AI in customer support: 10 tools to improve your service in 2025

Delivering quality customer service is not only your responsibility as a business owner, but it can also help differentiate your company from others and build customer trust and loyalty. Thanks to the development of artificial intelligence (AI) tools, it’s easier than ever before to provide highly responsive customer support. 

AI tools for customer support, like chatbots and platforms that automate workflows, are transforming the process. They’re streamlining and personalizing customer service, making it more affordable, improving productivity, reducing repetitive tasks, and boosting customer satisfaction.  

By learning how to implement AI for customer support automation in your business, and the tools you should consider, you can enjoy these benefits and more. So let’s take a look, shall we?

The role of AI in customer support 

AI customer service platforms can automate workflows, such as by analyzing help tickets and suggesting responses or appropriate resources. They can save staff time on repetitive tasks and streamline operations. 

They can also evaluate support conversations. By performing sentiment analysis, the technology can provide feedback that you can use to coach your staff on how to provide more effective customer service and improve satisfaction. 

Alternatively, they can take on the support conversations entirely. AI chatbots for help desks use conversational AI to resolve customer service issues. They may be able to complete an entire conversation, and they can help direct your customers to additional support resources. 

What’s more, predictive analytics can analyze large datasets — like text reviews written by consumers — to predict the actions that customers are likely to take, such as making a purchase. These analytics help you make well-informed decisions, whether that’s stocking up on a particular product or addressing a recurring complaint. 

Key benefits of AI-powered customer support

AI-powered customer support offers many valuable benefits: 

• 24/7 availability: Rather than paying for 24/7 customer support staff, AI support chat solutions can fill in the gap during off-hours while still ensuring customers receive prompt, responsive support when they need it. 
• Faster response times: AI tools can respond to customers instantly when your staff are dealing with other calls or inquiries. AI is also capable of evaluating customer concerns and connecting them with the resources they need, so they may never need to speak with a human agent. 
• Improved agent efficiency: Since AI can analyze help tickets and suggest responses, it can save your agents time and maximize their efficiency. AI technology can also help sort customer support tickets and streamline workflows. 
• Personalized customer experiences: AI chatbots and virtual assistants can personalize your customer service experience. By making predictions and creating original content, they provide customers with the solutions and information they need.
• Cost savings through automation: Automating the customer service process can save money in many ways. Streamlining customer service and improving agent productivity saves time and increases the value that human agents can provide, and relying on AI instead of implementing 24/7 agent staffing can lead to significant cost savings. 

4 steps to implement AI in customer support

AI customer support tools can transform your customer service processes. These four steps will guide you through the process of implementing AI within this crucial business operation. 

1. Assess your needs and identify use cases

Evaluate your business’ current customer service processes and determine which problems or shortcomings you want to solve. Consider which types of AI technology will be helpful to your processes, such as chatbots, automation, or customer self-service platforms. 

2. Choose the right AI platform

Start researching the best AI software for customer support that offers the type of technology you want to implement. As you evaluate each platform, consider whether it’s scalable and can continue to support your business as you grow and your customer service needs evolve. Look for platforms that integrate with your current tech stack — this will allow them to make a seamless addition to your setup. 

Consider how easy the platforms are to use, too. Do they provide a user-friendly experience for your customers? Can your staff quickly learn how to use the platforms, and will they be comfortable with the technology? 

3. Train your agents and optimize workflows

Once you’ve selected an AI customer service provider or platform, take the time to make sure all your agents receive thorough training. Stay open to human input during the training and implementation phase; your customer service agents may have additional insights to help leverage the full capabilities of the technology. 

Remember that AI tools should assist, not replace your human customer service team. Have frank conversations with your staff about the use of AI and take the time to address any concerns they may have. 

4. Monitor the tool and continuously improve your processes

Once you’ve implemented the AI technology, focus on continuously monitoring and improving it. As you learn how the tool performs, you can further adjust your customer service processes to maximize the value your business and your customers receive from the technology. 

