As many brands scale back their customer service efforts to accommodate Covid-19 measures, as we enter a new year and customers need assurance, how can you provide better customer service than ever?
Great customer service is at the heart of customer retention- and since customer retention is cheaper than acquisition, it’s a crucial mechanism for growth. According to HubSpot, 93% of customers are likely to make repeat purchases with companies who offer excellent customer service.
So, the value of great customer service is clear, but how does automation fit in? Let’s look at 3 ways you can deliver fantastic customer service using automation.
Chatbot for responsiveness
Responsiveness is the fundamental element of great customer service, and a point many businesses struggle to optimise. Implementing a chatbot on your website can allow customers to access the information they need 24/7. If your business needs fewer people in the office due to social distancing, a chatbot can pick up the slack. Additionally, outside of office hours your chatbot can pick up and handle customer queries, meaning customers can approach your business whenever is convenient for them.
Set up a knowledge base
Not only is a chatbot great for responsiveness, it can also improve the quality of your customer service in the long run by gathering data on common customer queries along the way.
Building up a knowledge base is an effective way to answer common customer queries fast, reducing the need for follow up emails or phone calls with customers. Having a comprehensive knowledge base allows businesses to scale out their customer service efforts, without the need for extra support staff.
On the whole, a knowledge base is a valuable automation tool which can improve the quality of your customer service without expanding your team, creating more happy, returning customers.
Scale your social media support through artificial intelligence
Social media is a key channel for customer service, and it’s important that your customers are provided with a great experience when they reach out to you. Findings from 2016 revealed 60% of customers would rather contact a business via social media rather than via phone.
Using AI to strengthen your social media customer service efforts allows you to send a response instantly. Tools such as SentiOne categorise and automatically assign requests to the right team. Plus, it recommends responses based on machine learning allowing that instant response mechanism to delight your customers.
The benefits of automated customer service
When it comes to automation, customer service can be left out of the conversation, but the benefits of integrating automation into your customer service are hugely valuable for your engagement with customers. Without automation, it’s almost impossible to provide the outstanding level of customer service customers need, and retaining them becomes an uphill battle.
Using automation can transform and, importantly, scale your customer service efforts, allowing you to delight your customers, no matter how they choose to engage with you.
Looking to learn more about using automation to boost your business? Check out our free eBook here.
