Which is Right for Your SMB?

Spoiler alert: The answer is, you need both agents.

90% of SMB owners are already using AI to automate customer interactions. Technology is becoming more innovative with every passing day. One of the most exciting developments in technology is the rise of autonomous and assistive agents.

Agents are running business operations smoothly with limited human oversight‌ — ‌where tasks are executed flawlessly without lifting a finger. AI agents are already doing it in customer relationship management (CRM) tools, just about everywhere.

Let’s learn in detail about what these terms mean, their unique differences, and how they can benefit your small business or startup.

What we’ll cover:

As a small and medium-sized businesses (SMBs) owner, you’re living in a world where everything is available to everyone at their fingertips. Customer service is #1 and it impacts customer loyalty, brand reputation, and overall growth. And, SMBs and startups need to lean more on artificial intelligence’s (AI) for support. Here are two ways: enlisting autonomous, and assistive agents.

What are autonomous agents?

Autonomous agents are advanced AI software systems designed to perform tasks and make decisions independently, without the need for human intervention. Unlike traditional AI, which relies on predefined rules and human input, autonomous agents react adaptively and dynamically by mimicking human decision-making processes. They can react to their environment, analyze data, and take actions to achieve specific goals, making them highly effective in various applications.

Examples of autonomous agents in action

• Virtual assistants: Tools like Siri, Alexa, and Google Assistant perform tasks such as setting reminders or controlling smart home devices autonomously.
• AI-powered chatbots: AI powered autonomous chatbots provide 24/7 customer support by handling inquiries and resolving issues with minimal human oversight.
• Algorithmic trading: In finance, autonomous agents can help execute algorithmic trading by analyzing market trends and data. AI-driven systems also monitor financial transactions to detect and prevent fraudulent activities. 

Pros and cons of autonomous agents

Autonomous agents don’t have fixed working hours. They can operate around the clock, ensuring that customer inquiries are addressed at any time. If you own a business that doesn’t have limited resources or customer service teams hours, autonomous agents are your saviors.

By automating routine tasks, SMBs can reduce labor costs significantly. 40% of business owners saw productivity improvements after implementing AI allowing them to allocate resources more efficiently.

These agents provide uniform responses to customer inquiries, ensuring that all customers receive the same level of service. This consistency helps build trust and reliability.

While autonomous agents excel at efficiency, they often lack the personal touch that humans have. This can create difficulties in building relationships.

They can also struggle with complex or nuanced inquiries that require human judgment or empathy. They can’t assess an emotional situation, which can lead to frustration.

Without a clear understanding of how to collect, store, and analyze data, you can find it challenging to implement autonomous agents successfully. And if these AI systems are trained on flawed datasets, they can perpetuate existing biases, leading to unfair outcomes.

Autonomous agents in action 

OpenTable is a great example of a company using autonomous AI agents. With a network of 60,000 restaurants, OpenTable employed Agentforce for customer service to resolve common but crucial issues like account reactivations, reservation management, and loyalty point expiration. For example, it can answer questions, like “when do my points expire?” and then respond to follow-up question by referring to the records and data.

​​What are assistive agents?

Assistive agents are AI-driven systems designed to assist humans by providing support and information during various tasks. While autonomous agents operate independently, assistive agents act as co-pilots. They work alongside users to facilitate decision-making and manage tasks. They use technologies like natural language processing (NLP) and machine learning to understand user needs, offer suggestions, and simplify workflows.

Examples of assistive agents in action

• Customer service chatbots: These AI systems support representatives by providing real-time information and suggesting responses during customer interactions, allowing for quicker resolutions.
• Sales support tools: Assistive agents can analyze customer data and provide sales representatives with insights and recommendations to tailor their pitches effectively.
• Project management tools: Platforms like Trello or Asana use assistive agents to help teams prioritize tasks and manage projects by offering suggestions based on project data.

Pros and cons of assistive agents

71% of customers expect personalized interactions from businesses. Assistive agents help ‌and support teams to engage more personally and meaningfully with customers.

Assistive agents can help you tailor your offers to meet individual preferences, creating a better shopping experience that can drive sales. 

They can manage a wide range of inquiries simultaneously, without overwhelming your teams.

Implementing assistive agents can be challenging for small businesses with limited budgets, as they might require significant investment in technology and training.

Teams also need additional training to use these systems. This can divert them away from other critical business operations.

Over-reliance on assistive agents might lead to a decline in human skills over time. It can also disrupt business operations, if the technology fails.

