In our last blog, we shared some findings from our original research that showed there is a clear desire for human-to-human interaction when it comes to resolving IT issues vs. working with an automated bot or AI System. Taking that a step further, our research found that a high majority of people (79%) believe that working with someone to resolve an issue is faster. But why?
With all of the news swirling around right now about the ability of AI and other automated systems (ChatGPT ring any bells?), you’d think people would be rushing to use these tools when they run into IT issues. Not so fast. There are some clear benefits to working with an actual person and we’ll cover these in more detail in today’s post.
Efficiency: Triage High Priority Issues
If you or your teams are experiencing a high volume of IT issues, which ones get prioritized or handled first? For example, which of the following two scenarios could cause the greatest damage to your IT program, if not treated:
- Example 1: a printer will not connect to the network and your creative team is on deadline to pull together a pitch deck for a potential new client.
- Example 2: an employee in your accounting department receives an email from what looks to be a client asking to confirm bank account information by clicking on some links included within the email.
While the first example is definitely a timely request, the second example could have huge ramifications for the business, as email phishing ould result in businesses losing hundreds of thousands of dollars to online scammers. So why does this matter?
Working with human IT professionals that know your business can quickly prioritize and triage issues based on the severity and impact of the issue on the organization. This allows those critical issues to be addressed first, ultimately allowing for minimal downtime and fewer disruptions to overall business operations.
Creative Problem Solving
There are times when it comes to resolving IT issues when creativity is necessary. IT is not unlike many industries in that there are often multiple ways to solve an individual problem.
However, when you consider factors such as time, cost-efficiencies, and long-term efficacy, this can sometimes require engineers to think outside of the box and come up with innovative solutions. Something chatbots and automated systems may not be able to achieve.
Personalization & Flexibility
One of the biggest drawbacks to chatbots and other automated systems is that they cannot determine human emotion. Or distinguish you from another member of your team. Likewise, these systems and tools have difficulty understanding the intricacies of your business.
Humans can tailor their approach to resolve IT issues, taking into account your business’s unique needs and preferences. They can also offer very specific resolutions and recommendations based on your specific systems and tools.
Flexibility is another major advantage when working with an actual person. Often times the algorithms powering the automated systems are programmed to follow specific rules and processes, which aren’t always adaptable in unexpected situations.
Emotional Intelligence
Business is personal, despite what the old adage says. Downtime and missed customer opportunities are critical to business survival and success. And when business-critical IT issues arise, automated systems and chatbots likely won’t pick up on user frustration or stress.
In addition to finding fast and tailored resolutions, humans can also offer those dealing with these situations reassurance and support. They can also help craft messages on what information needs to be delivered to different members of your team, when fixes will occur, and when to schedule fixes that won’t offer further disruptions to business operations.
In The End
There are pros and cons to both AI and humans. Both will inevitably make errors, but at the very core, AI will never compare to the advantages that come from human connection and emotional intelligence. But because of technology, we can leverage automated processes to expedite time to resolution without sacrificing human connection.
We understand first-hand that the IT landscape can be complex and oftentimes, incredibly frustrating when you have to deal with it on your own. To learn more about how Interlaced’s people-centered IT experts can build an IT program designed to meet your company’s growth goals, contact us today.
