How to Set Up Customer Service Automation

Running a business involves the ongoing creation of repeatable processes, which can often turn out to be more tedious and time-consuming than expected. However, it's these repetitive yet essential tasks in customer interactions that can be automated, allowing your team to focus on meaningful work rather than getting bogged down in busy work.

In this entry, we discuss how to set up customer automation in a way that benefits your organization, customers, and teams.  

Understanding Customer Service Automation 

Customer service automation implements technologies that take over repetitive tasks, empowering employees to do better work. It requires a clear understanding of some of the logical steps that can be automated and what explicitly requires the nuances and support of a human agent. 

For example, when visiting a website, you may choose to chat with support to share some of your concerns about a recent purchase. Rather than having a human agent on the other end in charge of handling the entire conversation from beginning to end, you can use conversational AI automation to serve the customer. 

While some detractors of Conversational AI platforms might think that service automation alone might not be enough, customers care more about solving their problems than whether or not they get connected to a human agent. In other words, if users solve their issues by themselves with an automated customer service AI agent, you have already created a positive experience for them. 

How to Automate Your Customer Service

Before knowing what to automate, there are several steps you can take to ensure your introduction of a conversational AI system is successful. 

Start by Defining Your Objectives and Needs

Automating the wrong things can be a pricey, time-consuming process. To prevent that, it is essential to start defining your expectations, objectives, and most pressing needs when automating customer service.

For example, you may have noticed a pattern in a particular bug for your online product that the product can’t fix in the next 12 months. Rather than spending tons of time having your employees permanently discuss the problem and how to solve it, you can set tasks like this one as a primary automation objective, allowing your workforce to have more meaningful interactions.

Select the Right Automation Tools

Not all automation tools have the same capabilities. For instance, IVRs, a generally less robust option to automate some processes, might be limiting for larger organizations with more complex and nuanced processes. IVAs, especially the ones powered by AI technology, are far more likely to help enterprises meet their automation goals.

By selecting the right platform, you guarantee that your company will be able to fulfill automation expectations. However, not having clarity in terms of limitations can be misleading in a space with multiple competitors who have no experience with enterprise automation, stakeholders, complex systems, etc.

Deploy the Self-Service Options 

Self-service is about solving some of the most common scenarios without human assistance. Generally, self-service solutions are a combination of FAQs, knowledge bases, help center best practices, etc., that, when automated, can become an empowering tool for your customers.

In the end, customer service automation should serve customers first. Ensure you understand common behavioral patterns to deploy the best self-service solutions via AI Virtual Assistants, chatbots, etc. 

Integrate Your Customer Service Automation Tools with Other Systems 

While the priority of your automation should be serving customers, it also needs to serve your business. Given the complex ecosystem of technologies and systems used by most organizations, integrating your customer service automation across your entire tech stack is an essential step to consider.

Your CRM, ticketing system and any other essential tech for your organization should align with your customer service automation. Reducing repetitive tasks and mundane work also means setting up a customer service ecosystem internally. 

Test the Systems Rigorously Before Going Live

Implementing customer service automation requires intense testing before going live with end users and internal systems. Ensuring that automation and interactions with other systems are working properly is one of the most important ways to take advantage of this new way of working with customers.

Rather than having customers complain that the systems you developed do not meet their needs or internal teams having to do extra work to understand the automated systems, testing ensures you set your teams and customers up for success. 

Staff Training

An essential part of automated customer service is training your employees to make the most out of automation. While customers should intuitively navigate the automated systems designed to serve them, training your workforce ensures efficiency and productivity. This training bridges gaps in technical expertise or literacy, enabling everyone in your organization to benefit from automation.

With Mosaicx, you gain access to a dedicated team of experts who guide you through the implementation process and help your staff maximize the potential of automation tools. This includes using insights generated by customer service automation and building workflows. You get full support at every step.  

Setting the Right KPIs and Metrics

Measuring the effectiveness of your customer service automation is vital to setting up a successful automated system. While some metrics may be similar, what matters is that all key stakeholders are aligned in determining how the success of automation will be measured.

To do this, create an internal open collaboration and communication system where interdepartmental goals are shared and aligned. 

Conversational AI Tools That Can Automate Customer Service 

Multiple tools can help businesses automate customer service. Below we will describe some of the most common technologies that are improving customer experience and engagement. 

