Customer service automation is the way of the future. That is not to say that customer service will be fully replaced by bots anytime soon. But augmenting your existing customer service process with some automation is not a bad idea. In fact, companies who have leveraged automation as part of their customer experience are seeing higher profits than those who do not.
Here are a few ways automation’s new role in customer service is proving successful:
Automation Gives Customers the Control They Want
More than ever, customers want to take control of their purchase and returns process. The ease of DIY customer portals and the internet in general save them time and you money. In fact, the value placed on self-service is growing.
Here’s a great example from a recent CIO.com article:
“Imagine that you arrive at an airport needing to travel from New York to Los Angeles. You can choose between Carrier A or Carrier B for your journey. Carrier A provides great gate service and free in-flight food but requires an in-person check in. The total time spent getting to boarding is three hours and the ticket price is $1,000. Carrier B only offers kiosk check in and no in-flight amenities but you can get to boarding in one hour and the ticket price is $850
Which airline do you choose?
According to the New York Times, most of us will choose Carrier B. What’s more, as airlines have continued to trim customer services, the total number of passengers flying has never been higher.”
What they’re saying here is that customers want to control their customer service experience. They value the opportunity to handle simple requests themselves and believe they do it better and faster than a real, live person.
Automation Drives Profitability
Automation is no longer optional. In order to compete, you have to run a lean customer service operation. Staffing hundreds of customer service reps in big buildings is a thing of the past. Remote workers, limited staff, and affordable technology – these are the keys to success and profitability.
Every industry is affected by this shift. From retail to manufacturing, food service, technology, and beyond, companies everywhere are adopting powerful automation into their customer service processes. If your company doesn’t follow suit, there is no way you will be able to compete long-term.
Automation Is Not a Replacement
The reason most companies do not want to embrace automation in their customer service process is a fear that it will take away their power. It feels like all or nothing. Soon, no humans will be required to run operations and we’ll all be out of a job!
This could not be further from the truth.
Humans run the automation in customer service. They set the policies, they write the scripts. This is even the case with artificial intelligence. Automation is nothing without a real, live person’s strategic thinking and implementation.
It’s time we embraced the power of automation as the perfect supplement to our customer service operations process. It’s time to operate a lean, mean profit-making customer service machine.
Interested in seeing how automation can augment your customer service process to improve efficiency and profitability? Contact us for a free 30-day trial of SupportSync – a leading product return management software with your customers in mind.
SupportSync Blog 