{"id":21109,"date":"2022-11-22T10:00:50","date_gmt":"2022-11-22T10:00:50","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.intercom.com\/blog\/?p=21109"},"modified":"2024-10-22T17:56:32","modified_gmt":"2024-10-22T16:56:32","slug":"automated-customer-service","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.intercom.com\/blog\/automated-customer-service\/","title":{"rendered":"Automated customer service: Support your customers more efficiently and effectively"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Automated customer service isn\u2019t a new concept. We\u2019ve all navigated our fair share of <a href=\"https:\/\/www.intercom.com\/blog\/podcasts\/dialling-it-up-the-evolution-of-phone-support\/\">automated phone menus<\/a> or interacted with <a href=\"https:\/\/www.intercom.com\/blog\/customer-service-chatbots\/\">support bots<\/a> to get help.<\/p>\n<p>But much has changed since the early days of automated customer service, both in usability and customer perception. Voice recognition technology has improved, AI solutions can interpret customer feedback, and chatbots have started to answer the questions they receive, not just pass them off to a human. With this increase in functionality comes a change in how customers actually view automation: no longer seen as a form of deflection, automation is now a personalized, efficient option for getting help with their issues.<\/p>\n<p>At Intercom, we strive to deliver automated solutions that empower customers \u2013 and that help you to win back precious time for your support team. Our goal is to personalize every experience through automation: to deliver exactly what each customer needs, when they need it, right where they are.<\/p>\n<p>The result? A win-win situation:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Customers love automated customer service because it enables them to <strong>get the answers they need, in an instant<\/strong>.<\/li>\n<li>Support teams love automated customer service because it quickly and efficiently resolves simple customer queries, freeing them up to <strong>focus on more complex issues that need a human touch<\/strong> \u2013 and which have a significant impact on customer satisfaction and retention.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>But how can you implement personalized, automated customer service in your business? Here\u2019s what you need to know.<\/p>\n<h2 id=\"what-is-automated-customer-service\">What is automated customer service?<\/h2>\n<p>Automated customer service is a type of support provided by automated technology such as AI-powered chatbots, not humans. Automated customer service works best when customers need answers to recurring straightforward questions, status updates, or help to find a specific resource.<\/p>\n<p>One of the most popular automated customer service options is <a href=\"https:\/\/www.intercom.com\/blog\/automated-answers\">chatbots<\/a>. Our bots use machine learning, caring for customers by providing them with links to existing resources like <a href=\"https:\/\/www.intercom.com\/blog\/articles\">knowledge base articles<\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.intercom.com\/blog\/how-to-handle-frequently-asked-questions\/\">FAQs<\/a>. They can also route customer conversations to the team best equipped to handle their questions and can even provide answers to customer questions like, \u201cHow can I add more users?\u201d.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.intercom.com\/blog\/announcing-custom-actions-custom-objects\/\">Our bots are now even more powerful<\/a>, with the ability to quickly and efficiently access data outside of Intercom to provide even more self-serve answers for customers.<\/p>\n<div class=\"wistia_responsive_padding\" style=\"padding: 56.25% 0 0 0; position: relative;\">\n<div class=\"wistia_responsive_wrapper\" style=\"height: 100%; left: 0; position: absolute; top: 0; width: 100%;\"><iframe loading=\"lazy\" class=\"wistia_embed\" title=\"Boost your bots with Custom Objects and Custom Actions (blog) Video\" src=\"https:\/\/fast.wistia.net\/embed\/iframe\/q3rwbr31fv?videoFoam=true\" name=\"wistia_embed\" width=\"100%\" height=\"100%\" frameborder=\"0\" scrolling=\"no\"><\/iframe><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>Armed with this type of intelligent <a href=\"https:\/\/www.intercom.com\/blog\/self-serve-support\">self-serve support<\/a>, you can provide faster resolutions for your customers and reduce customer inquiries for your team \u2013 without sacrificing a great experience.<\/p>\n<h2 id=\"5-reasons-to-incorporate-automation-into-your-customer-service-offering\">5 reasons to incorporate automation into your customer service offering<\/h2>\n<p>Over the last decade, <a href=\"https:\/\/go.forrester.com\/blogs\/retailers-without-chat-a-missed-opportunity\/\">live chat has become the standard<\/a> for companies wanting to offer top-tier support. Chat is faster than email, more personal than traditional knowledge bases, and way less frustrating than shouting into an automated phone system.