How to Use ChatGPT to Boost Customer Service Productivity

Customer service (CS) teams have used AI for many years. Still, the release of ChatGPT has elevated the meaning of "great customer service" to a whole new level.

There are many ways it can help your reps boost their productivity and offer better support, but there's one condition. They need to know how to use it, i.e., which tasks they can automate fully and which ones they still need to oversee.

In this article, we'll cover how your CS team can use ChatGPT, its pros and cons, and some example prompts you can feed ChatGPT.

Table of Contents

• Customer Service Use Cases for ChatGPT
• ChatGPT Customer Service Advantages and Limitations
• Tips for Using ChatGPT for Customer Service
• 10 Essential ChatGPT Prompts for Customer Service

Customer Service Use Cases for ChatGPT

Here's how you can use ChatGPT to improve the effectiveness of your customer service.

Shorten or summarize long conversations with customers.

Customer conversations are a great source of insights. You can use them to spot and fix issues that negatively impact the customer experience.

The more chats you go through, the more reliable your findings are. Still, if the CS team had to do it manually, it would take them an eternity and probably cause a lot of frustration.

Luckily, your customer service agents can turn to ChatGPT to get a quick summary of their user interactions.

They'll be able to quickly identify common topics — for example, dissatisfaction with customer support or a specific feature not working.

Respond to customer reviews.

Reviews play a major role in the purchasing journey. In fact, nearly 55% of online shoppers admit to reading at least four reviews before buying a product.

Also, customers expect brands to reply to their feedback quickly. A timely response can be the difference between a happy and unhappy client.

Replying to customer reviews can be overwhelming and stressful. But it's something that simply must be done, as it directly impacts the brand's image. By using ChatGPT, CS teams can quickly respond to every single comment.

That said, it's best to use it for reacting to positive comments. You can then ask your customer support to deal with the negative ones. They generate a lot of emotions and call for empathy, which is a human trait.

Answer FAQs.

Your support team has dozens of tasks on their to-do list. These commonly include answering FAQs.

Luckily, this is something that can be easily automated with ChatGPT. However, before you do so, train it with information about your product. This way, you'll make sure it provides the right answers.

Offer multilingual customer support.

ChatGPT's ability to handle multilingual requests goes beyond translating customer communication from one language to another. It knows how to process two or more languages, even if they're used within a single sentence.

For example, say you're helping a native Arabic speaker find their way through an English language interface.

They might ask you questions in Arabic (in a right-to-left script), but also paste the names of functionalities and buttons, like "Download PDF" or "Proceed to payment" in English (a left-to-right script).

ChatGPT will have no issues processing both languages and alphabets and translating them into one target language.

This is a huge advantage over standard translation tools like Google Translate, where interruptions in other languages are left unprocessed.

Convert knowledge base articles into short, step-by-step walkthroughs.

It's a common practice to direct your customers to knowledge-base articles for detailed instructions. The good news is you can use ChatGPT to try and help your customers without sending them to a URL for further reading.

You can use a prompt like "summarize the key takeaways from the article here [URL address]" and see if the excerpt is enough to solve your customer's query.

Detect sentiment in customer communication.

Another customer service use case for ChatGPT is analyzing your clients' tone of voice and, potentially, the emotions they're experiencing. It can also help you craft a response that fits each customer's sentiment.

For instance, if they say, "I'm still waiting for you to fix my website," ChatGPT could help you craft a message where you apologize for the delay, thank them for their patience, and reassure them that you're working on the issue.

That said, bear in mind that humans will always be better at detecting others' emotions. So, you should always double-check ChatGPT's output. This brings us to the next section.

ChatGPT Customer Service Advantages and Limitations

While ChatGPT has some impressive capabilities, it also comes with limitations. Here's what you need to know about its strengths and weaknesses before incorporating it into your customer support workflow.

Advantages

Writes Content

It might be difficult, if not impossible, to write all emails and responses yourself due to volume. You can ask ChatGPT to give you a helping hand, regardless of whether you're short on time or can't find the right words.

All you have to do is tell the AI what you want to communicate. Provide it with some background information and mention the message you want to shine through your response.

You can even suggest the tone of voice you'd like ChatGPT to use to fit your brand.

Round-the-Clock Availability

You no longer need to arrange for your customer service to work the graveyard shift. Using a conversational CRM bot like ChatSpot, you can take note of and potentially resolve queries automatically.

