Customer service automation in 2020 has gained strong momentum. The pandemic has required eCommerce industry to adapt quickly to new situation. Changes in consumer behavior and transfer of more commerce to the online world have had a particularly strong impact on customer service departments. This is where activities are most rapidly being automated. Paradoxically, the reason is not the desire to save money, but rather to generate positive experiences with customers, as well as to relieve teams and stand out from the competition. In this situation, can Voicebots and Chatbots replace customer service departments?
Customer service automation - lasting change
The customer service automation trend wasn't born with a pandemic. It was mentioned as one of the most important challenges in eCommerce long before 2020. However, the situation in which industry suddenly found itself made it necessary for companies to respond to customers' needs much faster. As experts predict - the changes they have made will not disappear with the settling of the global situation. On the contrary - technological revolution and the use of automated solutions will stay with us for much longer. According to the research, as of May 2020, the number of positive opinions about chatbots and voicebots has increased by as much as 60% compared to 2019. Such a result tells us a lot not only about the change in customers' approach to new solutions, but especially about the improvement of technology and its adaptation to users' needs.
What areas can you automate in customer service?
We mainly associate customer service automation with voicebots and chatbots mentioned above. However, it is worth being aware that many processes can be automated. As data shows, as much as 80% of customer service activities can be allocated to such optimization. These include front-office activities visible to customers - from customer service and answering frequently asked questions, through accepting reservations and orders, to collecting marketing consents and customer satisfaction surveys. Equally important, especially from the perspective of customer service department employees, is relieving them of back-office tasks, such as customer categorization, and improving internal communication, e.g. by sending automatic notifications or alerts.
What do customers like about chatbots and voicebots?
As it turns out, well implemented chatbots and voicebots with wisely designed communication path can handle most of queries. Only those really complex and unusual will require consultant's intervention.
Contrary to common belief, human contact is not always beneficial for building better relationships with customers. According to a survey conducted on the U.S. market by Drift, Audience, Salesforce and myclever, the most important benefits of communication via chatbots are: the ability to get round-the-clock service (64%), immediate response to inquiries (55%) and answers to simple questions (55%).
What else do users value in communication with a chatbot? Universal design features that contribute to building positive experiences, i.e. - simplicity of use and friendly interface. In addition, of course, the "merit" of the machine, that is, giving correct answers to the questions asked by a customer and leaving the possibility of contact with a real employee in case of more complicated queries. Interestingly, according to a survey conducted by Symetria agency - 56% of respondents prefer the least humanoid conversational systems, without a specific gender.
First forecasts of economists assume that by 2025 the global AI market will grow to over 190 billion dollars, and as many as 97% of the largest companies will use the achievements of artificial intelligence. In turn, the report "Chatbots in Poland 2020" shows the increasing growth of trust in chatbots. Among the areas in which Poles would entrust tasks to chatbots are the presentation of the offer (45%), receiving reports of errors and failures (41%), receiving complaints (27%). Further data confirms that automation of processes cannot be stopped. 36% of chief executives plan to accelerate automation due to pandemic market changes (E&Y: Capital Cofidence Barometer).
Bottom line - what does automation bring and will robots take over customer service departments in the future?
Automating customer service offers a number of benefits:
- reduces unnecessary costs - the cost of interaction with a chatbot and voicebot is about 50% lower compared to a traditional call center;
- shortens the service time - which is extremely important because 75% of consumers abandon contact with a brand when it responds too slowly (SAP Customer Experience);
- relieves the burden on customer service departments - from now on employees have time to talk to key customers and to develop. Instead of performing monotonous tasks, they maintain the relationship and strengthen customer loyalty;
- streamlines internal processes and makes information consistent across all channels - structured customer data, available from a single application, will help employees make the right decisions in case of crisis situations.
Does this mean that customer service departments will cease to exist as we knew them before? Certainly the scope of work of those responsible for customer service will change. According to a report by Deloitte, 59% of organizations surveyed believe that retraining courses for employees should focus on developing skills such as active listening and critical thinking. Competences such as creativity and problem-solving skills are also desired on the job market. And this means that the "human element" is still necessary in customer service departments. Flexibility and improvisation in difficult situations is still the domain and great strength of people. There is no indication that in this area they will be displaced by artificial intelligence. Chatbots and voicebots are not a threat, but an opportunity to develop employees and increase their efficiency. Using their capabilities will certainly have a positive impact on improving customer experience. But at the end of the day, what matters to customers is the human voice of the brand.
