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Generative AI Boosts Worker Productivity and Retention, Study Says


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AI-assisted customer service worker at a computer

AI assistance improves customer sentiment and reduces requests for managerial intervention.

Credit: Getty Images

A study of a generative AI system used by 5,000 customer support agents found that those workers experienced an increase in productivity and retention, and a reduction in stress. The workers who gained the most from this automation were newer and less experienced. 

Customer service work is aptly suited for generative AI, according to the study from the National Bureau of Economic Research. 

A key part of a customer support agent's job is "to absorb customer frustrations while restraining one's own emotional reaction," the paper says. Generative AI can act as an aide, providing suggestions for empathetic responses and input on problem solving in real time.

"The biggest boon for productivity from generative AI today comes from augmenting the humans who actually serve customers," says Ian Jacobs, a research director at Forrester Research. "Agent augmentation is the name of the game right now."

From TechTarget
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