What is automated customer service?
Customer service automation is a way to reduce, if not entirely remove, human involvement in helping your clients resolve issues and inquiries. It includes various Artificial Intelligence (AI) software, automated chat boxes (chatbots), e-mail automation, Interactive Voice Response (IVR,) and many other technologies.
Some customers demand getting a live person on the phone, refusing to use the automation (especially after having terrible experiences), but more and more, with the widespread improvement of these systems, they are being embraced. A significant business advantage to using this approach is that it will help you get your customer service standards to the next level. Let’s see how you can accomplish that.
The benefits and uses of customer service automation.
Automated customer support service is like a virtual assistant. Through it, you use a predefined set of rules to solve customers’ problems. Here are a few clever ways to use automation in addressing customers’ issues:
- Answer FAQs.
- Use an AI bot as a scheduling assistant.
- Provide general information about the business.
- Redirect the client to the correct department based on what they need.
- Troubleshoot simple issues.
- Help clients log tickets with their requests.
- Provide account status.
- Guide clients through simple processes regarding products they purchased.
Best of all, a chatbot is available 24/7. That means, no matter what the time is and where your customers are, they will always have access to information about your products and services. There is no need to wait on hold or wait to call during business hours. Of course, if the system doesn’t work well, like when you make a request and it sends you off in the wrong direction, or when there is no option to speak to a live person, it can do more damage than good to your brand reputation.
Reduce operational expenses with customer support automation.
Imagine running a live call center. Your company is growing, and the number of daily requests and inquiries rises. You may need a huge team to answer all of your customers’ questions.
Setting up a live call center requires professional phones, software, a support team, and an IT team to set everything up. Furthermore, you need to hire and train people to use the phones. You could also outsource this service to an answering service company.
All of these actions cost money. If you analyze the calls your phone agents answer, you may realize there are many repeated generic questions. Most employees don’t appreciate having to answer mundane, common questions. Remember, happy employees directly affect the image of your company
If you add a chat feature or a chatbot, you can significantly reduce all of these expenses. The AI software can provide answers to generic questions. You can manage a leaner customer support team and have staff available for more complex issues where the customers appreciate the personal service.
Customer support AI can be faster and more precise.
Even if you know the job, you will still need time to pull up information for the customers. Customer-support AI instantly reads from its database and is much faster than humans if it is appropriately designed and accurately understands the customer’s requests.
Save precious time for your employees and make them happy. In return, they will likely be more efficient in other work activities.
Save time for your clients as well.
Interactive Voice Response, also known as IVR, is the perfect example of how a prerecorded audio message can help your clients. If there is an outage and you have many angry calls, use an IVR to provide a quick response and calm down your clients. Let them know that the issue is currently being fixed, and ask for their patience.
There are also cases when clients do not know what department to ask for. If there is a misunderstanding with the agent on the other side of the phone, they might redirect the client to the wrong person. IVR helps your customers determine what department they need and how many calls are in the queue before them.
Scalability of customer support automation.
Creating multi-channels for communicating with customers is easier if you use automation. Furthermore, where privacy laws permit it, AI can collect data, records calls, save chats, and load the details into your database. You can use that data to optimize your clients’ experience the next time they contact customer support.
Help onboard new hires.
One of the more difficult parts of working as a call center agent is dealing with angry customers. While more experienced agents are used to this, it can be challenging for new hires. Automated chatbots can alleviate some pressure and help the customers quickly and accurately and avoid escalations.
Furthermore, this is also an effective training tool for new hires. They can listen to how an AI addresses the client issues and role-play on their own, practicing for the more sophisticated matters they will be addressing.
How can you improve customer support automation?
Generally, customer support automation augments your existing customer support team’s capabilities. Depending on the nature of your business, you might have more complex issues to solve that cannot be resolved by using automation alone.
Integrating the AI chatbot with the live service is best done with either live callback or live chat. Opt for the right kind of software and implement live chat. It will work wonders when your chatbot cannot provide all the answers and help to get the highest utilization out of your customer service team. Be sure to make it easy for someone to make a human connection. There is nothing more frustrating than fighting a computer! This is also a sure way to turn away customers.
Many companies choose live chat over a call line because an employee can chat with multiple people simultaneously. If you are on the phone call, you cannot do that without interrupting your client. Also, from the customer side, some people are more comfortable with chats than speaking on the phone. It’s also more conducive to multitasking for both the client and the customer service team.
An easy way to enhance human interaction and improve customer experience.
Automated customer service can improve the interaction with your clients. Even though it is best to use it for simple and repetitive tasks, the service customization is also available. Tailor the AI software to meet your clients’ requirements, and you will create a unique experience. After all, human interaction is the key to success. Invest your resources and energy into it, and rapidly grow your business.
Automated customer service is the strategy of the future. Use it to improve communication with your clients and grow your business. Set up an appointment with us today, to discuss this or any other business issue you may be facing.
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