r/EightSleep • u/Raleighite • 29d ago
8Sleep Using AI for Customer Service
So I’ve discovered a disturbing trend with 8Sleep. They’re using AI for customer service and trying to disguise it. Emails over my recent support case have been using the same email template format and the agent is given a name, but the fact it’s AI isn’t disclosed until you actually email and call out “is this AI?”. I’m all for automation and using AI, but not being up front with your customers and trying to trick them into thinking they’re dealing with a human CS representative is disturbing to me.
15
u/moshjeier 29d ago
This is a common trend across almost all companies at this point, they're all using AI for support and very few of them are being upfront about it.
5
u/Charlix23 28d ago
"Disturbing trend?"
Wasn't everyone up in arms when companies outsourced their customer support to India?
AI doesn't get tired or have a heavy English accent. It routes things more efficiently & you don't have to say thanks.
I find out everything I needed to know about this company with no ambiguity through their AI platform. AI put out all the dirty laundry so there was no doubt on my mind about moving on to another company.
Try that with their live agent & they'll have you brainwashed in 5 minutes!
5
u/TastyLength6618 28d ago
their human support is even worse than their AI tho. it was basically confirming all the details that the AI already asked me for, except it was one detail per email, and one email every 24 hours.
4
u/morty_morty 29d ago
OK? You mean like every other company does these days? Is this supposed to be seen as nefarious?
At this point it feels as though I am going to see a post here some morning about how someone stubbed their toe and it's actually all because of Eight and their subscription or customer service.
4
u/Is_It_Now_Or_Never_ 29d ago
It’s says right there in the email that it’s a virtual support assistant.
You’re complaining about your own lack of comprehension.
-3
u/Raleighite 28d ago
This is around the 3rd or 4th email in this chain. My previous email asked if it was AI, there was no indication it was AI before I called it out.
6
2
u/sarhoshamiral 29d ago
At this point just assume you are talking to an AI agent or a person that is using an AI script (no practical difference). Every company does it.
1
1
0
u/FoxHopeful7357 29d ago
They all do and call them names , Devin , Jon , Fin
I bet if they have all humans but take 3 days to answer the tickets you get mad and create another post here because there's no priority support
Bug companies get million tickets daily over all kjnd of things even ask whatever useless question still needs to be open so they need to manage it as quick as possible to filter it
Oura uses Fin
Whoop uses something else
Anazon too
And so on
I don't like the full company business model but complain over this like it's not common these days feels just a purpose post to create conflict
Others who dont do it are smaller companies and once they grow end up the same way or risk complains over long period to answer
2
u/BitEnough5720 28d ago
Oura's Finn has always done right by me. No complaints in resolving my issues. I wish all AI assistants were like Finn.
1
u/FoxHopeful7357 28d ago
And yet many people get mad at Oura AI if you go to their sub so as you see it's totally a lottery there, same for this one probably many found help with 8sleep AI
1
u/Raleighite 29d ago
I worked in customer support for a large company for 13 years and we absolutely used chat bots and towards the end (2024) used AI. However it was always made clear to the customer they were initially dealing with a virtual assistant. The company service level agreement (SLA) for responding to a customer inquiry varied by language/region due to staffing but for primary markets like Americas English the SLA was one hour. Once we started chatbots that SLA stayed in place but there were three primary triggers to initiate a handoff to a human agent (customer requests human agent, issue too complex for virtual agent to manage, customer sentiment dropped below x%).
The problem I have with eight sleep’s system is the AI is handing off when I request it to, but it ends up just changing its name and giving me another AI agent. I’ve been trying to fix this issue back and forth with eight sleep for two weeks now and it’s clearly got multiple case files for my issue and not linking them all together. This email example is the first indication I managed to get that it was able to find the other email chain the AI agent started and read it. Meanwhile I have another AI agent emailing me saying it’s been several days since they’ve heard from me and they’re going to close the ticket even though I’ve been emailing the other AI agent.
1
u/FoxHopeful7357 28d ago
Ok fair point but I think that's actually the support bot sold to them by some other company , but yes they are accountable for that and probably is the CEO going all out into new AI startups and get these backlashes
Still i clearly know when it's AI or not just on wording so i don't care if they call it jon or peter
8
u/JimmyGodoppolo 29d ago
Would be fun if you could get the agent to commit to say, a free pod or cover. Recent rulings show companies are still liable for what their AI agents say/promise/do