<\/p>\n<p>For customers who don\u2019t have time to have an in-depth conversation with a support rep, automated support options \u2013 like chatbots \u2013 mean that you can support customers in any context, whether they\u2019re multi-tasking, in the middle of their work day, or on the go.<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"pullquote-style-two\"><p>\u201cWhen most simple queries and tasks are handled automatically, it frees up your support reps to spend their valuable time resolving complex queries that require their customer service skills and empathetic touch\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>The advantages are significant for your support team too. When most simple queries and tasks are handled automatically, it frees up your support reps to spend their valuable time resolving complex queries that require their customer service skills and empathetic touch.<\/p>\n<p>Here are some of the most impactful benefits of automated customer service that help your customers and your support team to save time and get more done.<\/p>\n<h3>1. It allows customers to multi-task<\/h3>\n<p>Customers can ask your chatbot a question and read the answer between meetings, or get a link to a helpful article and read it when they have time. There\u2019s no pressure to take action immediately.<\/p>\n<h3>2. It empowers customers to choose the option that fits their needs<\/h3>\n<p>Some customers love rolling up their sleeves and digging into help center articles, while some customers aren\u2019t interested in more than a quick scan. Serving both types is key. And if they need more help, your customers can still follow up with a support rep. With both live chat and automation in your arsenal, you can truly meet your customers anywhere and at any time they need you.<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"pullquote-style-one\"><p>\u201cAutomated support options \u2013 like chatbots \u2013 mean that you can support customers in any context, whether they\u2019re multi-tasking, in the middle of their work day, or on the go\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<h3>3. It helps you to reduce costs and save money<\/h3>\n<p>No matter what size support team you have, automation lets you scale your successes. With automated customer service, you can provide more support and resolve more customer queries without needing to increase your headcount or burn out the hardworking support team you already have. This means you can ensure an excellent customer experience <em>and<\/em> a positive employee experience, all while saving money.<\/p>\n<h3>4. It routes the right questions to the right people<\/h3>\n<p>Automation rules allow customer questions that can\u2019t be answered by a chatbot to instantly be routed to the right person and team (such as your <a href=\"https:\/\/www.intercom.com\/blog\/live-chat-sales-funnel\/\">sales team<\/a>), ensuring there\u2019s no confusion over who handles what or which questions have already been answered.<\/p>\n<h3>5. It improves your support team&#8217;s efficiency<\/h3>\n<p>When implemented well, automated customer service allows businesses to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.intercom.com\/blog\/how-to-scale-your-customer-support-as-you-grow\/\">help more customers at scale<\/a> without drastically growing headcount. This, in turn, can also free your support team up to apply their customer service skills to more complex queries \u2013 like emotionally-charged complaints, VIP queries, and tricky troubleshooting issues \u2013 that require a human touch. The speed and cost and time savings can be game-changers for your business\u2026 but only if you implement those solutions thoughtfully.<\/p>\n<h2 id=\"caring-for-customers-with-automation-that-feels-personal\">Caring for customers with automation that feels personal<\/h2>\n<p>A <a href=\"https:\/\/www.smartinsights.com\/ecommerce\/web-personalisation\/consumers-personalized-marketing-engagement\/\">2020 study by Smart Insights<\/a> stated that 63% of customers will stop buying from brands who offer poor personalization tactics, so it\u2019s essential to make sure your automation still feels personal.<\/p>\n<p>That takes time and thoughtfulness. You have to make sure to strike the right balance to avoid having your personalization come across as creepy. It\u2019s great when websites suggest support articles before you reach out to support and chatbots offer resources based on the page you\u2019re viewing. But a chatbot using data enrichment tools to address a customer by name is probably not a good idea if this is their first visit to your site.<\/p>\n<p>At Intercom, we work hard to balance automation and personalization in two critical areas of customer service: issue resolution and customer routing.