One Way Artificial Intelligence Could Improve Online Customer Service

Some customer questions are pretty simple to answer, and many businesses strive to do so with FAQ documents on their websites. The idea is to keep service agents free to handle more complicated queries. The reality is that unless an inquiring customer knows exactly what phrases or "keywords" to search for, it might be tough to find the information they need. Artificial intelligence software firm Inbenta this week raised another 12 million to develop a solution to that shortcoming--in the form of software that translates customer questions into terms that a site's search algorithms should find it easier to understand. For example, if someone types "Can I bring my Doberman to this hotel?" Inbenta's software "knows" that person might be interested in the company's policies regarding domestic animals.