10 of the best AI tools for customer support 

1. Jotform AI Agents

• Best for: Providing 24/7 customer service and creating personalized interactions
• Developer: Jotform

• Key features: Agents are available for phone, chatbot, WhatsApp, voice, Messenger, kiosk, and more; the platform features over 7,000 AI agent templates, a Jotform AI Agent App, the ability to automate tasks
• Pros: Agents are available 24/7, integrates with many platforms, can help automate workflows 
• Cons: Lacks predictive analytics, agents are limited to direct customer interactions
• Plans/pricing:
  • Starter (free)
  • Bronze ($34 per month) 
  • Silver ($39 per month) 
  • Gold ($99 per month)
  • Enterprise (custom pricing)
• G2 rating: N/A

2. Zendesk AI

• Best for: Companies looking for comprehensive support for their customer service teams
• Developer: Zendesk
• Key features: AI agents interact with customers, agents provide tailored support, proactive assistant provides agents with insights and suggested replies, generative AI can send personalized replies
• Pros: User-friendly platform, versatile AI applications, AI support is available for human agents, feature-rich
• Cons: Can be expensive, advanced AI is only available as an add-on, some users experience bugs with the Dialogue Builder
• Plans/pricing: 
  • Support Team ($19 per agent per month) 
  • Suite Team ($55 per agent per month)
  • Suite Professional ($115 per agent per month)
  • Suite Enterprise (custom pricing)
• G2 rating: N/A

3. LivePerson

• Best for: Larger businesses looking for comprehensive AI use to support customer conversations and a live team
• Developer: LivePerson
• Key features: AI identifies customer intent for personalized experiences, generative AI powers voice and messaging conversations, insights help live agents optimize conversations, plenty of integrations, 24/7 technical support
• Pros: Comprehensive analytics for detailed insights; includes support for live agents; compliant with the General Data Protection Regulation, the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act, and the Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard
• Cons: Pricing isn’t published on the website, no AI video capabilities
• Plans/pricing: Contact LivePerson for information on plans and pricing
• G2 rating: 4.2/5

4. Intercom

• Best for: Businesses looking for AI chatbot support with no additional services
• Developer: Intercom
• Key features: Inbox to monitor bot’s conversations, option to create custom answers for important questions, responds in 43 languages
• Pros: Can answer customer questions and reduce a support team’s ticket volume, safeguards ensure the bot responds using only your business’ support content, no training or configuration needed
• Cons: Pricing isn’t published on the website, there are no additional tools (like customer intent analysis or live agent support) besides the chatbot
• Plans/pricing: Contact Intercom for information on plans and pricing
• G2 rating: 4.5/5

5. Gladly

• Best for: Businesses looking for a comprehensive, AI-powered customer service platform
• Developer: Gladly
• Key features: Pre-trained AI models detect customer intent and provide responses guided by your brand’s tone, AI provides automated responses to customer inquiries
• Pros: Automates and resolves common requests like returns, refunds, and cancelled orders; features chat, voice, AI self-service, text, in-app chat, email, and more
• Cons: Pricing isn’t published on the website, may be too much for companies looking for a simple or budget solution, no video capabilities
• Plans/pricing: Contact Gladly for information on plans and pricing
• G2 rating: 4.7/5

6. Freshdesk

• Best for: Large businesses looking to support and boost the productivity of larger customer service teams
• Developer: Freshworks
• Key features: AI bots can automatically reply to common email questions; AI assistant helps maximize agent productivity; features like Summarizer, Tone Enhancer, and Draft Email Generator save your agents time; Sentiment Analysis identifies priority cases 
• Pros: Robust platform, features many tools to support customer service agents, AI helps streamline workflows and improve customer service results
• Cons: Best suited for businesses with customer service teams, doesn’t have tools to support small businesses, no video capabilities, AI isn’t included in the Growth plan
• Plans/pricing:
  • Growth ($15 per agent per month)
  • Pro ($49 per agent per month) 
  • Pro and AI Copilot ($78 per agent per month)
  • Enterprise ($79 per agent per month)
• G2 rating: 4.4/5

7. Sprinklr AI+

• Best for: Businesses focusing on streamlining agent time and enhancing agent training
• Developer: Sprinklr
• Key features: Conversational AI bots across more than 60 industry verticals; ability to optimize agent response for tone, relevance, and accuracy; knowledge base to help agents access information they need during calls; case summarization and closure
• Pros: 30-day trial available, includes access to detailed analytics, capable of evaluating customer intent for more effective agent training, automated quality monitoring across multiple touchpoints
• Cons: Pricing isn’t published on the website, no voice or video chatbot capabilities
• Plans/pricing: Contact Sprinklr AI+ for information on plans and pricing
• G2 rating: N/A

