{"id":14065,"date":"2020-11-19T10:13:05","date_gmt":"2020-11-19T10:13:05","guid":{"rendered":"\/gb\/en\/blog\/?p=14065"},"modified":"2023-01-16T14:50:45","modified_gmt":"2023-01-16T14:50:45","slug":"customer-service-automation-remote-work","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"\/gb\/en\/blog\/customer-service-automation-remote-work\/","title":{"rendered":"Why Customer Service Automation Is Key to Master Remote Work"},"content":{"rendered":"

2020 has been an unpredictable year and 2021 will most likely continue this path. Business is not as usual as working conditions have changed (and still are changing). Remote work has become the new normal for many companies. Customer service departments and contact centres are no exception.<\/span><\/p>\n

The main goal of your business is to provide continuity and stability in these uncertain times \u2013 for both your customers and employees. Facing the challenge of increased customer service demand, triggered by the economic status quo and transitions from in-store to online consumer behaviour, support agents have to be extra well equipped to provide a great service experience while handling working remotely. <\/span>Gartner predicts<\/span><\/a> that by 2022 70% of all customer interactions will involve technologies such as machine learning applications, chatbots<\/a>, and mobile messaging.<\/span><\/p>\n

Now is the time to future proof your customer service by supporting this shift with the right tools. While <\/span>customer service 2.0 with automation has become increasingly popular<\/span><\/a> in the last few years, it\u2019s implementation is more crucial, indispensable and urgent than ever. Automation tools powered by AI will help your agents to stay on top of the incoming customer requests and help to establish a more personal connection while working in a distributed environment. Here are some key insights on how to master your remote customer service with automation.<\/span><\/p>\n

Create a powerful self-service strategy<\/span><\/h2>\n

Great customer service automation starts even before a customer gets in touch with a service agent. By providing automated self-service options, you can build a mighty buffer zone for your agents while offering your customers instant service and give them exactly what they want. According to the <\/span>Zendesk Customer Experience Trends Report 2020<\/span><\/a>, 69% of customers want to resolve as many issues as possible on their own.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Self-service is far more than placing a FAQ page on your website or having a help centre.<\/span><\/a> With a little help from a friend, much more is possible. You can create a first line of defense for your agents by implementing a chatbot which takes over the repetitive requests and lets them focus on the more complex cases which require a human touch. By having an automated self-service option like a chatbot, the flood of incoming requests is filtered and the amount of agent conversations reduced.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

With remote work, you have to be even more strategic about your agents\u2019 most valuable resource: time. Automation means efficiency. Automation means competitive advantage. Automation means empowerment. And it\u2019s most visible in the form of self-service. Yet according to Zendesk, <\/span>less than 30% of companies offer self-service options<\/span><\/a>. That\u2019s a big loss. For the companies, their service agents and their customers.<\/span><\/p>\n

Approach omnichannel like a funnel \u2013 and automate it\u00a0<\/span><\/h2>\n

If you are pursuing an omnichannel approach, that is great! But are you doing it the right way? Especially when working remotely, agents can get lost in the variety of contact channels. But not only do they suffer, it also harms the relationship with your customer and increases the risk of them leaving your brand due to frustration and dissatisfaction. Why?<\/span><\/p>\n

\"Why
Solvemate, The Customer Service Funnel White Paper<\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Omnichannel<\/span><\/a> in its most ideal state is meant to satisfy your customers by offering them their preferred mode of communication to contact your service team. But the reality is that service departments often struggle to manage the variety of contact channels. On top of that, today\u2019s customers, especially Generation Z, are driven by digital impatience. They want their answer and they want it now. If you are taking too long to reply via Facebook Messenger, they are going to write you an email with that same request and worst case scenario, they are also going to call you. Does this sound like a familiar scenario? That is no great omnichannel experience either for your customer and your service agents.<\/span><\/p>\n

Recent research from Gartner<\/span><\/a> found that the more channels a company operates, the more contacts customers make to the service centre for a single case. Although the approach is intended to simplify customer service, more channel offerings actually create complex customer resolution journeys. Customers switch easily and frequently between channels and, in the worst cases, this can more than triple the costs associated with each contact request.<\/span><\/p>\n

If not applied the right way, omnichannel is flawed. But there is a good solution for it. Rather than offering all channels at an equal level, <\/span>your omnichannel strategy should be built up like a funnel<\/span><\/a>. Self-service is hereby the first layer of it whereas agent activity comes at play at the second level. Prioritise your contact channels and actively guide your customers to provide a great service experience and relieve your service agents.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"Why
Solvemate, The Customer Service Funnel White Paper<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

A chatbot is not a standalone service on your website. You can rely on it as an automated self-service option throughout your omnichannel approach. To relieve your customer service department from the pressure of digital impatience, you can integrate your chatbot with your customers\u2019 favourite social media channels and <\/span>messaging apps<\/span><\/a> such as Facebook and WhatsApp.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Automating your self-service with a chatbot has the perks of being able to offer seamless handovers to agents if needed with the right integrations. When the conversation with the bot does not prove sufficient enough, the customer can reach a human agent again through their preferred contact channel: live chat, email or phone. The big advantage is to have a streamlined process of managing your incoming requests, outgoing messages and store customer information in one place. The customer will not have to repeat their problem again as the agent can access the chatbot history. That\u2019s a win-win for both sides and makes working remotely a lot easier.<\/span><\/p>\n

The cherry on top of this cake is combining remote service teams empowered by a chatbot with a <\/span>customer engagement platform<\/span><\/a>. This collaboration is pretty much invincible. Let your chatbot manage the incoming customer requests from digital channels and your team can take over if needed, unifying all conversations in one place. Setting up the chatbot to collaborate with such platforms ensures smooth transitions between agents and chatbots, helps you to reduce the answering time and increase <\/span>customer satisfaction<\/span><\/a>.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n\t\t