Save time, boost satisfaction with customer service automation

It’s widely understood that customer service has a significant impact on brand loyalty. When your company is attentive to buyers’ needs and promptly responds to requests, it’s not only good for your customers — it’s good for business.

According to one survey, 84% of companies say AI and automation will be instrumental for meeting customer service expectations, and 75% agree it will improve support team response times. In this guide, we’ll take a closer look at what customer service automation is, why it’s important, how you can implement it, and some challenges and best practices to consider.

Key takeaways

• Customer service automation involves using technology to resolve customer concerns with as little human involvement as possible.
• Advantages of automated customer service include more efficient, productive support teams and higher customer satisfaction.
• You can automate customer service in seven steps.
• Be aware of challenges such as a lack of personal connection and a loss of upselling opportunities.
• Follow best practices for using automation in customer service like automating the right tasks, emphasizing customer self-service, and keeping humans in the loop.

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What is customer service automation?

Customer service automation is the use of automated technology to resolve customer issues and respond to their needs with as little human involvement as possible.

Because customer service is an essential component of the overall customer experience, having a streamlined process to address complaints and questions is important. Automation saves time and hassle for support staff and customers by quickly solving common problems and allowing customers to find what they’re looking for independently.

As your business scales, automation tools will be vital for keeping up with increased customer-support needs.

Types of customer service workflow automation tools

There are a range of tech options that can introduce automation into your customer service workflows, expanding your team’s capabilities. Some of these include:

• AI chatbots: Make use of generative AI to simulate a conversation and provide information by linking to helpful resources.
• Email automation: Send automatic emails to customers based on certain triggers, such as a request for assistance or a purchase.
• Help desk and ticketing software: Instantly assign tickets for customer complaints and route them into a single inbox where staff can address systematically.
• Customer surveys: Deliver feedback surveys automatically at key moments such as when a purchase is made or after a ticket is resolved.
• Automated workflows: Custom automation can streamline a range of workflows related to customer service, from issuing refunds to resetting passwords.

Advantages of automated customer service

Customer service automation leads to a host of benefits for companies across sectors. Here a few:

More efficient, productive support teams

78% of customer support specialists say that AI and automation tools can increase efficiency. With automation in place to solve customer concerns with as little human involvement as possible, support teams can assist more customers faster.

Not only does this technology remove the burden of time-consuming tasks and repetitive queries, it allows staff to focus on issues that need human reasoning. This way, both customers and support teams can save time and more quickly meet their goals.

Customer service team retention

Customer support representatives will be more likely to stay and grow at your company if you provide technology that helps them succeed. With automation tools that streamline customer service workflows, support staff can make more of an impact in their role, driving professional advancement.

Higher customer satisfaction

Automation can boost buyer satisfaction by providing quick access to information and improving the overall customer experience. Customers value quick resolution, and according to one group’s research, companies using automation resolve complaints 52% faster than those that don’t.

When customers know they can rely on your company for prompt assistance, it adds value to your products or services. Additionally, automation can facilitate 24/7 support for enhanced convenience, and improved analytics help companies strategize to further delight customers.

Reduced costs and increased revenue

Automation saves money by reducing labor costs as well as improving efficiency and customer retention. It allows customers to solve problems independently and streamlines processes, so you can do more with less. Reducing the work that goes into customer service means fewer new hires are required to keep up with the demand for guidance — even as your company scales.

When automation contributes to a good customer experience, customers are more likely to continue buying your products or services. Meanwhile, poor customer service results in a global loss of $3.7 trillion per year. The financial impact of using automation to enhance support workflows cannot be overlooked.

How to automate customer service?

Before you leverage automation to supercharge the productivity of your customer service team, you need to strategically implement the right solutions. Here are seven steps for effectively automating customer service:

1. Research and select the right customer service automation software for your business

To guarantee a sound investment, look for customer service automation platforms that have the following features and qualities:

• Flexibility: Enables you to customize automation to your company’s unique customer service requirements and efficiently make adjustments as you optimize workflows.
• Security: Protects any sensitive information customers disclose during interactions with support staff, such as passwords, addresses, and phone numbers.
• User-friendly interfaces: Allows staff to engage fully with the automation platform, easily navigating every feature.
• Visibility: Offers a complete view of automated workflows, offering better understanding into customer ticket statuses and bottlenecks.
• High quality vendor support: Ensures you receive timely responses and assistance with any software issues.

2. Set up your AI chatbot

Establish an AI chatbot for immediate customer support. You could do this by purchasing a chatbot software or by building your own. Either option can create a valuable customer service solution, but compare how much time and money each requires before making your decision.