<\/p>\n<h3>Solve customer issues quickly (sometimes instantly)<\/h3>\n<p>When a customer writes in, the most personal thing we can do is respect their time and get them an answer as quickly as possible. Automation helps us do that in the following ways:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Our customer service chatbot <a href=\"https:\/\/www.intercom.com\/blog\/automated-answers\">Resolution Bot<\/a> can answer their question immediately \u2013 and in some cases, before they even finish typing. This allows the customer to resolve their own issues by selecting the suggestion that addresses their concern. Or if customers can\u2019t find the answer they need, they can choose to get routed to a support specialist.<\/li>\n<li>We also use a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.intercom.com\/blog\/help\/en\/articles\/1004343-automate-simple-actions-with-task-bots\">Task Bot<\/a> that can look at keywords in the customer\u2019s message and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.intercom.com\/blog\/help\/en\/articles\/1006350-let-users-help-themselves-with-smart-suggestions\">suggest matching articles<\/a> \u2013 but only if it detects that the user hasn\u2019t visited the Help Center in the previous 15 minutes. If they have, the articles likely didn\u2019t address the person\u2019s question. In that case, redirecting them back to a resource they\u2019ve already seen is probably more frustrating than helpful.<\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Offer customers even more ways to self-serve using <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.intercom.com\/blog\/help\/en\/articles\/6298278-custom-actions-and-objects-explained\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">custom actions and custom objects<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">. <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Custom Actions allow you to build no-code integrations to get live data and take actions in your external systems, while custom objects provide more flexibility to model your customer data in a way that makes sense for your business.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<blockquote class=\"pullquote-style-two\"><p>\u201cWhen customers write in, the most personal thing we can do is respect their time and get them to an answer as quickly as possible\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>Of course, there will be questions that our chatbots won&#8217;t be able to, or shouldn&#8217;t, address due to their nature, and we direct those conversations to our support reps. <span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Designing bots to always direct users to the Help Center, <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">a forum, or some other form of self-service, would be the most efficient workflow for our support team, but is a prime example of impersonal automation that doesn\u2019t respect the customers\u2019 time. <\/span><\/p>\n<p>Even when Resolution Bot can answer a customer\u2019s question, it\u2019ll always check if they got what they needed. If not, the customer can talk to a human.<\/p>\n<p>Offering access to a human is how we stay personalized while avoiding the dreaded \u201cI can\u2019t answer that\u201d chatbot loop, where a customer gets stuck asking questions to an unhelpful chatbot and can\u2019t find an \u201cescape hatch\u201d to duck through to talk to a real person.<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"pullquote-style-four\"><p><strong>Pro tip:<\/strong> Can you imagine having to translate advice from a customer support team on top of dealing with an already frustrating situation? If your product is available in multiple languages, you should consider adding multilingual support to keep the entire experience personal. We know that <a href=\"https:\/\/www.intercom.com\/blog\/announcing-resolution-bot\/\">70% of customers are more loyal<\/a> to companies that support them in their native language, so this functionality will go a long way with your customers. Our Resolution Bot can offer solutions in <a href=\"https:\/\/www.intercom.com\/blog\/help\/en\/articles\/2408936-resolution-bot-explained#:~:text=Resolution%20Bot%20can%20provide%20answers,%2C%20Korean%2C%20Latviski%2C%20Lithuanian%2C\">38 different languages<\/a>\u00a0to provide an experience that\u2019s truly tailored to them.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<h3>Contextual customer routing<\/h3>\n<p>The other area where we heavily apply automation is customer routing. For conversations not addressed by a chatbot, our assignment rules take care of routing nearly half of conversations to the right place, with the rest routed to an escalation inbox monitored by our team.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone\" src=\"https:\/\/www.intercom.