Latest news with #customersupport
Bloomberg
2 days ago
- Business
- Bloomberg
Apple Launches $20-a-Month AppleCare One Plan Covering Up to Three Devices
Apple Inc. is launching a new product-insurance plan that bundles coverage for as many as three devices, part of a broader effort to drum up subscription revenue. The new offering is called AppleCare One and costs $20 a month, the company said Wednesday. The service also includes battery replacements, all-hours customer support and coverage for accidental damage, such as drops and spills. Any additional products added to the plan will cost an extra $6 a month.
The Guardian
2 days ago
- Business
- The Guardian
OpenAI CEO tells Federal Reserve confab that entire job categories will disappear due to AI
During his latest trip to Washington, OpenAI's chief executive, Sam Altman, painted a sweeping vision of an AI-dominated future in which entire job categories disappear, presidents follow ChatGPT's recommendations and hostile nations wield artificial intelligence as a weapon of mass destruction, all while positioning his company as the indispensable architect of humanity's technological destiny. Speaking at the Capital Framework for Large Banks conference at the Federal Reserve board of governors, Altman told the crowd that certain job categories would be completely eliminated by AI advancement. 'Some areas, again, I think just like totally, totally gone,' he said, singling out customer support roles. 'That's a category where I just say, you know what, when you call customer support, you're on target and AI, and that's fine.' The OpenAI founder described the transformation of customer service as already complete, telling the Federal Reserve vice-chair for supervision, Michelle Bowman: 'Now you call one of these things and AI answers. It's like a super-smart, capable person. There's no phone tree, there's no transfers. It can do everything that any customer support agent at that company could do. It does not make mistakes. It's very quick. You call once, the thing just happens, it's done.' The OpenAI founder then turned to healthcare, making the suggestion that AI's diagnostic capabilities had surpassed human doctors, but wouldn't go so far as to accept the superior performer as the sole purveyor of healthcare. 'ChatGPT today, by the way, most of the time, can give you better – it's like, a better diagnostician than most doctors in the world,' he said. 'Yet people still go to doctors, and I am not, like, maybe I'm a dinosaur here, but I really do not want to, like, entrust my medical fate to ChatGPT with no human doctor in the loop.' His visit to Washington was aligned with the Trump administration's unveiling of its 'AI action plan', which is focused defining and easing some regulations and promoting more datacenters. Altman's latest engagement is with the federal government under Donald Trump, which has taken on a new tune compared with years past. While much has changed with the tech over the years, under the Biden administration, OpenAI and its rivals asked the government to regulate AI. Meanwhile under Trump, they talk of accelerating to beat China. At the fireside chat, he said one of his biggest worries was over AI's rapidly advancing destructive capabilities, with one scenario that kept him up at night being a hostile nation using these weapons to attack the US financial system. And despite being in awe of advances in voice cloning, Altman warned the crowd about how that same benefit could enable sophisticated fraud and identity theft, considering that 'there are still some financial institutions that will accept the voiceprint as authentication'. Sign up to Headlines US Get the most important US headlines and highlights emailed direct to you every morning after newsletter promotion OpenAI and Altman are already under way on their big pivot to Washington, attempting to crash a party at which Elon Musk once held the golden ticket. Along with announcing plans to open his company's first office in Washington next year, Altman faced the Senate commerce committee for his first congressional testimony since his high-profile appearance in May 2023 that propelled him on to the global stage.
