Where do associates fit in an AI world?

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Retailers are rolling out branded AI chatbots and embedding the technology in their apps, while third-party AI tools assist consumers with inspiration and product comparisons.
But for all the talk of AI changing the online customer journey, the lion’s share of retail transactions still take place in the store, and many are in the hands of the associate. However, as customers tap AI for research and discovery before they make a trip to a store, the technology is changing customer expectations of the role people play in retail.
The impact is similar to the advent of the internet as branded websites became common, according to Nikki Baird, vice president of strategy and product at Aptos Retail. All of a sudden, customers had product information at their fingertips on retailers’ websites, and that knowledge led to a different kind of interaction in store.
“Back then, store associates were saying, ‘Customers come in, and they've already done all this research, and they know more about the products than I do because they have access to all this information that I don't have access to,’” Baird told sister publication CX Dive.
The role of the associate remained important, but it changed. Today, as customers use AI to comb through reviews and product details before heading to the store, the nature of in-store customer service is changing again.
The challenge for retailers is figuring out what customers will want from their associates, and how they can prepare workers to take the proper approach to customer service.
Customers are visiting the store with a better product education, Garry Heon, senior vice president and sector head of retail and consumer goods, communications, media and entertainment at QualityAI. However, they often need help getting a final few details together — and this is a task where people excel over machines.
Many shoppers still want associates to confirm or build upon what they learned from their AI research.
“AI will only return answers for what you ask it,” Heon told CX Dive. “A lot of times it'll take the associate to say, ‘Hey, did you think about this?’”
Better trained associates will be key
Associates will need sufficient training and knowledge in order to support customers who used AI to assist with their initial research.
The exact role of the associate changes depending on the type of retailer, according to Baird. At a big box store like Walmart, the average customer often doesn’t want to interact with an associate unless it’s absolutely necessary — and AI only enhances that aversion.
For retailers with more complex or expensive products, many shoppers are still going to want the support an in-store expert can provide, according to Baird. This presents its own challenge, as it means associates need to be more informed about the products they are selling than what the average AI tool can offer.
Even though AI can be a source of knowledge for associates as well, that doesn’t mean giving them their own AI will make them thrive in this new environment. The technology can help in some ways, but it will likely fall short in others.
Customers can spend a couple hours or more on research before they visit the store, giving them plenty of time to ask an AI assistant follow-up questions, according to Baird. An associate needs to be able to confirm or suggest additions to the customer’s decision in less than a minute.
“Delivering consumer-grade tools straight to store associates is not a good idea because they're way more time crunched and they've got to serve multiple customers, sometimes with multiple competing objectives,” Baird said.
Knowledgeable associates will be key, according to Baird. AI can quickly bring a new hire up to speed, but beyond the initial onboarding knowledge, brands need to ensure they have the training to respond to customer inquiries quickly and without outside assistance.
AI still has a place for supporting associates
There are areas beyond training where associate-facing AI can help.
One is letting them help out in departments where they don’t normally work, such as when a store is short-staffed, according to Heon. Associates already know their entire store to some degree, and AI can fill in the last few details to help them excel outside of their usual assignment.
“It brings the associate to the next level,” Heon said.
Regardless of use case, retailers need to understand that AI isn’t always right, according to Baird. If an AI assistant wastes both associate and customer time by sending them down the wrong aisle, it creates a very frustrating experience.
And once associates feel like a tool impedes their ability to help customers, they are more likely to start ignoring it.
“I've seen lots of in-store technology get stuffed in a drawer because of the unreliability of the experience for the store associate,” Baird said. “If an AI tells a store associate very confidently that there's 10 of these in aisle five, and they go to aisle five and there aren't any there, it's going in a drawer.”

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