When it comes to modern contact centers, automation plays a decisive role in meeting rising demands for efficiency and customer satisfaction. The use of intelligent chatbots, voicebots and mailbots means recurring tasks can be processed quickly and accurately.
In this article, we present seven specific processes that are particularly suited to automation. From swift customer authentication to efficient capture of customer feedback.
1. Customer authentication and call qualification
A common first step in customer service is to verify the caller’s identity. This is where AI-based bots can take effective action in automating the authentication process. Chatbots and voicebots can authenticate customers by asking security questions or using biometric data, such as voice recognition or fingerprints. This type of automation saves time by standardising the process and making it replicable. Fast and reliable identification means customers can be forwarded to the right department or service team without delay.
For example:
- Banks often set up an automatic verification process that asks security questions or prompts the customer to use their voice for confirmation. This puts customers directly through to the relevant department without having to prove their identity again – a clear improvement in the user experience.
2. Closing orders, cancellations and complaints on a case-by-case basis
For example:
If an e-commerce customer wants to return a product, a chatbot can immediately accept the request, create the return label and initiate the refund – all in a single automated process. This not only makes the returns process faster and more convenient for the customer, but also reduces the workload for customer service team members, thereby increasing the efficiency of the entire contact centre.
3. Making and changing appointments
For example:
A chatbot can indicate when a service technician is available to call on the customer and can immediately proceed to make the booking. If a customer has to postpone their appointment, the bot can suggest alternative time slots and implement the change immediately. This makes the entire appointment scheduling process more customer-friendly and relieves pressure on team members, who can then concentrate on providing personalised support.
4. Retrieval of information such as dispatch status, account balance or a request for a copy of an invoice
For example:
In the e-commerce sector, customers can use bots to check the status of their orders. For instance, a bot can recognise the consignment number and immediately provide information on the parcel’s current location. Banks can also provide their customers with access to account overviews or copies of statements at any time using bots, without the customer needing to first contact a customer service employee.Â
5 winning factors through conversational AI
5. Sending information such as meter readings or damage reports
For example:
Energy suppliers often offer their customers the option of submitting meter readings automatically. The bot records the reading and forwards it immediately to the billing system. Not only does this make data recording more efficient, it also significantly reduces processing time.
6. Answers to frequently asked questions (FAQs)
Answering frequently asked questions is an ideal area of application for bots. They can curate an extensive knowledge base on the most common customer concerns, and access it instantly in order to provide immediate answers. This covers a wide range of routine enquiries, from information on return policies to guarantee conditions and basic product details. Automating these frequent requests significantly reduces the workload for customer service teams. They no longer have to answer the same questions over and over again, and can concentrate their time and energy on more complex or individualised issues.
For example:
E-commerce customers often have questions about return policies or guarantees for products they have purchased. A chatbot can answer these enquiries immediately and provide information such as instructions on how to return a product or which products are covered by the guarantee. By automating the responses to these standard questions, the company offers a fast and efficient service that increases customer satisfaction.
7. Capturing customer feedback
A significant advantage of this automation is the efficiency and consistency with which bots gather feedback. They can ask standardised questions and automatically save and evaluate the answers in a database. This allows for the continuous and systematic collection of customer opinions, which companies can use to make well-founded decisions and adjustments. Furthermore, automation ensures a high participation rate as the process is quick and very simple for the customer.
For example:
Telecommunications companies often use customer satisfaction surveys following the completion of service requests. Here, a bot can send the customer a short survey a few minutes after the conversation or chat interaction. It immediately records the responses and analyses them so that the company can get a real-time idea of how satisfied the customers were with the interaction.
Summary
Automation through the use of bots offers enormous advantages for contact centers: processes become more efficient, handling times are reduced and customer satisfaction increases. By using chat, voice and mail bots, routine tasks can be handled reliably, allowing customer service teams to focus on more complex and value-adding interactions. From dispatch status and appointment management to complaints processing, bots ensure that operations run quickly and smoothly, making life easier for both customers and employees.
Furthermore, exciting developments in the field of automation are promised in the future. Artificial intelligence and machine learning will further expand the capabilities of bots and enable them to process customer enquiries in an increasingly precise and personalised manner. Bots are already able to better understand and interpret human language through the use of Natural Language Processing (NLP). The ongoing integration of omnichannel strategies will also ensure that bots are able to switch seamlessly between different communication channels – from telephone to chat and email.
Now is the perfect time to evaluate and exploit the potential for automation in your own contact center. Think about which of your processes could be handled by bots and which steps are required to implement this automation. In doing so, you can safeguard the future viability of your customer service and continue to fulfil the rising expectations of your customers.