The Guardian
3 days ago
- Business
- The Guardian
OpenAI CEO tells Federal Reserve confab that entire job categories will disappear due to AI
During his latest trip to Washington, OpenAI's chief executive, Sam Altman, painted a sweeping vision of an AI-dominated future in which entire job categories disappear, presidents follow ChatGPT's recommendations and hostile nations wield artificial intelligence as a weapon of mass destruction, all while positioning his company as the indispensable architect of humanity's technological destiny. Speaking at the Capital Framework for Large Banks conference at the Federal Reserve board of governors, Altman told the crowd that certain job categories would be completely eliminated by AI advancement. 'Some areas, again, I think just like totally, totally gone,' he said, singling out customer support roles. 'That's a category where I just say, you know what, when you call customer support, you're on target and AI, and that's fine.' The OpenAI founder described the transformation of customer service as already complete, telling the Federal Reserve vice-chair for supervision, Michelle Bowman: 'Now you call one of these things and AI answers. It's like a super-smart, capable person. There's no phone tree, there's no transfers. It can do everything that any customer support agent at that company could do. It does not make mistakes. It's very quick. You call once, the thing just happens, it's done.' The OpenAI founder then turned to healthcare, making the suggestion that AI's diagnostic capabilities had surpassed human doctors, but wouldn't go so far as to accept the superior performer as the sole purveyor of healthcare. 'ChatGPT today, by the way, most of the time, can give you better – it's like, a better diagnostician than most doctors in the world,' he said. 'Yet people still go to doctors, and I am not, like, maybe I'm a dinosaur here, but I really do not want to, like, entrust my medical fate to ChatGPT with no human doctor in the loop.' His visit to Washington was aligned with the Trump administration's unveiling of its 'AI action plan', which is focused defining and easing some regulations and promoting more datacenters. Altman's latest engagement is with the federal government under Donald Trump, which has taken on a new tune compared with years past. While much has changed with the tech over the years, under the Biden administration, OpenAI and its rivals asked the government to regulate AI. Meanwhile under Trump, they talk of accelerating to beat China. At the fireside chat, he said one of his biggest worries was over AI's rapidly advancing destructive capabilities, with one scenario that kept him up at night being a hostile nation using these weapons to attack the US financial system. And despite being in awe of advances in voice cloning, Altman warned the crowd about how that same benefit could enable sophisticated fraud and identity theft, considering that 'there are still some financial institutions that will accept the voiceprint as authentication'. skip past newsletter promotion Sign up to Headlines US Free newsletter Get the most important US headlines and highlights emailed direct to you every morning Enter your email address Sign up Privacy Notice: Newsletters may contain info about charities, online ads, and content funded by outside parties. For more information see our Newsletters may contain info about charities, online ads, and content funded by outside parties. For more information see our Privacy Policy . We use Google reCaptcha to protect our website and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply. after newsletter promotion OpenAI and Altman are already under way on their big pivot to Washington, attempting to crash a party at which Elon Musk once held the golden ticket. Along with announcing plans to open his company's first office in Washington next year, Altman faced the Senate commerce committee for his first congressional testimony since his high-profile appearance in May 2023 that propelled him on to the global stage.
Entrepreneur
3 days ago
- Business
- Entrepreneur
Why Predictive Service Is the Next Big Thing in Customer Service
To drive growth, companies should transform customer support from reactive to predictive and proactive. Using foresight, ethical data and strategic alignment can turn customer experience into a key competitive advantage. Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own. For decades, customer support has been treated as a defensive necessity — a cost center designed solely to resolve issues after they arise. In today's landscape, that paradigm is obsolete. Your customers are no longer benchmarking you against your direct competitors; they are benchmarking you against the best, most intuitive digital experiences in the world. This shift has paved the way for a new model of value creation: transforming customer experience from a cost center into an offensive growth lever. Unlocking this growth, however, requires moving beyond simply resolving issues faster and instead developing genuine foresight — a transition from a reactive to a predictive service model. The critical shift from reactive to predictive Customer expectations have permanently changed. The new standard set by digital leaders has created a powerful demand for proactive personalization. This reality forces a change in business posture. A reactive model is inherently defensive, waiting for a customer to raise a flag that signals a problem. A predictive model, in contrast, is offensive. It uses data to see that flag coming before it's ever raised, allowing a business to anticipate needs and resolve friction points before the customer even feels the pain — a feat that hinges on one critical element: the right kind of data. Related: A Complete Guide to Using Predictive Analytics in Your Business Earning the data that fuels prediction While predictive service runs on data, its true power comes from the "Golden Nugget" of behavioral data — usage patterns, sentiment signals and key lifecycle events. This information provides the clues to future needs, but it presents a profound ethical challenge. In an era of heightened privacy concerns, this data cannot be taken; it must be earned through unwavering transparency and trust. This is achieved by building a relationship, not just executing a transaction. When customers understand how their data will be used to create a better experience, they are far more willing to share it. This approach ensures your service feels like a trusted concierge providing personalized guidance, not an invasive tracker. Related: 3 Tips for Using Consumer Data to Create More Personalized Experiences How predictive service turns disruption into loyalty To see this in practice, consider the masterclass in execution from Delta Air Lines. Instead of allowing travelers to experience that sinking feeling of a flight or baggage delay, Delta's predictive models get ahead of the disruption. They proactively reroute baggage and notify travelers of the new plan, often before the traveler even realizes a problem has occurred. The result is a brilliant strategic reversal. Delta tries to transform a moment of high frustration into an opportunity to build deep trust and loyalty, elevating its role from a simple service provider to a truly valued travel partner. Overcoming the human barrier to prediction Given the power of this model, why haven't more companies made the shift? I've found the deepest gap is not in the technology, but in the organizational mindset. Most support teams are still structured for triage, not foresight; their success is measured by legacy KPIs, like reaction time, that inherently reward a defensive posture. This, combined with fragmented data and a natural cultural resistance to change, creates powerful internal friction. Overcoming these barriers requires a genuine commitment to breaking down silos, realigning incentives toward prevention and building cross-functional teams that are empowered to think proactively. Preparing for the next frontier Going forward, this trend will only accelerate toward what I call "agentic ecosystems," where integrated AIs don't just send alerts but autonomously manage complex processes. For any forward-thinking leader, preparing for this future must begin now, and it rests upon two foundational pillars. First, invest in a unified data infrastructure — the unglamorous but essential foundation for everything that follows. Predictive models are only as good as the data they can access, so ensuring your data is clean and unified is the non-negotiable first step. Second, begin rethinking your customer experience roles. The future of CX is not about designing a single customer journey; it's about developing teams of strategic problem-solvers capable of managing hundreds of thousands of unique, hyper-personalized experiences at scale. Related: Why Generative AI is the Secret Sauce for Good Customer Experiences A new definition of service The organizations that build these pillars today will do more than just meet future customer expectations; they will be the ones who redefine them. This is the true promise of the predictive model. It is more than a new methodology — it is a fundamental redefinition of the relationship between a company and its customers, a final evolution from transactional problem-solving to proactive partnership. And it's how customer experience will become your most powerful and durable engine for growth.
