Implementing Automated Customer Service Without Reducing Loyalty

As more decision-makers weigh whether to adopt automated customer service tools, they must find a balance that elevates efficiency without eroding people’s experiences and making them consider taking their business elsewhere. Which best practices should they follow if using these increasingly available and feature-filled options?

Set Accurate Expectations About Hold Times

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Many people’s first experiences with automated customer service come when they call businesses and hear recorded messages about queue positions. Giving them accurate details about expected wait times sets expectations about how they can and should pass the time. For example, if a message tells them a representative will be with them in approximately 38 minutes, that’s a sign they should do something else while waiting. However, if it mentions to expect assistance in about two minutes, they’ll know to sit tight. 

Another increasingly common practice is for businesses to use automated messages that tell customers they can opt to receive a call back instead of waiting. Providing that solution caters to people who need help but can’t wait as long as the hold time messages indicate. 

No matter which specific approaches businesses use, they should strive for accuracy. Initially giving someone a short wait time and then making them stay on hold for twice as long will cause frustration and could lead to mistrust. Instead, customer service managers can use metrics such as average call lengths and the number of representatives on shift during a given time to calculate the likely waiting times. They may even use automated customer service tools to help with that.

Distribute Customer Service Surveys After Implementing Automation

Direct feedback can be the most direct indicator of how people feel about customer service automation. Thoughtfully designed surveys can include a mixture of question types but should encourage people to ponder each query.

One popular approach is to combine numerical scale questions with open-ended ones. That usually prompts consumers to explain the reasons behind specific number-based scores. However, when designing open-ended questions, business owners should consider making some of them optional. Some people do not want or need to elaborate about specific questions. However, posing an optional one, such as “Is there anything else you want to mention about the service received today?” could encourage them to elaborate about particular attributes.  

Remain mindful of people’s time, and let them know approximately how long it will take to complete the survey. Incentivize them by offering something in return, such as an entry into a contest drawing or a discount to use on a future order. 

Try designing survey questions that ask people what they like and dislike about recently launched automated customer service offerings, too. Their responses could provide useful focal points when determining what to improve and what’s already working well. 

Know When to Maintain a Human Touch

As automated customer service tools become more widely available and affordable, some business owners overestimate their capabilities or try to introduce them in settings that still need human oversight. The results can frustrate people, leading to them shouting “I want to talk to a human!” into their phones or asking “Am I speaking to an AI?” during chatbot conversations.

One marketing professor recently described the unpleasant outcomes when companies rely too heavily on automated customer service. His experience started after he purchased a gift card for his son that never arrived in the recipient’s email inbox. That should have been a straightforward problem to resolve, but a string of clearly automated and irrelevant email replies about the issue proved otherwise. 

Even the first reply to the email about the missing gift card fell short. It said, “…we are sorry to hear your redemption link for your gift card is not working.” However, the customer in question never received a link or any other correspondence about the gift card.

In his blog post about the interaction, the marketing professor expressed confusion about why companies opt to automate customer service so much that it damages carefully built brands. A couple of hours after he published the content, someone from the company got in touch to provide the gift card and add some extra funds to it. From one perspective, it’s encouraging that humans monitor situations and step in when needed. However, one could easily argue that the problem should not have required multiple email exchanges or someone resorting to discussing the issue on his blog before representatives made things right. 

Segment Approaches to Automated Customer Service

The above example shows how inadequate responses can cause drawn-out, unfruitful interactions. Many businesses use chatbots to hold humanlike conversations at any time. However, that can become a complicated goal if people with various needs engage with those tools. For example, the useful responses for people seeking product refunds differ significantly from those provided to potential customers curious about whether items include specific allergens. 

Developing specific chatbots for different groups is one possible way to address these challenges. Then, developers can make tools that understand the queries people are most likely to ask if they are part of particular segments. 

That was the technique used by Alibaba, one of China’s largest e-commerce brands, which deployed five chatbots to assist customers with specific needs. For example, one dealt with queries about merchant-to-consumer interactions, while another solely supported end customers. This was a necessary approach since the company receives several million customer support queries each day. 

Directing people to specific chatbots best-equipped to handle their questions should reduce overall interaction times while raising satisfaction rates. However, because many smaller businesses lack the resources for this extensive investment in automated customer service, a good alternative is to develop solutions that can capably assist one group while sending people with different needs to human support agents. 

Consider Prioritizing Human Engagement for Critical Issues

Seemingly endless hold music and automated messages that assure people “Your call is important to us, but we are experiencing above-average volumes and apologize for the delay” can frustrate customers even at the best of times. However, the potential for them to become angry is much higher when they need to resolve urgent issues. 

Such was the case for a Canadian lawyer who discovered a $1,000 credit card charge associated with a hotel where he never stayed. He spent nearly three hours on the phone trying to get the transaction reversed while listening to automated hold messages. He eventually succeeded but spoke about the poor experience to reporters, describing it as “the worst.” 

That’s an example of an issue that needs immediate human intervention because criminals might try to make additional fraudulent payments. The same is true for customer service centers handling assistance requests from insured parties trying to claim roadside assistance benefits or lockout service at their homes. Those cases deserve prompt, caring support, and trying to automate them could alienate people who will take their business elsewhere. 

Creating a dedicated, 24/7 number for those cases and minimizing the automation used should elevate satisfaction in people who need help during anxiety-filled times. 

Incorporate Automated Customer Service Solutions Gradually

Besides using these best practices, decision-makers should plan slow rollouts of wholly or partially automated customer service products. Launching short-term, restricted trials and tracking metrics during them can help leaders evaluate the outcomes and decide whether to scale up their usage. 

Listening to staff and customer feedback throughout the process is also crucial. People who feel listened to tend to show more understanding, even if momentary hiccups occur due to the technology.