Are your customer support systems overwhelmed? It’s a common issue. Long wait times, repetitive queries, and the growing demand for 24/7 service can drain your customer support team’s energy. Here’s the good news: AI agents can be the solution you’re looking for. They’re smart, versatile, and always on.
In this guide, we’ll show you how to build an AI agent for customer support, even if you’re not tech-savvy.
What is an AI Agent?
AI agents are computer programs designed to help with everyday tasks like managing emails, scheduling appointments, and answering questions. They're very versatile and can be programmed to take up any role.
An AI agent for customer support uses AI (artificial intelligence) to:
Chat with customers via text message or voice.
Resolve issues using a database of information.
Handle repetitive tasks, like answering FAQs and routing tickets.
Learn and improve over time, thanks to machine learning.
How AI Agents Can Improve Your Customer Support
AI agents help reduce the burden on human agents by handling repetitive tasks like answering FAQs and routing tickets. This allows human agents to focus on solving more complex issues.
Here are some statistics to show their potential:
According to Gartner, 25% of customer service operations will use AI chatbots by 2025, reducing operational costs by up to 30%.
Another study by Salesforce found that 64% of agents using AI tools increased their focus on solving complex customer issues instead of repetitive tasks.
How Do I Build My Own AI Agent for Customer Support?
Gone are the days when building AI required coding expertise. Follow these steps to create your own AI agent:
Step 1: Define Your Customer Support Role
When building an AI agent, the first step is to clearly define what you want it to do for you.
Start by answering these questions:
What are the common issues or questions?
What tasks will the AI handle?
Who is your audience?
For example, you could have an AI agent that answers FAQs about shipping and return policies, categorizes support tickets, or helps customers track their orders. Or you could build an AI agent specialized in retail shops who can understand buyer preferences and suggest gift ideas.
Step 2: Pick the Right Platform
No-code platforms like Wonderchat and ManyChat make it easier to build your AI agent without programming. These platforms use custom and pre-built templates to help you create intelligent agents.
Check out this list of the top 10 no-code chatbot builder platforms.
Step 3: Train Your AI Agent
AI agents learn from the data you provide. If the data is inaccurate or low-quality, the AI will make mistakes. Make sure to upload high-quality data for the best results.
Upload relevant data like FAQs, support tickets, tech guides, product descriptions, and user manuals to guide the AI agent.
If you'd like to dive deeper, learn how to write a custom chatbot prompt here.
Step 4: Test and Optimize
Testing is crucial. Use real customer questions to ensure your AI handles queries effectively. Also, consider integrating AI-powered analytics to track performance and refine the system.
Use feedback from real customers to continuously refine the AI’s responses.
Step 5: Deploy and Monitor the AI agent
Finally, it’s time to deploy your AI agent and find out how the AI interacts with actual users. This usually involves embedding a code into your website. Once integrated, your AI agent will start interacting with users.
Practical Example: Building an AI Agent for a Retail Store with Wonderchat
Imagine you're a retail store owner and want to provide 24/7 support. With Wonderchat, you can set up an AI chatbot to handle common queries like product availability, return policies, and shipping details in just a few clicks.
Let’s walk through creating a sample chatbot for a retail company using Wonderchat:
Create a new AI-powered Chatbot
Start by creating a new Chatbot. You can personalize your chatbot, give it a name, a profile photo and a designation to make sure it stands out.
Tip: Use the preview widget to see how your chatbot window looks in real-time.
Image 1: Customize your Chatbot Persona
Define the Chatbot’s Role
In the Chatbot role section choose the option to write a custom prompt. Here you can define the role as the example below:
"You are Angeline, the AI Agent in charge of customer service for [Insert Retail Store Name]. Your main tasks are limited to answering common FAQs, like return policies, product availability, and shipping schedules. Please be polite, helpful and remember people's shopping history on our website. If you encounter issues beyond your scope, direct them to a human agent."
Image 2: Define the role and responsibilities of your AI agent
Upload Data Sources for your AI Agent
Add high-quality data sources to train your AI Agent. These can include: FAQ documents, a product catalog, a price list, shipping policy, etc.
Formats supported:
URL (eg: your website, or a specific web page)
Files (eg: PDF, CSV, TXT, JSON, DOC, DOCX, PPTX)
Google Drive
Image 3: Upload data sources in Wonderchat
Set Up Human Handover Triggers
Write specific message triggers that activate escallation to human handover. Save the settings and your agent is live.
Example:
Image 4: Triggers for human handover
Deploy The AI Agent Into Your Website
Once the AI agent set-up is complete, you can integrate it into your website. Just click on one of the many available integration icons on Wonderchat to start setting it up.
With just these steps, your AI agent is ready to answer customer questions 24/7.
Build a Team of AI Agents for Different Roles
AI agents aren’t just for customer support. You can create a virtual team, each specializing in different areas. For instance, a Sales Agent can recommend personalized products based on past purchases, while a Customer Service Agent handles FAQs, ensuring that human agents can focus on more complex issues.
How? Just choose one of the pre-built roles from Wonderchat:
Sales Agent: Recommends products based on customer preferences and follows up on abandoned carts.
Customer Service Agent: Answers repetitive questions and FAQs and escalates complex issues to human agents.
Copywriter Agent: Creates marketing content (eg: email templates, social media ad copies, promotional texts).
FAQs:
Are AI Agents the Same as Chatbots?
Not exactly. While chatbots are typically rule-based, AI agents use advanced techniques like machine learning (ML) and NLP to handle more complex, context-driven conversations.
Can I build an AI agent from scratch?
Yes, but it requires substential technical skills, especially NPL and ML. No-code platforms like Wonderchat make it easier to build AI agents without coding.
What is the Best Platform to Build AI Agents (No code)?
Wonderchat is a great no-code platform for creating AI agents quickly. It’s ideal for businesses of all sizes and allows you to design AI agents with minimal effort. It’s perfect for customer support, sales, and more.
Key Features:
Simple and easy no-code setup
Integration with platforms like WordPress, Shopify, and Wix
Multilingual support for a global reach
Upload files and website links to train AI agents
Analytics for tracking and improving bot performance
Why Choose Wonderchat?
Wonderchat is fast and easy to use, allowing you to build chatbots without technical expertise. It’s especially useful for online store owners with its premium e-commerce features.
Final Thoughts
Building an AI agent for customer support doesn’t have to be intimidating. With Wonderchat, you can design a solution tailored to your needs.
Don't wait! Start building your AI agent today and streamline your customer support operations.
