Automated Customer Service [Pros & Cons]

In many B2C industries, competition is fierce and companies must differentiate themselves in whatever way they can. For many, this comes down to offering an incredible experience. And while most interpret that to mean having exceptional in-person service, others are seeing the value of automating aspects of their customer service to streamline and increase efficiency. As with everything, automated customer service has pros and cons, but when done strategically, the benefits can far outweigh the challenges.

Depending on what type of business you have, your customer needs will vary, but automation can help nearly every type of business as it integrates technology into your customer service workflow. Think of the different types of customer support you can automate—everything from chatbots to canned responses and even callbacks, allowing your customers to find the answers they need without dealing with another person.

What are the advantages of automated customer service?

For any small business, the largest advantage for using automated customer service is the savings, and not just financial savings. Automating certain support processes gives you back time and resources to invest in other areas, without taking away from the customer experience.

If your business serves a Millennial audience, then your customers are even more interested in self-service than you may realize. This generation is tech savvy and prefers to avoid interacting with humans whenever possible. Their preference? According to this great article from RingCentral, they want to find the answer to their inquiry themselves, online.

Automated customer service pros and cons

While it may be difficult to imagine automating certain processes, when you break down your core customer services into smaller pieces, you may be surprised to discover how much time is spent on time-consuming and repeated tasks.

Here are a few benefits of automated customer service

● Allows you to operate with smaller staff

● Cuts wait times by immediately responding to customers

● Reduces overhead costs

● Widens service hours

● Increases efficiency

● Improves consistency

Using automated chats to answer common questions online can save on time spent on the phone or emailing back and forth, and it can lead to satisfied customers. Your employees will also be happier since their time will be reserved for dealing with more complex inquiries, rather than common queries that don't require a customized response.

Challenges with automated customer service

There are, of course, drawbacks and challenges with automating customer services, and these change based on your customer's unique needs. If your systems aren't thorough enough or don't answer the questions your customers are asking, then automating customer service will only serve to frustrate people and lead to unhappy interactions.

Automation is also difficult when a customer has an inquiry that doesn't fall into the established categories your chatbot or phone system is set up to handle. If you don't have a simple way to bump the inquiry up to a real human being, then this can also lead to a negative experience.

Before jumping into automation, it's important to think through your customer communication flows and create an as thorough as possible automation experience to make information easily accessible, answer questions as quickly as possible and cut out errors or misunderstandings as often as possible.

While automated technology is the next wave in modern customer service, your company may not be ready for full automation. In this case, there are still excellent hybrid solutions to consider, such as virtual receptionists and live chat, which you can outsource as a way of running lean, freeing up time and streamlining processes.

When looking at automated customer service pros and cons, it is both exciting and unnerving. Business owners are always looking for ways to save time without impacting experience, and yet automating features may feel like a loss of control. To feel comfortable implementing automation in your business, balance is key. Automate what you can feel confident about letting go of, and leave the rest alone.

About Robyn Roste

Robyn Roste is a professional writer living and working in Abbotsford BC Canada. Her personal blog about freelance writing(http://robynroste.com) is listed in The 100 Best Websites for Writers in 2020 by The Write Life.