8. Kustomer AI

• Best for: Kustomer CRM platform users
• Developer: Kustomer
• Key features: Design and launch chatbot workflows using templates, real-time updates, customer surveys, AI-created conversation summaries, customizable interface, option to personalize themes
• Pros: No coding knowledge required, easy-to-use interface, numerous tools support agents for enhanced productivity, AI can help speed up customer resolutions
• Cons: Expensive, designed to work with the Kustomer CRM platform
• Plans/pricing: 
  • Enterprise ($89 per seat per month)
  • Ultimate ($139 per seat per month)
• G2 rating: N/A

9. Yuma

• Best for: E-commerce businesses that want to use AI support throughout the entire customer journey
• Developer: Yuma
• Key features: AI is pre-trained in e-commerce to accurately respond to questions, capable of editing cancellations and guiding customers through returns and exchanges, capable of performing order modifications, generative AI can respond to inquiries in your brand’s voice
• Pros: 30-day free trial, available in 15 languages, capable of answering complex questions, dedicated technical support
• Cons: Pricing isn’t published on the website, limited features to support customer service agents
• Plans/pricing: Contact Yuma for information on plans and pricing
• G2 rating: 4.8/5

10. Tidio

• Best for: Mid-sized businesses looking to use AI for chat and email marketing
• Developer: Tidio
• Key features: FAQ Wizard suggests automated flows for streamlined support; Reply Assistant polishes agent replies for quality; Smart Views allow agents to view conversations by intent for quicker responses; customizable templates; Flows can provide extra support with abandoned carts, product recommendations, and more
• Pros: No coding knowledge required; integrates with more than 120 tools; pricing is based on the number of conversations per month, so is potentially more affordable for small businesses
• Cons: No video or audio functionality, largely designed for e-commerce, pricing may become prohibitive for larger businesses with many monthly conversations
• Plans/pricing: 
  • Starter ($29 per month)
  • Growth ($59 per month)
  • Plus ($749 per month)
  • Premium ($2,999 per month) 
• G2 rating: 4.7/5

Common challenges and ethical considerations related to AI support

While AI customer support has many benefits, it’s important to be aware of some common concerns surrounding its use: 

• Bias: Human biases can skew training data or AI algorithms, and that can lead to biased AI performances and decisions. 
• Over-dependency: Since AI is so easy to use and can streamline processes, businesses can become over-dependent on the technology. The human connection that’s so important in customer service may be lost. 
• Data privacy: It’s essential to take steps to ensure that customer data is protected. 
• Compliance: Businesses need to verify that their use of AI complies with laws, regulations, and internal policies relating to AI development and implementation. 

To address these challenges, focus on ethical AI. These are tools developed with an emphasis on fairness, transparency, and accountability. 

In terms of your customers, be honest about how your business uses AI and how you’re protecting their data. It’s also essential to implement user consent practices so that they’re aware of what information AI will be able to access and can give permission for that information to be used.

The future of AI in customer support

AI-powered customer service is just getting started, yet it’s already transforming the industry and helping businesses provide high-quality responses that enhance the customer experience. 

In the coming years, we’ll likely see AI continue to evolve and, as it does, offer new benefits to the customer service function, including:

• Advanced generative AI may become better able to create text responses to customer questions, providing enhanced accuracy and being able to respond to more complex questions. 
• Real-time translation AI will enable customer service agents to have live conversations with customers who speak a different language, removing a barrier and allowing for a better, more personal connection. 
• Voice AI will be able to have phone conversations with customers and help them get the information they need. 
• Multimodal AI, which can integrate data types like audio and video, will also expand the range of customer support that the technology can provide. 
• Predictive analytics will enable hyper-personalized service experiences. By being able to more accurately forecast future customer actions, this technology will allow businesses to anticipate and fulfill customer needs — whether that’s streamlining a return process and suggesting a replacement product or providing the specific information that a customer needs without having to ask multiple questions. 

All these advancements mean that your business will have more tools available to it than ever before and can use them to provide a superior and unforgettable customer service experience. Investing in AI early can help your business stay ahead of the curve, giving you a valuable competitive advantage over other businesses. When you implement AI, you can easily continue to adopt the newest technology releases and advantages, ensuring your business is using top-quality solutions to make the most of the customer service experience. 

If you’re looking for a good place to start, check out Jotform AI Agents. With no coding experience needed and a free Starter plan, it’s the perfect way to test out AI tools for customer support.

Photo by: freepik