Automating Customer Service Tasks
In a typical six-minute customer service call, agents spend 75 percent of their time doing manual research. When you automate customer support you reduce the human effort involved in finding the solutions customers need. And by quickly resolving customer issues—sometimes before they arise—AI allows agents to focus more on complex tasks instead of routine tier-1 support requests.
Other advantages to customer service automation include:
- Proactive responses. AI-driven automation delivers a level of responsiveness humans are unable to compete with. Technologies like virtual assistants and chatbots in customer service can identify issues and respond in real time through FAQs and other virtual services. And they can do it across multiple platforms and devices. Customer complaints decrease and satisfaction increases.
- One-time training. Recent research found the average cost of training a single call center agent is $7500. With high call center turnover rates well-documented, the costs can quickly add up. Automated customer service platforms offer significant time and costs savings, with AI allowing your agents to easily get the resources they need to be successful—a benefit which can result in decreasing attrition. While your organization’s knowledge base is continually updated and refined, the system itself does not need retraining.
- Always on. Time zones, local holidays, different work hours. None of them matter when you can solve customer inquiries and problems 24/7. This round-the-clock customer service shows people you care and helps build trust, loyalty, and value for your brand.
- Cost-saving innovation. AI customer service solutions deliver advanced levels of service at a fraction of the cost you spend on conventional methods. It’s estimated automated solutions like chatbots can deliver anywhere from a 60 to 80 percent savings over human-powered assistance.
Finally, AI-driven technologies give your organization the power to scale customer service at an unprecedented speed. Interactive options like FAQs and online manuals can be released simultaneously with new products and services. Chatbots can be immediately empowered to respond to the inevitable influx of calls.
AI for Customer Engagement
International keynote speaker and marketing expert Dan Gingiss says “AI has opened up a lot of possibilities on the customer experience (CX) front.” And AI, he says, can go far beyond chatbots in humanizing CX. Technology and humans working together is what he believes will deliver the best results. Data-driven customer service solutions inspired by humans and validated by AI make for a faster, easier CX for consumers and a more efficient process for the company using them. When humans and AI work together one result is improved customer engagement which leads to higher retention rates and a healthier bottom line.
- Customers are empowered to help themselves which saves an enormous amount of time and allows them to quickly put a solution into action. They get the information they need when, where, and on whatever device they choose, and they often do it without needing to interact with a live agent.
- You’re better equipped to meet customer demand for self-service options that avoid human interaction. A recent Salesforce study found that nearly 75 percent of Millennials believe a phone call is not the best option for resolving their customer service issues. This tech-savvy generation prefers to solve their own issues using things like forums, FAQs, YouTube explainer videos, and chatbots. Subsequent generations will likely want to be even more self-reliant. Putting AI customer service options in place now can only improve customer engagement rates moving forward.
- Data collection allows you to combine big data, AI, and machine learning to deliver unparalleled levels of personalization throughout the CX. From simple product and service recommendations to websites redesigned in real time to meet a customer’s specific needs, you’re able to use personalization to improve customer service interactions, increase conversions, and drive repeat business. And since your agents have access to the same information, they’re able to provide a satisfactory CX tailored to each customer’s unique needs.
The Future of AI-Powered Customer Service
If you’re looking to improve customer engagement in your organization’s call center, AI customer service automation delivers the accurate and reliable assistance customers demand. KMS Lighthouse’s AI and automation capabilities enable customers to enjoy a truly seamless CX and can cut average customer handling time by half. Deep analytics provide customer engagement insights and chatbots help customers’ constantly changing needs.
The bottom line? Self-service is great, but when a customer prefers to talk to a live agent, AI customer service solutions provide those agents with all the tools they need to answer inquiries quickly and efficiently which, in turn, allows them to support a great customer experience and feel good about a job well done.
