Customer experience (CX) is at the forefront of the business agenda. We are witnessing a fundamental shift in the brand-customer dynamic. Supply chain disruptions, social distancing rules, and record unemployment levels have contributed to a general climate of uncertainty. Customer priorities and behaviors are changing as they become more cautious about what, where, and how they make their purchases.
With access to fewer customer touchpoints and reduced employee headcounts, business leaders have quickly realized that customer experience is the new battlefield for brands looking to remain relevant in a post-pandemic world. And contact centers are a big part of it.
Customer service has been one of the worst-hit business functions since the pandemic. With agents working from home and service tickets flooding in, customer service teams are struggling to keep up, and this is taking a toll on the CX.
Businesses must now reassess how they can strategically leverage their contact centers to support agents while continuing to deliver personalized customer experiences. It’s a hard balance to strike. General customer sentiment due to fear and frustration presents organizations with an entirely new set of opportunities and challenges. That’s where artificial intelligence-powered (AI) helpdesk solutions promise to change the rules of engagement.
An AI helpdesk is customer service software that leverages technologies such as machine learning, natural language processing, and conversational interfaces to improve customer and agent experiences. AI helpdesk solutions not only streamline processes but increase agent productivity and efficiency by automating workflows and analyzing customer queries to deliver faster resolution rates.
Also read: Choosing The Right Helpdesk Software For Your Business: What You Need To Know
Traditionally, the customer service function has been reactive – agents manually verify the information before proceeding to address queries/questions customers might have. At times this can become frustrating and reflect poorly on customer service key performance indicators (KPIs) such as call durations and customer satisfaction (CSAT) scores.
If you’ve worked at a contact center, you’re probably all too familiar with the tedious process of collecting data, categorizing queries, and rerouting tickets. Here’s where AI promises to transform how agents interact with customers and their work.
CX leaders today are under increasing pressure to do more with less. Infrastructure issues and the lack of on-the-floor support have led to agents struggling more than usual to help customers. Businesses with staff in the office do not have it any easier – operating with fewer agents is challenging, particularly when you’re in the throes of a global health crisis.
So, here is how AI can help businesses win the battle for customer experience:
Over the past few years, chatbots have come a long way. From using canned or pre-determined responses, AI-based chatbots today have become truly conversational. They leverage NLP and contextual analysis to engage users in better, more natural conversations. Additionally, their ability to handle complex requests have made them an indispensable element of high-impact customer service teams.
ThinkOwl’s AI-integrated Conversation Bot empowers customer service teams to handle higher chat volumes with the same number of agents, thereby reducing average handle times and eliminating the need for additional hires. AI-powered chatbots are also effective in routing incoming calls and customer requests to appropriate teams, reducing transfers and time-to-resolution.
Building on the point above, AI helpdesk solutions have a direct impact on a business’s top-line and bottom-line performance. By automating the process of customer information gathering, AI chatbots can route escalations within seconds, improving agent efficiency while driving incremental revenue. With chatbots becoming the first point of contact for customers, companies can save on expensive voice calls in the contact center. A study exploring the link between AI and contact center ROI found that even if a customer makes a “call me” command to connect with a live agent after initiating chatbot interaction, the business pays 33 percent less for outbound calls than inbound calls.
AI helpdesk solutions continually learn through real-life dialogs – which means they get smarter daily. Businesses and customer service teams can deliver real-time personalization by leveraging machine learning-enabled chatbots. Helpdesk solutions that draw on multichannel capabilities can seamlessly cross-reference across channels (social, email, chats, etc.) to help CX teams gain deeper insights into customer behavior, feedback, and complaints. CX leaders can then apply these insights to identify areas of improvement and optimize their services.
AI-enabled automation eliminates repetitive, time-consuming, low-value tasks that traditionally prevented agents from focusing on value creation. Intelligent helpdesk software provides agents instant access to internal questions and resources, improving productivity and reducing training times. Improved performance makes for happier agents, which translates to satisfied customers and stakeholders.
As organizations look to support employees through the pandemic and create better workplaces, AI helpdesk solutions have emerged as a powerful tool for customer service leaders to combat burnout and employee turnover. Improved agent experience is not just an outcome of agent-assist use cases but also a result of improved routing processes that, in turn, produce better agent-customer interactions. For instance, if customers are routed to the correct department after initial interaction, they are less likely to be angry or frustrated, translating to an improved agent experience.
Also read: Deliver Human-Centered CX In A Tech-Powered World
Brand perception has never been more important. How brands treat their customers during times of crisis determines how customers perceive them. Empathy and authenticity are the pillars of exceptional customer experiences and are more relevant than ever in the current context. With AI helpdesk solutions taking over the grunt work in customer service, agents are better positioned to focus their time and efforts on adding the human touch.
By training agents on the fundamentals of empathetic communication, brands can give meaning to their customers’ choices and differentiate themselves. Early adopters of AI customer service solutions stand to benefit from reduced churn and positive brand perception.
Moreover, brands will likely be perceived as innovators when they highlight their technological capabilities, such as AI, machine learning, and NLP. By embracing advanced technologies, brands can identify more with innovation in their customers’ eyes than relying solely on advertising or marketing.
Also read: 14 Helpful Tips To Deliver Great Customer Service
While forward-looking organizations have ramped up AI investments, the penetration of intelligent helpdesk software in customer service remains low. The pandemic has catalyzed digital transformation 2.0, but budget cuts and lower sales revenues have compelled businesses to hold off on immediate purchases. CX leaders and customer service teams can use this time to explore the AI helpdesk market and find a potential solution that offers free trials, flexible pricing, and round-the-clock customer support. For organizations planning on investing in an AI helpdesk solution in 2020, we recommend keeping an eye out for a few specific capabilities:
Also read: In What Ways Do Different Industries Benefit From Helpdesk Software
An organization may have little control over external disruptions like the pandemic or the strength of the competition it faces, but it has considerable influence over how it responds to these changes. AI helpdesk software can soften the blow of external uncertainties and bring extraordinary CX results within reach. However, unlocking the true promise of AI helpdesk software depends on choosing the right partner for your CX transformation journey.
ThinkOwl is an AI-powered cloud customer support solution with everything organizations need to deliver extraordinary experiences across the end-to-end customer journey. Whatever industry you may belong to, if you wish to foster a customer-centric culture and deliver the best service and support, do not hesitate to try ThinkOwl. Sign up now for a 30-day free trial.