Presented by Coveo
Xero's Shift to Generative AI Enhances Customer Experience
Global small business platform Xero boasts 3.95 million subscribers, with a significant number spending less time on Xero Central, the company's customer support and learning site. This trend is positive, according to Nigel Piper, Executive General Manager of Customer at Xero.
Since the implementation of generative answers in Xero Central—made possible through a partnership with Coveo—average customer search times have dropped by approximately 40%, and search sessions requiring further support have decreased by about 20%. Customer feedback has been overwhelmingly positive.
“Our support has always been digital and content-led, so leveraging generative AI was a natural progression for our platform,” Piper explains. “Our goal is to make information accessible, intuitive, and quick. Customers today embrace technology, and this upgrade is proving effective. They find answers faster and leave more satisfied.”
Revolutionizing Xero Central with Generative AI
Xero Central utilizes Coveo’s Relevance Generative Answering platform, which not only provides generative answers but also links to relevant articles and knowledge bases. Users receive prompt, accurate solutions, with options to filter, explore further, or initiate a support case for personalized assistance.
Leveraging Industry Expertise
Xero has collaborated with Coveo for over five years. They initially integrated Coveo's predictive search and recommendation engine into Xero Central, turning to them again for insights into the applications of generative AI.
Despite the excitement surrounding generative AI, numerous uncertainties remain regarding risks and best practices. A trusted partner like Coveo has been essential in navigating these complexities, offering guidance on safely leveraging generative AI's potential.
“For the generative AI project, we worked closely with Coveo to explore its possibilities and to implement it ethically,” Piper elaborates. “Generative AI enhances user experience but does not replace human expertise or alter our customer experience philosophy—it complements our goals.”
Transforming Customer Support
The foundation of customer support lies in effectively managing vast amounts of data and content. Technology like generative AI transforms this by simplifying access to relevant information.
“Support functions must evolve due to advancements in technology that allow us to deliver world-class data to assist customers,” Piper states.
Xero possesses a digital record of nearly every question asked through its platform and customer service agents. This data provides insights into user inquiries, helping to identify what information customers seek and the answers that meet their needs.
Initially, Xero centralized data to enhance Xero Central's functionality, so that the search tool could extract relevant snippets akin to a Google search. Now, an advanced search interface empowers users to pose questions in natural language, with generative AI delivering personalized answers based on historical data and context.
For example, accountants often require different information than small business customers, and Coveo’s search capabilities recognize these distinctions. Generative AI allows content to be aggregated from various sources within the platform, provided the data is mapped correctly.
“That’s the incredible potential of generative AI,” Piper emphasizes. “Organizations today need only identify relevant data sources; the technology can then synthesize this information into user-friendly, natural language responses.”
Prioritizing Data Security
Personalization is increasingly important to customers, who expect companies to utilize their information to enhance satisfaction. However, ensuring data security is paramount, necessitating a commitment to responsible data usage alongside generative AI implementations.
“There’s a balance to strike,” Piper notes. “We must respect customer information, recognize their experiences, and ensure their data remains secure.”
Ongoing monitoring of the platform’s response accuracy is critical. During development, rigorous testing by data governance teams ensured security standards were met. As they prepared for launch, expert evaluations of answer quality were conducted, yielding positive feedback and confidence in the tool's effectiveness.
“However,” Piper advises, “we cannot assume this tool is perfect. Our commitment to responsible data usage drives us to ensure we provide accurate answers while protecting privacy. If we can deliver quicker, more personalized responses that meet customer needs, that’s a tremendous benefit.”
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