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Salesforce to Acquire Fin (formerly Intercom) for $3.6B
51–60 of 261 posts
Re: Salesforce to Acquire Fin (formerly Intercom) for $3.6B
#52The "AI" "agent" "helpdesk" they pivoted into is such a grift. AI agents still does not solve the main issues that makes a person contact support in the first place. How do I know? I was a founder in the space. but good for them that they got salesforce to buy it.
I guess I'll bite, what is this main issue that seemingly everyone but you are able to see?
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Re: Salesforce to Acquire Fin (formerly Intercom) for $3.6B
#53For years I always felt if I got a human on the other end I could understand that a company valued me as a customer enough to provide fantastic support. I could still understand the trade-off if I called and got someone barely-understandable, as long as they can still solve my issue. AI support agents tend to just make up reasons they can’t help you or you’re holding it wrong, or they are only able to do things the U…
I like the idea I read somewhere that AI text and agents break the social contract of communication. That if you can’t be fucked to write something yourself to me, then I shouldn’t bother to read it.
However, in the case of support agents. If it worked, and it was painless that would be something.
For example… On the company side, if it could reduce human support to the customers that actually need support, that’s cool. Your support agents aren’t spending all day with the three common issues or replacing stickers.
On the customer side; if I could call in and immediately get support without being on hold with their shit repeating audio script, didn’t have to spend 10 minutes “looking up my account” to an accent I can’t understand and repeating my name and address multiple times.
That said… AT&T is already using the absolute worst case scenario - they are currently using AI with a slight Indian accent and pretending it’s real peoples. It seems to be 90% automated, and if you question it about being AI or have a question it can’t understand a human pops in on the other side, interacts, then hops off and it goes back to being full-AI.
It could be great but it’s already awful.
Re: Salesforce to Acquire Fin (formerly Intercom) for $3.6B
#54For years I always felt if I got a human on the other end I could understand that a company valued me as a customer enough to provide fantastic support. I could still understand the trade-off if I called and got someone barely-understandable, as long as they can still solve my issue. AI support agents tend to just make up reasons they can’t help you or you’re holding it wrong, or they are only able to do things the U…
For people like you and me, the only reason for contacting support is when a human decision is needed, ie the UI doesn't allow us to do what we need. This is always the company's fault, and a chatbot is of no use in these cases.
But many people will contact support instantly when they think of something, no matter what. Even if the website and other customer-facing material is crystal clear and has all information necessary.
AI chatbots is the way a company deals with the latter, because these customers most of all want a conversation. The question is if they will be satisfied with a robot, or still demand to talk to a person.
Re: Salesforce to Acquire Fin (formerly Intercom) for $3.6B
#55Interesting they agreed to sell after their rebrand to Fin a month ago. There's increasing competition in the customer support AI agent space: Sierra valued at $15.8 billion, Decagon at $4.5 billion. It looks like Salesforce CEO Marc Benioff is trying to compete directly with Sierra, which was started by his ex-Co-CEO Bret Taylor. Also about preventing independent AI support agents from becoming a control point outsi…
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Re: Salesforce to Acquire Fin (formerly Intercom) for $3.6B
#56> The AI Agent is powered by the company’s proprietary AI model, Apex When will I be able to talk to Salesforce Apex from Salesforce Apex?
Knowing salesforce a little, only if you upgrade to a different license tier.
Re: Salesforce to Acquire Fin (formerly Intercom) for $3.6B
#57When did intercom change its name to Fin?
30 days ago. No joke. https://www.intercom.com/blog/today-intercom-becomes-fin/
Wow. So a deal like this is not overnight, its 6-12 months in the making at least. So the name change comes as they knew the deal was closing and doubled down on this new branding for customer agents. Maybe because Saleforce wants Salesforce Fin Customer Agent as a product. Who knows. Don't want to read the post...
Re: Salesforce to Acquire Fin (formerly Intercom) for $3.6B
#58Earlier quoted context omitted.
I guess I'll bite, what is this main issue that seemingly everyone but you are able to see?
If I had to guess, there's two things they feel AI doesn't address: 1. People wouldn't need to contact support if you just made quality goods and services. Outside of rare exceptions and inquiries, of course. 2. AI has not advanced enough to trust it outright, nor does it have a physical body. So it can't really do anything you wouldn't already just be able to put in the UI for the customer, without needing it's acti…
> People wouldn't need to contact support if you just made quality goods and services
It'd be weird to start a startup around that, sounds like something for a consulting business instead, parent specifically mentioned they've founded customer support startup, must be something actually related to customer service, I'm assuming.
Re: Salesforce to Acquire Fin (formerly Intercom) for $3.6B
#59Wild, the AI support and bots suck so bad, I've literally lost sales due to them. No matter how much support docs and history you feed them with for context, they just don't cut it. People would rather wait for a real person than go in loops with a wrong/bad support answer...
So I haven’t looked into it a ton, but doesn’t it seem like a great case to have an AI answer the call immediately, get the users account pulled up, and document the issue with some refining feedback?
An AI secretary seems perfectly acceptable for both sides. The expectation is that a real human comes in soon after but this seems like a way to free up the most tedious parts of the process for both sides.
Re: Salesforce to Acquire Fin (formerly Intercom) for $3.6B
#60[deleted]