Peter John Alexander, Chief Business Officer at MeetKai: “AI is generating a transformative shift that will reshape the future of customer service”

We’re pretty confident that Peter John Alexander, Chief Business Officer at MeetKai, is the first interviewee on TechFinitive capable of flying a helicopter. But that’s not the only unusual item on his CV, where the NFL’s LA Chargers rub shoulders with VC companies and banks. However you look at it, Peter John is a high flier.

He’s also a man on a mission. Not only “to establish MeetKai as one of the world’s premiere technology companies,” as Peter John mentions below, but to change the way we all think about customer service.

“We anticipate significant disruptions in customer experience technology [in 2024],” he explains, “incredibly enhanced AI chatbots, virtual reality-powered support and AI-driven hyper-personalisation.”

To discover just how Peter John expects these changes to happen, and MeetKai’s role within that transformation, read on.

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Could you please introduce yourself to our audience? What motivated you to pursue a career in customer experience, and how did you embark on your journey in this field?

My name is Peter John Alexander, and I am the Chief Business Officer of MeetKai. In 2022, I joined the company with my personal mission to establish MeetKai as one of the world’s premiere technology companies.

I have had an interesting career trajectory serving as the Global Director of Partnerships with the LA Chargers, distinguished service within the Federal Government, and a foundation in early-stage venture investment and investment banking. Today, I spend my time spearheading MeetKai’s operations and business development, steering the company towards an even brighter future on the global stage.

I was motivated to pursue a career in customer experience due to my passion for understanding and meeting the needs of people. Recognising the crucial role that positive customer interactions play in the success of businesses, I was drawn to the idea of creating meaningful and enjoyable experiences with and for the customers.

Over time, I’ve gained valuable insights into customer behaviour, preferences and pain points, which has fuelled my commitment to enhancing their overall experience. Continuous learning and staying abreast of industry trends have been integral to my professional growth in the customer experience field. I am driven by the belief that a positive customer journey not only benefits the customers themselves but also contributes significantly to the success and reputation of the businesses I work with.

What are your thoughts on the escalating integration of AI in customer experience and its potential influence on the future of customer service at large?

AI is generating a transformative shift that will reshape the future of customer service. It’s, one, facilitating a level of personalisation that fosters increased customer satisfaction and loyalty and, two, it’s offering a completely new, instant and consistent service that, at the same time, allows human agents to focus on complex issues requiring empathy or deeper problem-solving skills.

Looking ahead, AI’s influence is expected to continue growing. We’ve seen it grow within MeetKai as a consistent, every day more frequent request from our customers. And we couldn’t be more excited as a company that specialises in applying the latest AI advances to real company use cases, tailored to what they need. 

How do you ready yourself for an AI-driven landscape as a customer experience leader? What new skills do you need?

I think fostering a culture of adaptability and customer-centricity is crucial. Also advising mindful decision-making to help companies discern how and when to use AI. Businesses today have to invest in the training and development of their human customer service teams to complement AI technologies. 

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Do you anticipate any significant disruptions in customer experience technology for 2024? If so, what are those disruptions and why?

We anticipate significant disruptions in customer experience technology, incredibly enhanced AI chatbots, virtual reality-powered support, and AI-driven hyper-personalisation. MeetKai just launched Functionary during CES, an advanced language model capable of interpreting and executing tools fully compatible with OpenAI GPT function calls. We’ll see an increase in technology adoption as well, as opportunities like these, change how easy it is for companies to use and apply AI to their specific needs. 

Could you share some of your most noteworthy accomplishments that you take pride in?

Some of our favourite accomplishments include pioneering AI-driven virtual assistants that have eliminated AI hallucination issues from customer experience tools and provided total control to feed tailored AIs with the exact data companies are interested in. We provide this service in a 100% intuitive platform that allows anyone to create and train their AIs.

And then, of course, using AI to create successful, metaverse worlds with retail and gaming experiences for brands like Sony Pictures, BYD, the NBA Player Association, TripAdvisor, BitNile, as well as a number of NBA teams and the Drone Racing League and a number of other customers in 2023 alone.

What core values have played a pivotal role in shaping your approach to customer experience?

I’d say transparency, empathy and innovation are key. Thinking about what each customer expects and anticipating their needs in everything that we build. I always say every day is a Monday in MeetKai, and what that means to me is a commitment to continuous improvement. Innovating in tech means we have to learn and pioneer daily. 

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What major hurdles have you encountered as a customer experience leader, and how did you surmount them?

I’d say resistance to change, having to educate our customers and their users on how to rethink the way they search, the way they use the web. Going first has its challenges but we adapt to our customers’ preferences and create a smooth process for them to see for themselves how every detail is taken care of. It’s been helpful to promote a culture of learning and fostering cross-functional collaboration.

How do you ensure you’re up to date with the latest customer experience trends and technologies, and how do you integrate them into your strategies?

We like to rethink our approaches and innovate constantly, we’re never afraid to try something new and listen to everyone’s wildest ideas. That’s how my favourite features have come into place, never from trends specifically. But we do have a dedicated team that monitors industry publications, attends relevant conferences, and most importantly actively seeks partnerships with innovative technology providers to integrate cutting-edge solutions into our strategies. This allows us to relocate our efforts and manage our time more efficiently.

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What piece of advice would you offer to fellow customer experience professionals that has been particularly beneficial to you personally?

Just listen. Customer feedback is an invaluable resource for improvement and innovation.

Are there any startups in the customer experience industry that have piqued your interest lately?

My interests, personally, would be startups specialising in AI-powered sentiment analysis, anything that elevates AI conversations and includes an increased amount of detail and nuances for hyper-personalisation and realism. 

What customer experience technology has your company recently embraced and what difference has it made to your business?

We haven’t merely adopted a new customer experience technology; instead, we’ve pioneered one through our collaboration with askROI. The fundamental principle guiding our innovation is succinct: “Make Generative AI Work for You.” Our groundbreaking AI chat assistant, askROI, stands out by leveraging cutting-edge techniques in search and generative AI, surpassing the limitations of conventional Large Language Model solutions.

askROI is not confined by data sources; it goes above and beyond by effortlessly ingesting knowledge from diverse platforms such as PDFs, Word docs, URLs, PPTs, videos and more. It seamlessly links your company’s documents and possesses the unique capability to reason over them just like a human. This transformative feature simplifies the process for users to swiftly construct domain-specific Q&A experts or task-oriented assistants. In essence, we proudly refer to askROI as “Our Employee Zero, Your Employee Hero,” epitomising its role in revolutionising and elevating your team’s efficiency and expertise.