Published on June 11th, 2022
Automation is something you probably already benefit from. Being able to order your meals ahead on apps and pay your bills through chatbots are everyday examples.
These conveniences are so widely available that they’ve become ingrained in how society works. People expect instantaneous, high-quality customer experiences. So much so that it almost seems strange for businesses not to use some form of automation.
Without the technology that makes automation possible, employees have a tougher time living up to customers’ expectations. There simply aren’t enough contact center agents to get to every call or staff to answer questions at 2 a.m.
Fortunately, with automation, employees don’t have to handle every routine task. They can spend their time on more rewarding work and deliver better customer experiences. Here are ways automation tools can make your customers happier.
Reduce Customers’ Burdens
Your customers don’t want to jump through hoops to do business with you. If people have to spend hours searching for answers or on hold waiting for agents, they’re going to give up.
When customers need to schedule appointments, they also want the process to be simple. Securing available time slots in an app or online is more efficient than making phone calls or sending emails.
Self-service options, including text-to-speech SMS, make it easier for customers to get what they’re looking for. They can schedule appointments, receive automated reminders, and complete simple tasks without waiting for an agent.
Clients and leads don’t have to spend minutes explaining or repeating their questions. Automated text messages streamline customers’ and prospects’ experiences, reducing the efforts they must make to receive answers.
However, the solutions your clients and leads require don’t begin and end with a text. There are times when speaking with a person is what your customers need. AI-based SMS tools will recognize this and send more complex questions to one of your agents.
The great thing about these tools is that your leads and clients will go to employees with relevant expertise. Customers won’t end up with a billing agent when they want to resolve shipping and delivery issues.
Establish Consistency
It’s not a pleasant experience to get different answers from a company. You see a promotion online for a product you’ve had your eye on. But when you go into the store to buy that product, the sale price or item is no longer available.
You’re disappointed and frustrated that you wasted your time. Immediately, you start looking for a competitor that can give you what you want.
You’d probably experience the same disappointment and frustration if you got three different answers from a company about your service.
The reality is that, despite training, humans can be inconsistent. People interpret and digest information subjectively, based on prior experience and comprehension.
Even with automation, 76% of customers will still interact with brands over the phone. Those clients are talking to your agents, who must take time to understand problems and research potential solutions.
Automation can cut down on agents’ research time, allowing them to establish rapport instead of leaving customers on hold. AI-based tools also provide agents with coaching and solutions, improving consistency among employees’ responses and answers.
More consistent solutions and experiences will increase customers’ satisfaction. They’ll be less likely to escalate calls or ask for specific agents. Clients’ confidence in anyone’s ability to solve their problems and provide the service levels they’re looking for will also increase.
Improve Service Recovery Through Relevant Feedback
You can’t improve your customer experience if you don’t know what it’s like. While sending out surveys can be effective, it all depends on timing. The longer you wait, the less relevant customers’ feedback is likely to be.
Sure, you might recall the gist of your visit to a local coffee shop three days ago. Thus the multiple-choice questions in that email survey aren’t too hard to fill out. But what happens when you get to the comments section? You could have trouble remembering what made that visit exceptional or just another everyday experience.
Automation can help reduce the gap between when customers complete a purchase and when you ask them for feedback.
Interactive voice response and web-based tools give clients and prospects the option to participate immediately after their interactions. Automated text messages can also go out after customers visit stores, attend events, or manage their accounts.
AI-based tools and platforms can also set up workflows so that customer complaints or concerning feedback generates tickets.
Team leads in customer service can review the tickets and reach out to clients with service recovery options. These tickets can also go to sales and store managers who may need to provide coaching for employees.
Create Better Employee Experiences
Working in a call center environment is taxing. The work can be repetitive, causing agents to lose motivation and enthusiasm. That boredom can come across in employees’ voices and the way they handle calls. When a challenging question does come in, it’s harder for staff to approach it with empathy and resolve.
It’s your employees who are largely responsible for creating the customer experience. That person on the phone may be the first and only interaction a client or lead has with your company.
Research supports the idea that satisfied employees provide better customer experiences. A highly engaged and satisfied staff can have a direct impact on revenue by making customers happy.
Automation improves your employee experience by reducing repetition. Agents no longer get one routine question after another.
They spend their efforts on tasks that let them shine and develop their skills. Employees also have increased access to helpful information and guidance, increasing their efficacy.
Building a Satisfied Client Base
Unsatisfactory experiences turn customers into ex-clients. Increasing demands and expectations mean businesses have to step up. Automation’s capabilities help employees create the kind of experiences customers want.
From reducing customers’ efforts to enhancing agents’ experiences, automation can be the solution to keeping clients satisfied.
