How AI Chatbot is Helping Call Center Management

Posted by Guest Author

Customers’ expectations are growing when it comes to both speed and the quality of the service you’re providing. They no longer want to wait for the support of call center representatives, they want the response to come momentarily, and they are willing to pay more for it.

On the other hand, customers are ready to penalize any slow and inadequate customer service - after a single bad experience, 39% of customers will avoid the company for two years.

However, call centers can now address the demands of their customers more efficiently as they highly benefit from the latest implementations of artificial intelligence – conversational chatbots.

Reduce Wait Times

AI-powered chatbots can significantly reduce the time your customers spend waiting for the response of your customer service representative.

As they are available 24/7 each and every day of the year, chatbots are now able to answer queries whenever your customers are in need of support.

They are also able to handle multiple requests at the same time and successfully solve most of the queries, redirecting only the complex issues they can not solve themselves to the customer service reps.

Needless to say, this doesn’t only eliminate the problem of putting your customers on hold, which most customers find very frustrating, but also allows support representatives to focus on more important tasks and queries that require critical thinking. And with the help of AI chatbots, they don’t have to waste time on low-value queries such as “How do I retrieve my password?”

Improve First Call Resolutions

As chatbots are now able to directly handle as much as 80% of the most common queries, they can significantly improve the rate of your first call resolutions, and thus positively affect your customers’ satisfaction with your service.

Many customer service questions can be answered in a quick and efficient manner with a chatbot around. They can, for example, let your customers know where to mail a returned item, or how to make a payment, liberating your call center agents to manage more difficult issues, such as warranty matters or complaints.

An Irish case study shows a 40% decrease in agent handling time and an 11% increase in the rate of conversions, thanks to using chatbots to improve the experience of their customers. This perfectly illustrates the benefits AI chatbots are bringing to customer services.

Collect Invaluable Data

Chatbots are now able to monitor each interaction of your prospects and your call center, as well as all the other touchpoints with your business.

During these interactions, chatbots collect invaluable data on your customers, which your business can put to good use.

For example, you can use this data to tailor your customer service to the needs of your target audience. If you spot any recurring queries that your chatbot still doesn’t have an answer for or a solution to, you can update it and include this information too.

Furthermore, as chatbots have all the relevant data on previous interactions of your prospect and your business, they also know all about their previous queries, complaints, and purchases. They use this information to personalize their interaction and make it run smoothly.

When there is a need to, they can make this data available to your agent instantly, so that they can understand the issue before the chat or call and continue providing support without a hassle.

And if we bear in mind that personalization has become critical for customer experience and satisfaction, it’s clear why adopting AI chatbots can transform your business.

Boost Customer Satisfaction

With their customer experience personalized, and the timely and adequate support they’re getting from your call center, you can expect a significant boost in your customer satisfaction too.

Customers have been longing for personalized service for a long time, which was almost an impossible goal to achieve with legacy technology.

AI chatbots can be tailored to provide exactly the kind of personalized experience customers are looking for – their own personal assistant that learns their individual preferences and situations, and is able to utilize the information it gathered through all the previous interactions.

Prevent Burnout

Still, no matter how developed AI chatbots are, there are still many tasks where the human touch is crucial for a successful resolution.

Your human employees have various qualities that make them unique. Along with these qualities, some limitations come too – humans are prone to errors, they tire easily, and their judgment is sometimes clouded by their emotions.

If they work under too much pressure, like call center agents often do, they tend to suffer from burnout, which has a negative effect on their performance.

In addition, your burnt-out employees are at great risk of churning, thus increasing your hiring and onboarding operational costs. As the exact cost can vary between 16% and 213% of a lost employee’s salaries, a high turnover rate can be devastating for your company.

By automating all the other tasks, and delegating them to your AI employees, you can free up the time of your human agents, and save their energy for handling the issues in which their skills can not be replaced.

Lower the Costs

But saving on preventing employees’ turnover is not the only way your business is going to lower its costs.

No matter how big or small your business is, you can’t afford to not offer your customers the experience they deserve and demand. Unless you opt for an AI-powered chatbot employee, you’ll need to make more human hires, and find other ways to make your customer support available to any queries your prospects might have, at any time.

Hiring an army of human call center agents or delegating these tasks to a third-party contractor are more expensive and insufficient solutions, as their response in some matters can not compare to the service and efficiency of a chatbot.

By using AI chatbots, companies can save up to 30% of their customer support costs, and use that money much more effectively.

Implementing AI chatbots in call centers and customer service is one of the most powerful tools you have at your disposal. In addition to boosting your customer experience and their satisfaction you’re your service, you’ll take a burden from off your agents’ shoulders so that they can focus all of their energy on the complex issues ahead. Plus, you’ll save a lot of money.

Michael has been working in marketing for almost a decade and has worked with a huge range of clients, which has made him knowledgeable on many different subjects. He has recently rediscovered a passion for writing and hopes to make it a daily habit. You can read more of Michael's work at Qeedle.

Tags: Chatbots