How much can it get done? According to IBM, AI-powered chatbots can resolve as many as 80% of routine customer questions. This means you can keep the ticket backlog as minimal as possible.

Your customer service team will only work on resolving queries that AI can't handle autonomously.

Speeds Up Your Team's Work

If a customer has a question your team can't answer from the top of their head, they won't need to search through the knowledge base.

Instead, they can ask ChatGPT to run the search for them and quickly present the answer. Another point for team productivity.

Helps Generate Savings

All of the far-ranging capabilities of ChatGPT above can help you save on operational expenses. These include limiting your support agents' operating hours, automating responses to common queries, and handling more than ever.

Limitations

It can provide inaccurate information.

Unfortunately, AI — although advanced — isn't perfect. On occasion, it might come up with information that isn't 100% accurate.

And since customer service is the face of the business, this can prove problematic and damage the company's reputation.

ChatGPT can provide well-written answers, but we can't be sure that what it outputs is true. Sometimes it won't admit to not having an answer and will make up information instead.

It lacks personalization.

Customers appreciate personalization. And while AI can relieve customer service teams from repetitive work, it can't provide the same level of personalization as humans. This can result in a less satisfactory experience for customers.

It lacks empathy.

Certain situations — for example, when a customer is upset — require empathy. ChatGPT can suggest responses that sound empathetic. Still, it might not be able to fully "get" the customer is situation.

AI understands facts, not emotions, so it's best if human agents get involved whenever there is a serious issue to handle.

It can pose a security threat.

ChatGPT isn't free from security threats. There are at least two potential scenarios that could happen:

• Prospective scammers could manipulate it — since it follows users' commands, those with bad intentions could feed it with content that is harmful to your brand.
• Data breaches might occur — these can happen both on your company's and OpenAI's (i.e., the company behind ChatGPT) end. In fact, the latter admitted that hackers have already used a vulnerability in their code to access data.

Both of these situations could have serious business consequences. Not only could it hurt the company's image, but it could also cause financial loss.

Tips for Using ChatGPT for Customer Service

1. Teach your staff how to use it.

Like with any new tool or technology, your customer service team needs to know how to use it to their advantage.

On top of informing your staff about the capabilities and limitations of ChatGPT, teach them how to create the right prompts.

2. Be clear on ChatGPT usage.

Using ChatGPT to handle customer queries is a great solution to making this process more efficient and cost-effective.

Also, since it can analyze large data volumes, ChatGPT can come up with more accurate answers than humans and much faster.

However, AI isn't free from limitations. It cannot identify ethical issues, conflicts of interest or be empathetic in the same way as humans.

That's why it's essential to clearly define situations where turning to ChatGPT is acceptable and those that aren't.If you fail to do so, you might find yourself in a situation where your team abuses it.

3. Always double-check the output.

Don't overly rely on AI. Treat it as your assistant rather than an alternative for your customer support team.

Whenever you use it, make sure to verify its output. It's not uncommon to see ChatGPT use incorrect information. After all, it feeds on data available online.

If there's a particularly vulnerable situation, for example, a customer threatening to churn, it's best if a human agent steps in. In moments like these, there's little room for mistakes or misunderstandings. Save ChatGPT for less complex cases.

4. Ask ChatGPT for a second (data-driven) opinion.

Say that you've noticed a customer getting irritated throughout a chat conversation. You worry that they might churn.

If you're unsure whether your hunch is correct, you can ask ChatGPT to run a quick sentiment analysis.

With a solution like ChatSpot, you can do more than just analyze their recent communication. You can also dive into your CRM for extra context.

This way, you'll get a full picture and spot any events (like a low CSAT score) that could point at them being unhappy with your services. This leads to the next point.

5. Build a more proactive customer service strategy.

AI-powered solutions that leverage ChatGPT have the amazing ability to detect behavioral patterns. Your customer service team can use these findings to spot potential issues and always be one step ahead of the game.

For example, if you use a conversational CRM bot like ChatSpot, you can set up alerts to the use of crisis-prone words and resolve problems before they escalate.

You'll also be able to use it to craft a response that considers the exact circumstances.

10 Essential ChatGPT Prompts for Customer Service

As mentioned, there are plenty of customer service use cases for ChatGPT. To start reaping the benefits, you need to feed it with the right prompts. Here are ten examples your team can use to facilitate their daily work.

