That MBA friend who told me AI chatbots would replace customer service by 2023 was way off

Back in 2021, my buddy Mark with his fancy business degree kept saying chatbots would handle 90% of calls within two years. I listened to him and pushed my small repair shop to spend $3,000 on a chatbot setup. It couldn't handle basic questions about pricing or scheduling without sending people in circles. We had to pull it after just three months because customers were leaving bad reviews about the bot.

3 comments

3 Comments

josephl6711d agoMost Upvoted

Man, that chatbot was a real bargain at three grand. It basically just told people to call us back and then hung up on them. I guess Mark's MBA program didn't cover the part where a bot needs actual brains to work. The tech companies selling this stuff must be laughing all the way to the bank while we clean up the mess. Next year he'll probably tell me to invest in a flying car or something.

the_charles11d ago

Wait did your buddy actually think a $3,000 chatbot could handle real customer service? That's like buying a toy car and expecting it to drive you to work. Even the big companies with millions to spend still have bots that mess up basic stuff like tracking numbers or returns. My friend works at a call center that uses a supposedly "advanced" AI system and they still have like 20 people handling the overflow from the bot. The whole thing feels like a cash grab where the tech isn't ready but companies sell it anyway.

henry60411d ago

Honestly I used to hype up AI bots but this kind of story flipped my opinion completely.