Globe and Mail
4 days ago
- Business
- Globe and Mail
AI-Powered Phone Support by Ringly.io Hits Major Milestone, Resolves Up to 90% of E-Commerce Customer Calls
Platform helps online retailers automate tier-one support and eliminate missed calls with voice-based AI agents. an AI-powered phone support platform built for online retailers, announced this week that its phone automation system can now independently resolve up to 90 percent of incoming customer calls. The milestone marks a growing shift in how e-commerce brands manage tier-one support, with less reliance on live agents. The company's AI phone agents are built specifically to serve online stores and are available 24/7 and solve up to 90% of calls, no humans needed. By handling repetitive questions, including order tracking, returns, product details, and frequently asked questions, the system gets rid of wait times entirely and lowers operating costs up to 90%. The development comes as more e-commerce businesses are looking for scalable, consistent solutions because of labor shortages and shoppers who are expecting better customer service. Data from pilots across 2,179 online stores shows major improvements in operational efficiency. Several brands using have reported a 50 percent drop in average handling time and an uptick in customer satisfaction ratings. One Shopify cosmetics company saw a 78 percent first call resolution rate within the first month of using the AI agents. Another online supplement store recovered over 30 percent of abandoned carts through personalized follow-up calls powered by the system. 'It really sounds like a human,' said Laix, founder of an e-commerce store that began using the AI support system in early 2025. 'What stood out is not just the speed, but the consistency of the responses on every call.' Unlike human call centers that operate in shifts, AI phone agents respond immediately and handle multiple calls at once. The system supports more than 30 languages and integrates with popular platforms such as Shopify and Zapier. This gives real-time access to order information, customer history, and other info the AI can use to make the conversations 100% personalized. Businesses can also upload knowledge documents, training material, and connect their website to align the AI agents with brand-specific policies and procedures. The platform includes smart call-routing capabilities. When issues needs action from a human, the AI escalates the call to a live team. During conversations, agents can leave text messages with links or coupon codes, and trigger backend actions like opening support tickets or updating CRM systems. These integrations make sure that customer service teams can focus more on complex problems, rather than handling repetitive requests. 'AI is changing phone support from that costs money to something that makes money,' said Ruben Boonzaaijer, founder 'Apart from just answering questions, our agents understand what customers want, personalize the interaction, and take actions in real time. For brands, this results in zero missed calls and 70%+ issue resolution within 2 minutes, without needing to manage or train a large call team.' Voice automation has traditionally lagged behind chatbots and email automation because of challenges of real-time speech processing and higher customer expectations for phone interactions. progress in this area is a big shift in the industry's ability to deliver natural and effective AI voice support at scale. 'E-commerce is about speed and experience,' Ruben added. 'When a customer calls, they want answers immediately. Our agents deliver that quickly, clearly, and at any hour.' Retailers using also get access to a real-time analytics dashboard. It breaks down each call by outcome, topic, and resolution time, giving teams the data needed to make support content and policies better. According to the company, these insights have helped clients reduce complex workflows, spot gaps in product knowledge, and make backend systems simpler. The platform's full features, integrations, and onboarding options are available at Businesses interested in exploring AI phone support can visit the website to learn more or schedule a consultation. New users can get a free 14-day trial to test the AI risk-free. About is a phone support platform powered by artificial intelligence, built specifically for online retailers. Designed to scale customer service, the system helps businesses resolve most inbound calls instantly using phone agents trained on brand-specific data. Supporting over 30 languages and a native integration with Shopify, the platform connects customer service, sales, and backend operations into one great experience. Founded in Rotterdam, Netherlands, has grown quickly since its launch. It was named 'Most Innovative App' at BubbleCon 2024 and now serves more than 2,100 brands globally. The company is leading the way in improving phone support using practical conversational AI. Media Contact Company Name: Contact Person: Ruben Boonzaaijer Email: Send Email Country: United States Website:
