THE FUTURE OF CUSTOMER SERVICE

Equipment companies turn to artificial intelligence to speed up response time.

- John Dietz

Quick, good answers to basic technical questions at dealerships are around the corner through the power of artificial intelligence (AI).

Last November, access to cloudbased AI became real when OpenAI introduced ChatGPT. Now large language model (LLM) algorithm variations are being offered by companies such as Anthropic, Cohere, Databricks, Google AI, Meta AI, Salesforce, and more.

Each model is loaded with the data and the language ability to answer questions.

Technicians at service desks are the traditional human in the loop between farmers and their machines, but an “AI button” on the keyboard to bring up instant answers would be of great value.

That opportunity is at the doorstep, says Larry Hertz, North American Equipment Dealers Association vice president for Canada. He knows the 4,000-member association is struggling to provide the staffing and phone lines to answer customer questions in busy seasons.

“In any state or province, most dealers are hard-pressed to have enough technicians,” Hertz says. “If they can make the technicians more effective or efficient, that’s better for farmers and the industry.”

What dealers do have at every service desk are rows of documentation (service, operator, parts, and technical manuals) and other supplies for answering questions. Available nearby is Internet access with a browser.