AI Chatbots

This technology helps customers by answering questions in real-time using a robust set of automated responses. Given its artificial intelligence layer, providers of these technologies can have advanced intent recognition capabilities to provide the best answers for customers and potentially connect them to a human agent if required. 

Advanced IVRs

IVRs generally use decision trees and previously determined solutions to some of the most common customer service questions and routing. While these can be helpful, it’s also important to highlight that this technology doesn’t have unique capabilities to understand intent, generate new answers that can help solve problems or constantly iterate to improve its performance (ML).

Intelligent Virtual Assistants

IVAs are a more advanced version of customer service automation that can identify intent, manage more complex queries, and provide personalized support and solutions. To learn more about IVAs and how they are an ideal solution for customer service automation, please read our 101 Guide to Intelligent Virtual Agents.

Automated Translators

A common hurdle for customer support is that not all users speak the same language as their customer service representatives. With automated translation, customer service becomes an entirely different challenge. Instead of trying to understand what customers are saying, customers may solve problems themselves.

This is a massive advantage when it comes to global customer support. Helping companies and customers expand beyond borders and language with automated real-time translations that solve most issues. Mosaicx takes this a step further by interpreting and speaking multiple languages through its IVAs, ensuring seamless communication across diverse customer bases.

Tools for Omnichannel Customer Support

Advanced conversational AI solutions like Mosaicx stand out, given their omnichannel capabilities. Rather than repeating themselves across multiple mediums to get an answer, customers can start and continue their journey between numerous channels.

A more seamless experience for your customers helps them better solve their problems and reduces your operational costs. With more advanced tools, you can even build automated messaging interactions with your customers via email, chat, or SMS to share timely reminders, follow-ups, ticketing processes, etc. 

Use Cases and Benefits

Customer service automation has multiple use cases and benefits for all enterprises. While some of the unique features might differ given your business's unique qualities, here are a few benefits most companies experience after setting up customer service automation. 

Customer Queries and Complaints

Automating most customer queries and complaints empowers your customers to get the answers they need in seconds. Not having to go through a human agent for every interaction represents vital savings for your business and a focus on meaningful customer interactions rather than repetitive scripts. 

Workflow Automation

Conversational AI is a technology that can help you create workflows for your internal teams that also benefit your end customers. Human agents can use automation to simplify their work and focus on higher-leverage tasks rather than having to go through multiple repetitive tasks to meet customer service needs.

Self-Service Options

As we have mentioned, allowing your customers to solve problems is a massive benefit for enterprises implementing customer service automation. This process reduces operational costs and increases productivity and customer satisfaction. 

Order Processing and Tracking

Today's customers are more informed and thoughtful about their purchasing decisions. That means that order processing and tracking are processes that generally matter to them and can be automated by implementing conversational AI solutions. 

Appointment Scheduling

Scheduling appointments is another everyday use case that can be automated and beneficial for your organization and customers. Rather than going through a customer representative to schedule an appointment, allowing people to do the process by themselves reduces operational costs and increases efficiency for all parties involved. 

Automated Lead Qualification and Prioritization

Conversational AI tools can also be essential in marketing and sales efforts. By automating processes, IVA tools may help with lead qualification by mapping out the right segments and signals for cross-sell and upsell opportunities. At the same time, accounts may be prioritized if churn signals are identified to keep customers informed and engaged.

Proactive Customer Engagement

Engaging with customers is generally a time-consuming process if done manually. Automating engagement with customers can be a way to stand out in your category, become more helpful, and genuinely become a more valuable brand for them.

Remember that proactive communication must be personalized and designed around customer needs and problems. The last thing you want as a customer is to receive unwanted communications that do not resonate with your needs. 

Customer Surveys and Feedback

Better understanding what your customers are looking for in your product or service is one of the most effective ways to build intentionally and meet their needs. With conversational automation, you may send customers surveys and ask for feedback on particular products, services, or interactions. 

Get Started With Mosaicx For Customer Service Automation 

We partner with enterprises looking to improve how customer service automation works for their customers and businesses. Our white-glove service, unparalleled conversational AI platform, and strategic experience allow us to help you drive progress holistically and effectively. 

Book a demo of our scalable AI-driven voice and messaging platform and learn how to increase revenue and loyalty through empowering conversations with every customer.