Artificial intelligence (AI) for small business is here. And the good news is, it’s helping customer service teams more than ever. In fact, 63% of service professionals say that generative AI helps serve customers faster.
For small and medium-sized businesses (SMBs), “above and beyond” customer service is a lot — it’s time-consuming and one of the hardest things for SMB owners to maintain. Let AI help you and your customers.
To help you out, we put together the top AI prompts to better your small business service. Get automated responses, personalized support, and improved agent training. Here’s the lineup:
What we’ll cover:
- What is an AI prompt (and its benefits) for small business?
- Prompt 1: Automated FAQ responses
- Prompt 2: Order tracking and status updates
- Prompt 3: Product recommendations
- Prompt 4: Customer feedback collection
- Prompt 5: Appointment scheduling
- Prompt 6: Technical support
- Prompt 7: Personalized customer service messages
- Put these AI prompts to work with the right tools
What is an AI prompt (and its benefits) for small business?
AI prompts are your best bot-friend. You sit with them, ask them questions in the most detailed manner and like a good friend, it responds to you. An AI prompt is a specific instruction you give to AI system and it triggers some actions or responses.
![A woman holds a phone while smiling at two nearby options, a chat screen and an AI bot. [Image: wayhome.studio / Adobe Stock]](https://www.salesforce.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/11/chatbot-AI-customer-service-agent-1500x844-1.jpg?w=889)
![[Illustration] A service rep delivers proactive customer service](https://www.salesforce.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/11/proactive-customer-service-1500x844_60k.jpg?w=889)
Using AI prompts in customer service for SMBs can be very helpful. Let’s see how with the help of a few examples:
Automated tasks
Using AI prompts for small business customer service can improve efficiency by 30%. AI can automate repetitive tasks and integrate prompt replies. For example, when a customer wants to know a store’s operational hours or days, they aren’t put on hold.
Tailored interactions
AI prompts help businesses tailor their responses using individual customer data. AI can come up with personalized suggestions and solutions by analyzing past interactions. For example, if a customer buys a product, AI can recommend related items or offer specific support based on their experience.
Proactive support
AI can solve issues fast, and shows that you’re prioritizing their needs. AI can analyze patterns in customer behavior to anticipate needs before they arise. For example, if a customer has faced a product issue, it’s unnecessary for them to go through every detail. AI can help auto-generate messages for their issue.
Scalability
83% of decision makers are planning to increase their investments in AI. As businesses grow, so does the volume of customer inquiries from the customer base. However, AI prompts allow businesses to scale their support efforts without compromising quality. This guarantees that no matter how busy things become or how many customers are there, all customers receive help on time.
Training support for service teams
Nowadays, service operations teams seem to adopt a more optimistic view regarding AI. 9 out of 10 businesses using AI say it allows them to save money and time. AI prompts can help customer service representatives provide real-time recommendations.
For example, Trailhead, Salesforce’s free online learning platform, is a great place for your service reps to hone their AI knowledge and skills. Encourage your service reps to join the Serviceblazer Community on Slack, where they can collaborate with other service pros on best practices for AI.
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Here are 7 AI prompts for small business service that you can start using right away for your business:
Prompt 1: Automated FAQ responses
Responding to customer feedback often involves repetitive interactions, consuming valuable time. Fortunately, AI chatbots can handle common questions, relieving you of duties and resources. With chatbots deployed, customers can get support anytime, improving their experience.
How it helps: AI chatbots can give simple and straightforward answers to customer queries. It allows agents to deal with complex and intelligence-driven interactions.
Example prompt: “Create a chatbot response for the following query: ‘What are your business hours, and use my website [link]?'”
Prompt 2: Order tracking and status updates
Customers love transparency. They want to know when their order is confirmed, processed, shipped — everything. AI automated responses ensure that orders are tracked and customers are updated on the status of their orders. Such transparency increases trust and confidence, which results in good relationships with customers.
How it helps: Order tracking reduces customer support inquiries and increases order notifications. This makes customers feel appreciated and updated throughout order completion.
Example Prompt: “Create a real-time order status text notification with the (details of their recent purchase) and include a way to respond via SMS.”
Prompt 3: Product recommendations
AI algorithms can cross-reference customer data, and lay out products that match your customer profile. This way, the customer sees products they love, and you win for a more personalized experience.
How it helps: Personalized recommendations and happy first experiences go hand-in-hand. This combination boosts conversion and sales opportunities through repeated purchases.
Example prompt: “Give product recommendations for customers who have shown an interest in (product category) based on their browsing history and past purchases, and include a link to purchase each.”
Prompt 4: Customer feedback collection
Gathering customer feedback is invaluable when done thoughtfully. It helps gain insights that enhance your products and services. But, steer clear of pushy or intrusive methods that might make your audience uncomfortable.
Use AI technologies to conduct surveys and focus groups with a click of a button. With AI, you can automate how you collect customer feedback, which gives you valuable insights to improve your services.
How it helps: Customer feedback tells you areas for improvement in your products or services. When you address their concerns and implement their suggestions, it shows commitment and increases retention.
Example prompt: ”Create a 5-question survey that collects customer feedback on their recent service experience with our business and include a 10% discount code for completing it.”
Prompt 5: Appointment scheduling
Delays in appointment scheduling are irritating and can eat up both customer and business time, which then leads to missed business opportunities. AI can schedule appointments and manage your calendar through natural language processing (NLP). This will lessen your administrative burden while adding value to the customer’s experience.
How it helps: AI speeds up the booking process and helps scheduling become error-free with no manual effort. It reduces the hassle of long queues or numerous emails.
Example prompt: “Create and execute an SMB text appointment reminder the day before a customer’s scheduled appointment and include their scheduled time and a link to our website if they need to reschedule?”
Prompt 6: Technical support
AI powered chatbots can deliver basic technical support to clients by handling most issues and providing solutions. This will put less burden on support teams and guarantees that customers’ requests are attended to immediately. It’s a win-win.
How it helps: 75% of customers prefer self-service for basic matters. This gives customers a chance to solve their technical difficulties quickly and efficiently. Similarly, since AI chatbots can handle first-level technical issues, service representatives have time to deal with complicated matters, reducing operating costs.
Example prompt: “Create three responses to an angry customer complaining about (specific issue) and provide solutions via our FAQ page on (website).”
Prompt 7: Personalized customer service messages
73% of decision makers say their organizations use AI chatbots. AI bots are trained to study customer patterns and target them with the appropriate marketing message. Because customers are already targeted with ads and information, engagement rate increases.
How it helps: Custom messages capture attention and promote engagement, strengthening customer connections and loyalty. Likewise, specific offers get more sales and conversions.
Example prompt: “Create a promotional email including offers for customers who have a (specific situation/need) and include recommendations based on their browsing history.”
Put these AI prompts for service to work with the right tools
More and more we are finding AI prompts is one of the strategic steps to getting better at business. AI delivers consistent, fast responses to customers, automates repetitive tasks, offers round-the-clock support, and tailors communications using relative data. And, it’s built right into your CRM with Salesforce. Explore how Starter for Service can help you bring down operational costs and nurture stronger customer loyalty and retention.
