Kinney Drugs pulls back AI phone assistant after hundreds of customer complaints
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Re: Kinney Drugs pulls back AI phone assistant after hundreds of customer complaints
#2Related: A pharmacy chain in Vermont implemented AI for efficiency (11 days ago, 40 points) https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49105190
Re: Kinney Drugs pulls back AI phone assistant after hundreds of customer complaints
#3> Marraffa says Burt is fully HIPAA compliant and that the AI is not open-source and does not generate or manipulate data.
We need to fight the talking point that open source is bad!
Re: Kinney Drugs pulls back AI phone assistant after hundreds of customer complaints
#4Companies will pawn off thier customers to AI at their peril.
In many ways this is a repeat of the India call center train wrecks of the 00s. On paper, letting someone in Bangalore vs onshore handle incoming customer service calls looked like a path to amazing savings. In practice the customer experience was horrendous and companies CTRL-Zed these decisions and rapidly brought customer service back onshore again. AI is just that story of shortsighted decisions by weak leadership playing out all over again.
Re: Kinney Drugs pulls back AI phone assistant after hundreds of customer complaints
#5Related: A pharmacy chain in Vermont implemented AI for efficiency (11 days ago, 40 points) https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49105190
Wow, it lasted over a week.
Re: Kinney Drugs pulls back AI phone assistant after hundreds of customer complaints
#6> Marraffa says Burt is fully HIPAA compliant and that the AI is not open-source and does not generate or manipulate data. We need to fight the talking point that open source is bad!
How could something like open source ever be perceived as bad?
Re: Kinney Drugs pulls back AI phone assistant after hundreds of customer complaints
#7> Marraffa says Burt is fully HIPAA compliant and that the AI is not open-source and does not generate or manipulate data. We need to fight the talking point that open source is bad!
but if the source is open, the ay-eyes can find the zero days! /s
Re: Kinney Drugs pulls back AI phone assistant after hundreds of customer complaints
#8I think of this as the kiosk economy. It's like how businesses introduce kiosks even when having a human employee would be more convenient, just for the sake of greater profit.
The biggest problem with AI customer service is that a human employee would've let a minor issue slide without escalating it. But a chatbot often inflames the situation, and by the time the customer reaches a human agent, they're already furious.
Most people aren't rational or logical. Non verbal feedback, like acknowledging someone's anger and showing empathy, is incredibly important.
Re: Kinney Drugs pulls back AI phone assistant after hundreds of customer complaints
#9Companies will pawn off thier customers to AI at their peril. In many ways this is a repeat of the India call center train wrecks of the 00s. On paper, letting someone in Bangalore vs onshore handle incoming customer service calls looked like a path to amazing savings. In practice the customer experience was horrendous and companies CTRL-Zed these decisions and rapidly brought customer service back onshore again. AI…
Its still a huge and growing business and one that AI helps https://tech.yahoo.com/ai/articles/call-centres-using-ai-whi...
Re: Kinney Drugs pulls back AI phone assistant after hundreds of customer complaints
#10> Marraffa says Burt is fully HIPAA compliant and that the AI is not open-source and does not generate or manipulate data. We need to fight the talking point that open source is bad!
How could something like open source ever be perceived as bad?
The idea, within regulated circles, is that it lacks provenance - there’s no vendor to sue. Many open source licenses also carry an explicit disclaimer of merchantability and fitness for purpose. These are taken seriously, and open-source software is viewed akin to car parts found on the side of the road. They could work but it’s better to let someone else verify.