Machine learning --a breakthrough in effective customer engagement

As late as the mid 2000s, telephones were the primary tool for contact in case customers had any clarifications or grievances about the products or services they had procured. 'Customer care' for businesses was typically handled by employees of call centres, who could, by and large, be relied upon to respond to customers and sort out any issues they faced. With the limited communication options available then, companies were able to resolve issues impersonally and these services were mostly considered nothing more than an unavoidable expense. As a result, customers were often frustrated by rigid company policies that they weren't aware of, and add to that a lack of transparency and official procedures that took days or even weeks to resolve. Fast forward to today and the rise of e-commerce platforms, multiple communication channels, and the easy availability of smartphones has caused a gravitational shift in customer engagement methods.