What does a “human touch” add to a world so streamlined by technology? Is it necessary for websites, blog posts, and articles such as these to be written by a human, when it can just as easily be written by #AI like #ChatGPT or #Gemini? These questions are now at the forefront of the business world as online spaces become the primary way to promote to potential customers.
While many may object to this “AI takeover”, the undeniable truth is that it’s here to stay, and we must adapt to its vast array of possibilities. It’s fast, it’s always here, and it’s more often than not accurate. However, AI has its drawbacks. There are those who ask, on both sides of the AI integration debate, whether or not the human voice even matters anymore in business.
Well, actually, it matters a lot.
Customer Support Capabilities
With AI chat bots beginning to guide most online transactions, users are beginning to get increasingly frustrated at the lack of warmth, nuanced answers, and flexibility that are required when answering complex inquiries. According to Forrester Consulting (Uoregon), a staggering “57% of customers say that the ability to speak to a real person is the most important factor when it comes to choosing a provider for customer service.”
Even so, AI can deliver 24/7 timely responses to basic questions in multiple different languages which proves to be effective. The capacity for automation is also a part of the reason that many businesses have begun to use chatbots in their websites; from Harvard Business Review, “At the car rental company Avis Budget, for example, virtual agents were able to identify and automate 68% of service calls.”
A complete black and white business model may prove ineffective. If a company has no humans to connect with, potential buyers may become frustrated and turn away from the site to find a more organic customer support center. On the other hand, only using human workers in a time of increasing automation will lead to long wait times for answers and many potential buyers looking for faster alternatives in competing brands. The fine line between having a human voice accompanied by AI to assist customers is important, and can be seen in popular websites like Google, Hubspot, and Grammarly, all of which pride themselves on effective customer support.
If done correctly, AI and the human voice can both be utilized to make a personalized, stress-free experience for a potential buyer that does not neglect their personal preferences. When done so, automation and credibility coincide with each other to create the ideal website for any business.
Brand Voice in Writing
In today's fast-paced business landscape, the evolution of content creation has sparked a compelling debate: AI versus human writers. As companies strive to engage audiences with insightful and persuasive content, the roles of artificial intelligence and human creativity come into sharp focus.
When given the prompt to “Write an introduction for a section of an article that compares the use of AI and human writing in business,” ChatGPT produced the first two sentences at the beginning of this section. While grammatically correct, many users may find it lacks an essential part of any piece of writing: simplicity and warmth. It is forgettable, repetitive, and bland.
In blog articles, social media posts, and other writing-based business content, AI has been warned against being used for this very reason. The voice of your business is an important factor in any customer choosing your product; if the voice sounds inhuman, the customer is less likely to remember you, and less likely to choose you. WordDrake writes that “If the goal of your writing is to be persuasive or to show your knowledge on a topic, this (AI’s) over-general and repetitive content won’t help you meet your goal.”
Just as with customer service, potential buyers are far less likely to trust a brand if it was created entirely by AI. However, this is not to say that AI doesn’t have a place in the writing and brand creation process. When used minimally and correctly, generative AI can help writing sound more put together structurally, grammatically, and contextually. While many potential buyers may not want a static brand voice, a sense of professionality in a business’ writing can help be achieved by using AI.
Utilizing AI to create a cohesive article or post can easily be done by not being too over reliant on generative AI to create the content of the article. A human voice should still be heard through the words, as that will help keep customers engaged in what the text says.
Conclusion
The power of AI is growing, yes. However, the power of the human voice is here to stay as long as AI is unable to recreate it. It’s important to keep up with the constantly changing business landscape as the market gets more competitive. AI’s 24/7 quick generative responses can prove useful in commonly asked questions and guiding writing, but human input is often considered more trustworthy and authentic.
A good mix of both AI and human employees in all aspects of business is important to its success, whether you’re managing a website, company, or a small business. Learning more about AI opportunities and how to successfully integrate AI into the workplace can be done at many places, such as Employers 4 Change's Courses.
Guest Writer: Alli Lucy
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As someone who has previous customer service experience, I always appreciate speaking to a real person who can understand my issue better than 5 menus of an AI bot. It is true that there is a balance between automation and warmth in effectiveness, through all aspects of customer-facing business solutions.
This article really shows how there is a crucial balance between AI and the human voice in business. While AI can enhance efficiency only a human can build customer trust!