Even in the age of email, social media, and whatever new support channel is just around the corner, customers still want the option to call a support agent. Whether it’s to resolve complex support issues or to receive personalized service, many people appreciate companies that make the investment in providing quality support over the phone.

All aboard! Here are the latest app integrations available on the Marketplace.

AI assistants are capable of quite a bit more than their living room responsibilities, although we very much appreciate that they can order us pizza and play Spotify. In the workplace, they’re helping to fill the gaps that commonly plague customer service: miscommunications, uninformed support agents, and meeting customers’ expectations. As much as machine learning has been touted for providing better customer experiences, it can help drive better customer engagement as well.

Expectations for the speed of support have skyrocketed. With literal instant messaging available between loved ones, friends, and coworkers, it’s an unsurprising evolution to expect instant responses from the companies we buy from. The number of U.S. online shoppers who use live chat has increased from 38% to 58% over the last five years.

As customers and companies become more familiar and comfortable with artificial intelligence, the conversations around it have become less “pie in the sky” and more along the lines of “oh, that’s how it can be used”. The speculations into how we might work alongside our robot coworkers and the potential of machine learning won’t end anytime soon, but there’s a lot to be said about practical applications of AI technology.

Get excited! With September comes the start of fall, which means a range of new app integrations. Track feedback, trends, and growth more efficiently with apps like Ybug, DirectCall, and ScopeAI, just to name a few.

As customers trend towards becoming more self-sufficient, they’re becoming more accustomed to interacting with AI-powered tools for the support they need (especially with 75 percent of executives looking to actively implement AI in the next three years). The benefit of customers engaging with these tools means that agents can get involved with fewer support requests and focus their attention on the ones that truly need a human touch.