Balancing Automation and Personalization for Dallas Couriers
This might be an unpopular opinion, but I’m going to go ahead and say it: Self check-out stands are a drag.
I know. Some of you are yelling at your phone screen as you read this latest Dallas Courier blog. Others are fist bumping me in your minds. I struggle with my negative feelings towards self-checkout, as well. Like, nobody wants to have the slowest grandma checker in the joint. She’s chatty, but not actually moving your items on the scanner. Or, worse, she comments on everything you buy (“Young people these days think kale is the answer to everything!”). Yes, it can be frustrating as you wait for her to slowly and methodically check the system for the code for broccoli that you happen to know is “3082”. But at least she’s a human!
In today’s business, we’re lucky to speak to humans when we initiate services.
Think about the phone calls to airlines or your bank. What about the chat bots on your favorite store’s website? Humans are being replaced by AI every day, but is it really better?
At Dallas Courier Service, we believe in balancing automation and personalization for the best overall customer service experience.
Let’s go over some of the pros and cons of tech, as well as ways we’re using both automation and personalization to serve you better:
AI Pros
Route planning- Artificial intelligence is fantastic at creating streamlined delivery routes. Utilizing route planning software, Dallas Courier can provide the program a list of your delivery stops, and it will create the best route based on time and fuel.
Customer self-service- Customers can have basic questions answered by AI chat functions on websites like Dallas Courier’s. FAQs, delivery inquiries, and other basic customer support are available to clients any time of day or night with AI self-service functions.
Automated dispatch for changes in deliveries- Have a delivery stop to add? Need to modify a delivery time? AI powered dispatch systems can allocate or reallocate deliveries based on changes to the route such as traffic, accidents, or modified stops per the customer. This route is automatically sent to the driver for quick maneuvering.
AI Cons
Personalization and customer preference- AI’s “best” route isn’t always the best route for customers. Customers often require personalization for their deliveries. For example, one of our drivers recently pulled up to a delivery stop, only to encounter the recipient who was unable to walk due to surgery. Our driver asked where the client wanted her delivery placed, brought it inside, and unwrapped it for her so she could enjoy her delivered floral arrangement. An AI robot wasn’t going to offer the same, or plan on a few extra minutes in the route to accommodate customers such as this.
Dependency on Infrastructure- While DFW is a place known for being tech savvy, there are times when tech fails. Then what? AI relies heavily on internet connectivity as well as technological infrastructure. But we aren’t always operating in places that have such luxuries. Secure areas, rural areas, and the highways that stretch the state on our long distance deliveries won’t always have what AI needs to remain in control. That’s where human operation becomes vital to a successful delivery.
Lack of Emotional Intelligence- Deliveries can be an emotional process. Customers who call us in the middle of the night don’t always remain calm and collected. Hospitals who ring for organ delivery for a transplant don’t want to listen to an automated system ask four different ways what their delivery involves. Maintaining a human element preserves empathy and care that is often required to act as a courier in Dallas. We want our customers to feel treated by family.
The Best of Both Worlds
Balancing automation and personalization is a task that will become increasingly difficult as our world gets “smarter”. Dallas Courier is committed to remining highly personal with our customers, and utilizing AI in smart ways that help us serve you better- not in ways that prohibit the familial relationship we like to hold with our clients.
We’re staying ahead of the technological curve, while keeping our top notch customer service and local provider mindset.
Let the #1 couriers in Dallas serve you with excellence, aided by our state of the art tech. Give us a call today to see what that looks like for your business. We guarantee a real life person will answer. No annoying robots and phone trees here! If you prefer the bots, head to our website. We have a chat function that can answer basic questions for you until you want or need more.