Assistive agents in action 

Wiley, is example of how a small business can make the most of assistive agents. By employing Salesforce’s Agentforce Service Agent, Wiley experienced a remarkable 40-50% increase in case resolution rates during peak periods of student inquiries. These assistive agent provided service representatives with responses.

Key differences between autonomous and assistive agents

Autonomous agents and assistive agents might exist to make your work easier, but they come with their own differences to make that happen. And knowing these differences can help you decide what’s right for you.

Automation level

Autonomous agents: Fully automated, capable of operating independently without human intervention. They analyze data, make decisions, and execute tasks autonomously, which allows them to handle repetitive processes efficiently. For example, an autonomous sales agent can engage with leads via email or chat without needing input from a human representative.

Assistive agents: Partially automated and require human oversight. They support users by providing suggestions and insights but rely on human agents to finalize decisions or handle complex tasks. For example, a customer relationship management (CRM) assistant can offer recommendations for customer interactions but still requires a human to execute the final response.

Customer interaction

Autonomous agents: Interactions are mostly text-based and rely on pre-programmed responses. While they can engage customers around the clock, their communication is often limited to scripted replies that may lack personalization.

Assistive agents: Facilitates multichannel interactions, including text and voice, aiming for more human-like conversations. They enhance customer engagement by allowing for a more personalized approach, adapting their responses based on the context of the interaction.

Scalability

Autonomous agents: Since they operate independently, they can handle increased workloads without additional resources and are significantly scalable. They’re ideal for businesses looking to expand operations without increasing costs.

Assistive agents: While assistive agents can also scale, doing so often requires additional human resources. As the volume of customer interactions grows, businesses may need to hire more staff to work alongside these agents to maintain quality service.

Choosing the right agent for your small business in 3 steps

Selecting the appropriate agent‌ ‌for your small business involves a careful assessment. Here’s a structured approach to guide your decision-making process:

Step 1: Assess your business needs

Decide how many customer interactions you typically handle in a day and the complexity of those queries. For high volumes of simple inquiries, autonomous agents may be ideal. Conversely, if your business deals with fewer but more complex issues, assistive agents that provide human oversight might be more suitable.

Evaluate your budget for implementing AI solutions. Autonomous agents can often reduce operational costs by handling tasks independently, while assistive agents may require more investment in training and management.

How personalized do you want customer interactions to be? If building strong relationships is crucial, assistive agents that enhance human interaction may be better aligned with your goals.

Step 2: Evaluate your customer base

Understand the demographics of your customer base, including their preferences for communication channels (text, voice, and so on). This can help you choose an AI agent that aligns with your customers’ expectations for interaction.

What are the common problems your customers face? If they require quick answers to frequently-asked questions (FAQ), an autonomous agent could efficiently handle these. However, for more nuanced support needs, assistive agents can provide the necessary human touch.

Step 3: Consider your future growth

Assess how easily each type of agent can scale with your business growth. Autonomous agents typically offer straightforward scalability as they can manage increased workloads without additional resources. In contrast, assistive agents can require more humans as customer interactions grow.

Ensure that the chosen agent can integrate seamlessly with your current systems and processes. Agentforce provides comprehensive tools that allow small businesses to automate tasks while maintaining flexibility in their operations.

Best practices for implementing these agents

While using autonomous and assistive agents for your SMB, you need to plan carefully to make sure they work their best. Here are some best practices tailored to each type of agent:

Best practices for autonomous agents

Set your expectations for what autonomous agents can and can’t do. For example, if a chatbot is designed to handle basic inquiries, make that distinction clear in its interactions.

Autonomous agents require ongoing updates to improve performance and adapt to changing business needs. Regularly review the agent’s interactions, gather feedback from users, and analyze performance metrics. 

Best practices for assistive agents

Provide training for human representatives when implementing assistive agents on how to use AI tools effectively and how to interpret suggestions made by the assistive agent and when to override them.

Ensure that assistive agents are seamlessly integrated into existing workflows and systems so representatives ‌can transition smoothly between AI-assisted tasks and traditional duties. 

Autonomous and assistive agents are here for your small business

Your choices can make or break the wall between your business and customers. Agents can do so much more than automate repetitive tasks. It handles strategic work, operations, gives you insights for growth, and help you increase your sales pipeline. By choosing the right AI stack and agents like Agentforce you can make a big difference in every area like marketing, sales, commerce, and services.

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AI supported the writers and editors who created this article.