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/03\/Chatbot-path.jpg\" alt=\"Automated customer service customer routing\" width=\"1700\" height=\"1532\" \/><\/p>\n<p>What this \u201cright place\u201d looks like varies, so our assignment rules consider the customer\u2019s history with us (if there is one) and decide where they should go to get the help they need. This is how we keep routing personal: we take into account multiple factors \u2013 not just account spend \u2013 to determine where our customer should go. These factors include:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Message keywords<\/li>\n<li>Products in use<\/li>\n<li>Company type<\/li>\n<li>Page URL<\/li>\n<li>Customer tenure<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>For instance, if someone starts a conversation from our Developer Hub or their message contains technical words like \u201cpython\u201d that clearly indicate a technical topic, we know they will likely benefit most from talking to our Customer Support Engineers (CSEs). Not only does this save our team time by automating the number of manual escalations up to technical CSEs, but it inherently respects the customer&#8217;s time, removing an unnecessary touch from a non-technical resource and getting the customer in front of the person that is best equipped to handle their question, shortening resolution time.<\/p>\n<h2 id=\"automated-customer-service-drives-results\">Automated customer service drives results<\/h2>\n<p>Using instant resolution and contextual routing has led to some pretty big wins for our support team. Here are some specifics:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Our rate of automated resolution (ROAR) is about 4.5%. This means 4.5% of all customer issues are resolved without a human being involved.<\/li>\n<li>75% of our automated resolutions come from Resolution Bot, while the remaining 25% come from suggested articles.<\/li>\n<li>60% of our routed conversations land in the right inbox on the first try. This is something we\u2019re constantly working to improve, both for our support team and our customers.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>While a 4.5% ROAR might sound low, it\u2019s actually a pretty huge number for us that equates to significant annual cost savings. 4.5% is also on par with B2B companies like ours that tend to see more complex questions from customers.<\/p>\n<p>B2C companies can get their ROAR up to 10-20%, since many of their questions are far more transactional in nature and thus are more easily resolved by automation. We\u2019ve seen customers for whom Resolution Bot <a href=\"https:\/\/www.intercom.com\/blog\/automated-answers\">resolves 33% of the queries<\/a> it gets involved in and improves customer response time by 44%.<\/p>\n<h2 id=\"when-automated-customer-service-isnt-the-right-solution\">When automated customer service isn\u2019t the right solution<\/h2>\n<p>Ultimately, there are some situations where automation isn\u2019t useful. This is usually when you\u2019re in a situation where you can\u2019t personalize the kind of customer service you\u2019re offering. This might be because you don\u2019t have the necessary context on your customer to treat them individually.<\/p>\n<p>Or it could be because your current chatbot can\u2019t interpret that information to make the appropriate routing decisions, like sending customers knowledge base links or automatically routing them to a member of your support team. In these situations \u2013 when it\u2019s not personalized \u2013 automation becomes a blocker instead of a valid support method.<\/p>\n<p>Here\u2019s what we mean by a blocker: think back to the hours-long phone calls with your cable provider or bank. Have you ever yelled \u201ccustomer service\u201d into a phone five times, trying to get to a human being? By the time the phone menu gives up on trying to resolve your issue, you were probably too frustrated to properly articulate what your problem was.<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"pullquote-style-one\"><p>\u201cWhen it\u2019s not personalized \u2013 automation becomes a blocker instead of a valid support method. What you needed in that situation was an \u2018escape hatch\u2019\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>What you needed in that situation was an \u201cescape hatch.\u201d Therein lies the danger of poorly implemented automation. If your customers get blocked by a chatbot or get routed to the wrong team, they\u2019ll be just as frustrated as they were when you yelled at that phone menu. But this time, the risk is even greater, since it\u2019s so much easier to cancel, tell friends about your unhelpful support, or both.<\/p>\n<p>Poor personalization can turn satisfied customers sour, to the point that they cancel their account and take their business to your competitors. Or they may instead lose faith in your automation and turn to your human support options, increasing the need for staff and raising your associated costs. It\u2019s a lose-lose situation.