Microsoft is set to introduce AI technology to improve customer service for visually impaired customers

Microsoft is partnering with Be My Eyes, an app that connects blind and visually impaired people with sighted volunteers, to make it easier for such people to access the company’s customer service.

Be My Eyes has a helpful tool named Be My AI, which utilizes OpenAI’s ChatGPT-4 model to create a written description of a photo taken by an individual. Microsoft plans to integrate the Be My AI technology into its Microsoft Disability Answer Desk, which deals with customer service calls, Bloomberg posted.

Be My Eyes tested their AI-powered visual customer service with Microsoft users earlier this year. The results indicated that only 10% of people interacting with the AI chose to escalate to a human agent.

Additionally, the company reported that inquiries were resolved faster with the Be My AI tool, as users spent an average of four minutes on a call with the AI compared to 12 minutes on a call with a human agent.

According to BusinessWire, Be My AI has a success rate of 90% in resolving issues for Microsoft customers who use it. On average, Be My AI solves customer problems in one-third of the time a live Microsoft agent takes to respond to Be My Eyes calls. With Be My Eyes integrated into Microsoft’s Disability Answer Desk, customers are more satisfied, with an average rating of 4.85 out of five stars.

This development is a positive step for blind and visually impaired Microsoft product users, as it will make getting assistance more accessible.