1. Addressing Customer Concerns

Prompt: One of the customers is upset as our product is experiencing some technical issues and hasn't been working properly for the past few days. Please tell me what I should say to explain the situation and calm her down.

What we like: ChatGPT's response is professional and sincere but still requires a human customer service representative to fill in the particulars for the company.

It uses strategies for de-escalating a situation by apologizing, sharing what is being done, and offering a promotion. And it wrote this response in a few seconds, saving an agent lots of time!

2. Reviewing Customer Sentiment

Prompt: Analyze customer sentiment based on the following review of HubSpot.

"HubSpot Marketing Hub has revolutionized our marketing efforts. Its user-friendly interface and seamless integration of various marketing channels have made our workflow incredibly efficient.

From email marketing to social media management and lead generation, everything we need is conveniently accessible in one place.

The platform's intuitive design caters to marketers of all levels, ensuring a smooth experience. Thanks to HubSpot, we have been able to streamline our marketing strategies, save time, and achieve impressive results.

It's a game-changer for any business looking to elevate their marketing efforts."

What we like: The four key aspects of ChatGPT's sentiment analysis are named concisely and supported by evidence. This use case is invaluable when a CS team has lots of feedback or messages to sort through.

3. Creating Email Templates on General Topics

Prompt: Create a 150-word message informing customers that any data shared with our company is protected under GDPR.

What we like: In a thorough and professional message, ChatGPT communicates an important message to customers.

4. Simplifying the Tone of Voice

Prompt: Make the following message sound more informal (referring to the previous privacy message).

What we like: This is a fast way to update the tone but keep the message of something that has already been written (by ChatGPT or a human). ChatGPT can identify which words and phrases can be altered to produce the desired tone.

5. Creating a List of Phrases to Interrupt Customers

Prompt: Create a list of phrases that customer service agents can use to politely interrupt a customer who is speaking.

What we like: Scripts can go a long way in customer service calls, and this is just one type of script ChatGPT can help you create. Having these phrases on hand can help you tactfully handle customer calls.

6. Asking Clients to Test Out a New Feature

Prompt: We are testing a new feature with a few users before we fully launch it. Please create a list of questions that I should ask them to evaluate the feature's effectiveness. Please limit the number of questions to five.

What we like: ChatGPT goes beyond just creating questions — it also provides an explanation of what each question will reveal about your product, allowing you to thoughtfully decide which questions are most valuable.

7. Asking Customers for a Review

Prompt: Prepare a message where we ask customers who gave us a good NPS score to submit a review on Google and G2.

What we like: This message puts no pressure on the customer and explains how their review would be helpful.

8. Checking Messages for Grammar and Punctuation

Prompt: Check the following message for grammar and punctuation:

"Hi, Gina; I've just read your email. I will check the error on the site for you and will reply to you soon."

What we like: Using ChatGPT as an additional grammar/spell check is a great idea. It's one more simple step to ensure your content is error-free and ready for your audience.

9. Creating a List of Tags for Crises

Prompt: I want to create a list of tags that would alert my customer service team about potential reputational crises or high customer churn risk. Create a list of words customers commonly use when they're unhappy with a service.

What we like: ChatGPT can brainstorm faster and more thoroughly than you, so take advantage of it when developing lists or new ideas.

10. Apologizing for Not Acknowledging Customer Payment

Prompt: A customer emailed us to say that their previous bill is still outstanding even though they paid last Monday. Please generate a response to apologize for the confusion and inform the customer that the payment has now been noted in the system. Please keep the message short and friendly.

What we like: ChatGPT composed the message according to the specified qualities. Whenever you use it to write content, be sure to specify how you want the writing to be. You can also use follow-up questions to tweak the content if it doesn't hit the mark the first time around.

Leveling Up Your Customer Service With ChatGPT

There are many ways your customer service teams can use ChatGPT to boost their productivity and reduce repetitive work. These include:

• Setting up a ChatGPT-powered bot to answer FAQs
• Summarizing knowledge base articles into short step-by-step instructions for customers
• Detecting customer sentiment

On that note, this tool has certain limitations, which make human customer service agents indispensable. To use ChatGPT to its full potential, your team needs to know which use cases they can assign and how to submit the right prompts.

Remember that it's not a substitute for your customer-facing teams — rather, it's a super helpful assistant.