<\/p>\n<h3>3 times you shouldn&#8217;t use automation<\/h3>\n<h4>1. Customers with sensitive issues<\/h4>\n<p>Requests for upgrades or cancellations should be answered by a human. When a customer is trying to give you money, you can\u2019t allow a chatbot to jeopardize the relationship before it even begins. If they\u2019re thinking about canceling, poor automation might make any negative feelings even worse, or ruin any chance at saving the relationship.<\/p>\n<h4>2. High-touch customers<\/h4>\n<p>Customers with lots of questions, and those who need hand-holding through difficult processes or explanations, would benefit from working with a human. Most of the time, these folks are more than willing to wait for a person to talk to if they know they\u2019ll get the help they need.<\/p>\n<h4>3. New customers or trials<\/h4>\n<p>Your newest converts might end your relationship early if they find themselves continually blocked by chatbots, no matter how \u201chelpful.\u201d Make sure you also provide opportunities to talk to a human during the onboarding process.<\/p>\n<p>To prevent issues with these three types of customers, consider maintaining a list of questions that you don\u2019t allow to be answered by automation. Customers who ask about pricing, who are identified as at-risk or \u201chigh-touch,\u201d or trial users can be automatically routed to a team member for assistance. Though AI is learning to handle complex problems, for the time being, these customers will get the best service possible if you send them to a human, not a bot.<\/p>\n<h2 id=\"automated-customer-service-is-a-crucial-part-of-your-support-strategy\">Automated customer service is a crucial part of your support strategy<\/h2>\n<p>Automation empowers you to scale your customer service and provide customers with the answers they need, when they need them. But it\u2019s only one piece of the puzzle for delivering fast, personal support to your customers at the scale your business needs.<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"pullquote-style-two\"><p>\u201cOn its own, automation won\u2019t solve all of your customers\u2019 problems \u2013 it needs to be supported by a strong knowledge base and answers from your support team\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>On its own, automation won\u2019t solve all of your customers\u2019 problems \u2013 it needs to be supported by a strong knowledge base and answers from your support team. But with the right tools and resources, you can see major wins \u2013 and a significant return on investment.<\/p>\n<p>Without those resources backing it up, your bots will do little more than annoy customers who are desperately trying to seek solutions to their problems.<\/p>\n<p>To ensure your automated customer service is efficient and effective, you need a thoughtful, cohesive strategy that provides customers with the right kind of help they need, exactly when they need it. Happier, more loyal customers \u2013 and a more productive team \u2013 await.<\/p>\n\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Using automation as part of your customer support offering can change the game for your business \u2013 as long as you maintain a thoughtful, personal approach. Here&#8217;s how to balance automation and personalization.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":477,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"category":[25198,3],"tags":[24794,11948,564,142,24865],"coauthors":[24862],"class_list":["post-21109","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-ai-ml","category-customer-support","tag-automated-support","tag-automation","tag-customer-service","tag-customer-support","tag-self-serve-support"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v27.3 (Yoast SEO v27.3) - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-premium-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>How Automated Customer Service Works [+Why You Need It]<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"The speed and savings of automated customer service can change the game for your business \u2013 as long as you maintain a personal approach.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.intercom.com\/blog\/automated-customer-service\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Automated customer service: Support your customers more efficiently and effectively\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"The speed and savings of automated customer service can change the game for your business \u2013 as long as you maintain a personal approach.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.intercom.com\/blog\/automated-customer-service\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"The Intercom Blog\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/intercominc\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" 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