Bots are becoming more recognizable thanks to their usefulness in the customer service industry. Have you tried using them?
Traditionally, as companies grow in revenue, customer service costs grow as well. Companies have constantly sought ways to minimize these costs through nearshoring, offshoring, and now, through customer support bots. Companies like RBS, KLM, Disney Stores and Overstock are eagerly innovating with intelligent bot technologies. Such technologies are hailed as the solution to scaling customer care delivery.
There are two basic types of customer service bots: “front end bots” and “bot-assisted agents.” A “front end bot” is a conversational computer program that interacts directly with a customer without human intervention. A “bot-assisted agent” is a human agent who is supported by bot technology. Other people call this model “cyborg” or “human in the loop.”
Over the last decade, countless websites have implemented virtual agents or front end bots. Despite advances, many of these front end bots cannot fully understand complicated user inquiries. Customers contact support teams because they have pressing issues. Bots that fail to answer their questions only lead to more frustrations. That’s why you should implement bot-assisted agents instead.
Robert LoCascio, the CEO of LivePerson, notes that “customer satisfaction on the traditional front-end bots is below 70 percent, which is really low for customer care and sales. We think the best way is a hybrid model called cyborg, which is having the bot and the agent working in tandem next to each other.”
Lots of software programs, including Rhino Support, offer both Live Chat and knowledge bases to ensure that current and potential customers receive the help they need immediately. Initial results of this bot-assisted model have been extremely positive. LivePerson, for example, has seen 30-35% gains in efficiency through this model.
Small and medium businesses that deliver straightforward products and services often see the same handful of customer service inquiries. Delivering answers to customers is often cheaper through a front-end chatbot (knowledge base) than an expensive call center.
Some multinational organizations, like airlines, service a high volume of customers with nuanced preferences, plans, and exception conditions. With these cases, your support efforts require human judgment for overrides. Large financial firms, often deal with inquiries that are currently too complex for a bot to handle alone. You should test the satisfaction level of your customers. Then use the model which will keep the majority of them happy.
In highly competitive industries where a consumer can easily switch providers, customers frustrated by your customer service will no longer stick around. In high stakes scenarios with money or reputations on the line, an incorrect answer given by a standalone bot can be disastrous. E-commerce is one example where customers ready to make purchasing decisions will often prioritize the most responsive service providers – those with Live Chat options, for example.
Your customer service bots and knowledge bases can reduce your Average Handle Time (AHT). They can also increase your First Contact Resolution (FCR) rates, reduce expensive escalations, and decrease agent training times. Choosing the right model for your company is key to capitalizing on these advantages.
Much of the information from this post also appears on VentureBeat and TOPBOTS.
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