Human vs AIassisted Customer Service in Banks: A Comparative Study

The banking sector has witnessed significant changes in customer service with the introduction of Artificial Intelligence (AI)-based technologies such as chatbots, virtual assistants, and automated response systems. These technologies are increasingly being used alongside traditional human customer service to improve efficiency, reduce waiting time, and enhance customer satisfaction.The present study aims to compare human and AI-assisted customer service in banks and analyse customer preferences, satisfaction, response speed, efficiency, reliability, and communication effectiveness.The study is descriptive in nature and is based on primary data collected through a structured questionnaire from 110 bank customers in Thrissur district. Snowball sampling was used to select the respondents. The collected data were analysed using percentage analysis, mean, and standard deviation.The findings reveal that customers are generally satisfied with both human and AI-assisted customer service. However, human customer service received slightly higher satisfaction scores because customers believe that human employees provide more accurate information, better communication, and a stronger understanding of customer needs. On the other hand, AI-assisted customer service was found to be faster, more efficient in reducing waiting time, and effective in handling routine queries.The study concludes that neither human nor AI-assisted customer service alone is sufficient to meet all customer expectations. Instead, a combination of both systems is the most effective approach. Banks should use AI technologies for simple and repetitive tasks while relying on human employees for complex, sensitive, and personalized customer issues. Such an integrated approach can improve service quality, customer satisfaction, and long-term customer loyalty.