It’s important to set up an AI chatbot early in the customer automation process because it quickly provides cost-efficiency and scalability. With this technology in place, customer service staff are instantly relieved of handling buyers’ most common concerns.

Related read: Transform your business with AI workflow automation

3. Build a comprehensive knowledge base

Empower your customers to find answers on their own and expand the value of your chatbot by setting up a knowledge base. A knowledge base is a comprehensive digital library of information on your product or service.

Start by gathering basic tutorials, answers to typical questions, and other resources that customers would benefit from. Next, store the information in an accessible location, such as a page on your website, and include a search bar to make it easier for customers to find the answers they’re looking for. Integrating your knowledge base with your chatbot increases its capability to direct customers to relevant resources.

4. Develop templates

With automation, templates of confirmation messages can be automatically personalized so customers know you care about resolving their issues.

You can also create templates for communications triggered by other customer actions. For example, you might automate a customer onboarding workflow as part of your support strategy.

Related read: Unlock efficiency and streamline workflows with ShareFile templates

5. Automate customer support workflows

Once you have customer resources, templates, and automatic routing in place, automate frequently-used customer service workflows to increase the efficiency of your support teams. There are several types of support workflows that can be enhanced through automation:

• Customer feedback surveys: Automatically send feedback surveys to measure customer satisfaction at key moments, such as after they’re assisted by a customer service representative.
• Order status updates: Deliver automatic updates to let customers know when their order has been processed, shipped, or delivered.
• Follow-up on unresolved tickets: Set automated reminders to follow up on tickets if an issue remains unresolved for a set amount of time.

6. Create canned responses and implement autoresponders

Develop pre-written responses for commonly asked questions and use software to automatically deliver these to customers through email or other mediums. Using these tactics, customers who reach out with the most frequent questions instantly receive the answers they’re looking for.

7. Monitor performance and make refinements

Set up a regular cadence to audit your customer service solutions and identify any adjustments that could maximize the benefits of automation. Leverage customer and staff feedback as you decide what changes should be made. To gain an advantage in your market and keep providing outstanding customer service, ongoing optimization is essential.

Challenges with customer service automation

As discussed above, customer service automation brings many benefits when done right. However, there may be challenges to overcome as you implement this technology. Some of these include:

• Lack of personal connection: While automation improves efficiency and convenience, it creates a sense of disconnection when every interaction with your company is through a bot, an email, or a website. Maintain a human element in your customer service workflows by incorporating live conversation where you can.
• Difficulty solving complex problems: Sometimes customer challenges require creative problem-solving, and automated responses can create frustration. To overcome this challenge, have triggers that quickly escalate complaints requiring human guidance so staff know when to step in.
• Lost upselling opportunities: With automation reducing the number of person-to-person interactions with customers, your staff have fewer opportunities to upsell. Work with your customer service team and come up with new ways to entice buyers into upgrading their purchases, such as email upselling or marketing tactics.
• Technical issues: Glitches within automation platforms can interrupt your workflows and bring your usual streamlined processes to a halt. Before investing in an automation solution, do research and check vendor reviews to ensure you’re getting a reliable system.

Best practices for using automation in customer service

Follow these best practices to get the most out of your customer service automation technology:

Choose the right tasks to automate

Low-complexity, time-consuming tasks that can be completed without human intervention are the most suited for automation. When you try to automate customer service activities that require creative thinking, bots won’t be able to find answers. This leads customers to dead ends rather than solutions. Instead, use automation for concerns that can be addressed by pulling information from existing databases.

Keep humans in the loop

According to one survey, 64% of customers would prefer companies not to use AI for customer service. Instead of automating all your customer service workflows, leave opportunities for human interaction and provide clear escalation paths for complicated issues.

Emphasize customer self-service

Enabling customer self-service though knowledge bases or chatbots is the easiest way to solve problems quickly. Offer as many opportunities for this as possible. While a human touch is still desired, many of today’s customers prefer self-service as a more convenient option for assistance.

Equip your teams for success

Make sure your support reps are fully trained on how best to work with automation tools and use them to their best advantage. Give customer support teams ample time to adjust to new tools, along with opportunities for additional training when necessary. It’s also important to encourage support teams to suggest improvements, as this could increase the benefits of automation.

Revolutionize your support through the power of customer service automation

Automation enhances customer service workflows, helping your support teams assist customers more efficiently and effectively. Modern tools like AI chatbots, workflow automation, and ticketing software can eliminate tedious tasks. This allows you to cut costs and increase satisfaction for both staff and customers.

There are several steps companies in every industry should follow to successfully implement customer service automation. Don’t overlook the importance of choosing the right tasks to automate, training your team, and finding a balance between convenience and meaningful human interaction.

With the right software solutions, you can establish a system that takes your customer service to the next level.