Emily Chantilli
More and more workplaces are relying on artificial intelligence to complete tasks like onboarding, serve as customer service agents and human resources, and the technology has now gone far beyond novelty chatbots.
However, not all companies are on board with this idea, with some rejecting AI out of concern that it is difficult for customers to use and can cause unnecessary confusion for both staff and customers.
Benjamin Boehm, co-founder and managing director of Craggle, is also a fan. The mortgage business uses AI agents as actual team members in the company’s home lending process, with the core chat agent acting like a digital mortgage assistant.
“We interact interactively with our customers, gathering lending facts in plain language and matching their scenarios against more than 7,500 mortgage options across 50 lenders,” Boehm said.
Determine in less than a second which options are competitive and practical for that customer. “The key is knowing if you’re already taking advantage of a good rate so you’re not forced to refinance if it doesn’t make sense,” he says.
The agent works behind a layer of masking, allowing you to use your financial details while protecting your personal information. For the broker, it acts like an assistant. This is your first resource for engaging with customers, capturing critical information, and building scenarios.
As a small retailer, we ultimately chose to reinvest in human-driven services rather than bots.
Sarah James, Founder of The Sensory Specialist
Bohm said the company is also testing a voice version of the same agent.
“Overall, AI has made home lending faster, simpler, and more transparent for customers, while providing brokers with higher quality leads and freeing up more time for human tasks.”
back to basics
But Sarah James, founder of The Sensory Specialist, is less enthusiastic. The retailer, which specializes in sensory tools and NDIS-enabled products, recently trialled an AI chatbot on its Shopify site.
“The bot was intended to learn all the content on the website and answer frequently asked questions to reduce the load on customer service,” says James. But after three months, the company decided to remove it.
“The main reason was high customer dissatisfaction. We couldn’t respond to real-time questions like order updates. In the end, most people ended up calling or emailing us, and the subscription fees were high.”
A robust FAQ hub and prominent search bar further increased satisfaction and worked more effectively, James said, especially when combined with having a real human respond to emails within 24 hours.
“As a small retailer, we ultimately chose to reinvest in human-driven services rather than bots,” she says.
Adoption led by large companies
Dr Sue Kee, an expert in AI robotics and workplace planning and director of the UNSW AI Institute, said adoption of these technologies was being led by companies that had already scaled up.
Smaller companies find experimentation and implementation more difficult. Key adds that Australian industry has not fully embraced the digital revolution, making AI transformation more difficult.
“If workplace operations are already digital, and manual and paper-based processes have already been moved online, it’s much easier to automate,” she says.
To get the most value out of your business data, it’s important to digitize it. Investing in the development of data pipelines is critical to the success of AI and robotics applications.
There are many examples of companies struggling to see the value of AI applications.
“I’ve heard of several companies that have experimented with providing generative AI tools to their employees, but have discontinued them due to lack of adoption. It’s hard to know whether it’s a lack of training, unfamiliarity, or just poorly designed these tools.”
Another challenge is being able to fully define the benefits of these technologies. Key cites as an example the introduction of autonomous load handling vehicles into the mining industry, where there was initially neither a business case nor capital investment built up.
However, there were clear safety benefits. These were manifested after the introduction of this technology through increased fuel efficiency, reduced road maintenance costs, and the ability to optimize production once this technology was integrated into existing processes.
It’s important to have dedicated resources within your organization to support your AI implementation. “Without leadership, investment, and open-minded employees, the use of digitized bots is unlikely to be successful.”
Get workplace news, advice and perspectives to help you get ahead at work. Sign up for our weekly Monday newsletter.
