of flavors — many of them robotic.
Thanks to advances in artificial intelligence (AI) and other self-service technologies, companies are now automating traditional points of customer contact, such as call-in centers. In fact, Gartner predicts that by 2020, 85 percent of all customer interactions will be handled without the involvement of an actual human.
But technology alone cannot reinvent customer service, even in a modern industry such as solar. “If your primary goal is not keeping [a PV installation] up and running, then you’re not on the right path,” said Roberto Cardoso, director of service, North America for inverter manufacturer Sungrow USA. “That is the foundation for all service practices.”
