Technology finally meets the final customer’s expectations

As the world around us is evolving, so are our ways of exploring it, getting around, and moving from one place to another. In that context, technology and innovations have not spared the automotive industry, making it one of the most advanced and innovative industries in the modern world. Car brands such as Volkswagen, Mercedes-Benz and Tesla are well recognized for their tremendous participation in the modernization of personal transport. Smart or AI-propelled interfaces, as well as innovations working towards autonomous driving, show these brands’ technological advances over others. 

But car brands are not the only ones eager to provide customers with highly evolved tools. In recent years, Artificial Intelligence has made its appearance in the roadside service industry. As cars benefit from more comfort and tech, so is evolving roadside assistance to provide faster and better relief to drivers in need. This change has taken roadside assistance providers by storm, and we can now witness the consequences of the final customer’s expectations on this industry’s efforts to meet them.  

Artificial Intelligence can indeed contribute to many steps in the assistance process. From the reception of the first call from the customer to the claim case closing, AI smoothens the process efficiently. 


The importance of a timely, empathetic response in roadside assistance 

Roadside assistance is a peculiar industry as it is confronted with real-life events that put its clients and final customers in possibly acute stress. In the case of a roadside accident, every human being wishes to benefit from a comprehensive, empathetic ear almost as much as they wish to find a rapid solution to their problem. A timely response is the first thing customers in need expect from a roadside assistance provider.  

Thanks to the evolution of communications in the modern era, new technologies such as chatbots and conversational AI can now step in and provide a touchpoint at any time of the day or night. While, at AXA Partners, we strongly believe that the first contact after an accident should always be human, follow-up processes can be handled by a virtual agent: reserving a replacement car and answering all questions the customer has about it, booking a taxi…  

Technology is indeed now able to provide drivers in need of assistance with the quick response they are in search of, while still guaranteeing full understanding and empathy. ​​These comprehensive tools are made to decrease customers’ stress in the case of a roadside accident. 

Data, biometrics, AI on the verge of radically changing the driver experience 

Going way beyond chatbots and voicebots, the latest innovations in roadside assistance integrate various technologies changing the final customer’s whole experience. Innovations such as automated customer recognition via biometrics (voice, face…), for example, ensure greater safety and security and provide a smoother experience, mirroring smartphone’ ones as well as improving the call center efficiency. In the case of a car breakdown or accident, it is now possible to have an accurate first estimate of the costs of repair thanks to AI-powered image recognition. This allows to reduce the risks of fraud due to information asymmetry with car dealers and mechanics and to accelerate the repair validation process.  

Artificial Intelligence embedded in advanced speech analytics technologies enables to automate the analysis of every written and verbal communications.  Key relevant insights are extracted from this enormous amount of data to better understand evolving customer expectations. Insurance products and assistance processes are constantly adapted to match these and provide a thriving customer experience. Emotion recognition is emerging and goes one step further by identifying and categorizing customer emotions during a call. Combined together, these technologies are progressively transforming assistance agents in augmented agents who are in real time fed by relevant AI-produced information to adapt and better serve customers.  

 

Smarter, safer roads: what can we expect in the future? 

AI-powered virtual agents are just the beginning of a wider roadside assistance revolution. Thanks to intelligent transport technologies slowly making their way in cities and on major roads and highways, individuals will soon benefit from a globally connected driving experience. Wireless communications, coupled with sensing technologies and ubiquitous car data are game changers. Real-time data collection through road infrastructures, for example, greatly simplifies incident management and provides key information that allows for improved traffic and travel times. Thanks to live data, traffic accidents will be greatly reduced, ranging from 40 to 80% fewer occurrences in major cities. 

This permanent communication between the cars, road infrastructures and service providers will become part of our common driving experience soon. In the future, smart cities and autonomous cars will participate in the enhancement of roadside services. The road will become a comprehensive space with constant communication between vehicles, service providers and infrastructures. Thanks to geolocalisation, any car will be easily localized and towing waiting times will be reduced to the minimum.  

This should create interesting opportunities for a variety of actors in the automotive, insurance, and IT realms, as well as for public road safety entities. According to Next Move Strategy Consulting, the global automotive intelligence market is projected to soar in the next ten years. While the market was sized at some 2.5 billion U.S. dollars in 2019, it is expected to reach the size of around 74.5 billion U.S. dollars in 2030. 

More about it?

Do you want to learn more about one of the many ways AXA Partners is taking part in the future of automotive assistance?
Then meet MAX, our AI-propelled virtual agent for roadside emergencies.