Automating Customer Service: Automation Tools for Helping Your Customers Fast

Nov 15, 2024 | Automation

Imagine it’s 11 pm and a customer wants to know what your return policy is. They send you an email or message and… crickets. They’re already done; they’ve left a snarky review by the time you respond. Ouch.

We’ve all been there, right? Navigating customer expectations can be challenging. It is impossible to be in business and answer every single customer question instantaneously. Enter customer service automation, your secret weapon in customer satisfaction that allows your customer service agents to focus on complex issues without making you (or your employees) nuts.

But with the right automation software, you can take questions, deal with complaints, and improve customer interaction — while you sleep. Let’s see how this helps improve customer experience.

Automating Customer Service: Tools for Helping Your Customers Fast

Frequency Is The Name of the Game

55% percent of consumers expect immediate responses to customer inquiries. want assistance in five minutes. Five Minutes can feel like hours when dealing with customer inquiries. And if you don’t deliver, they’re going to move on.

Automation tool fly like superheroes to answer questions, troubleshoot, and give customers a voice — without you hunched over your inbox.

Pause Time for the Good Things

Let’s be honest: Automation technology can transform the way we think about customer service. Nobody likes to be asked 100 times a week, “How do you ship?” When you automate those customer queries, you have more time to do real work — like coming up with your next product or taking lunch for once, while ensuring you resolve customer issues effectively.

Meet Customer Expectations for Speed

Because let’s face it: patience is a commodity few customers have. They don’t want to be held hostage for hours – or minutes – of reaction. Chatbots and self-service portals automation tools, give your customers instant access, be it at 2 a.m. or your employees are out on lunch.

Reduce Workload on Your Team

Do you ever put that question so many times, you started to dream about it? Repetitive tasks such as answering FAQs are automatable, leaving your team to do what’s valuable — finding a solution to a special challenge, or thinking about ways to grow the business.

Save Money

Customer service can be automated and much cheaper, helping to increase customer satisfaction. Chatbots can decrease customer service cost up to 30%, which is great news for any company that wants to get the most out of the technology without compromising on quality.

Chatbots: Your Automation Customer Service

What Can Chatbots Do?

  • FAQ Answers: Answer instantly the “When can my order be delivered?” or “What hours are you open?”
  • Lead Customers: Take them through the troubleshooting process or refer them to someone.
  • Function as an Expense: Chatbots have reduced customer support expenses by 30% (Thanks, IBM).

Popular Chatbot Tools

  • Tidio: Customer service automation software can enhance the efficiency of your customer service team. Easy to implement, works with Shopify, and excels at FAQs to increase customer experience.
  • Example: A small fashion store uses Tidio for handling customer requests related to sizing, returns, and tracking orders.
  • Intercom: A bit fancier, with personalized messaging and lead generation.
  • Example: A software company uses Intercom to train new users with video tutorials.
  • Zendesk Answer Bot: Best if you are a Zendesk user. It pulls knowledge from your database to settle tickets on autopilot.

Help Desk Software: Tracking Tickets

Why You’ll Love this customer service software:

  • Holds Communications Centrally: No more trawling through email messages.
  • Operates Tickets by Priority: ensuring that the best customer service is provided to those with urgent requests. Work on the last-minute tickets first.
  • Knows Performance: Check how fast your customer support team is fixing issues.

Fan-Favorite Help Desk Tools

  • Freshdesk: Lightweight and full of tools such as AI suggestions and canned responses.
  • Example: A tech repair company connects tickets with specialists from Freshdesk, reducing response times by half.
  • Zoho Desk: For small businesses, customizable options and affordable pricing.
  • Example: An expanding e-commerce store uses Zoho Desk to track complaints, response times, and feedback.
  • Kayako: Convenient and intuitive — for smaller teams that don’t want all the bells and whistles.

Why Self-Service Is The Customer’s Favorite

  • It’s Fast: No hold times or waiting for an email means better customer service experiences.
  • It’s Empowering: Problems are solvable by customers.
  • It’s Popular: 89% of users demand self-service from businesses (Salesforce).

Easy Knowledge Base Tools

  • Helpjuice: Convenient and searchable, ideal for creating an easy FAQ page.
  • Notion: a tool that can help manage customer feedback and service tasks efficiently. Perfect for small how-to guides if you’re working on a budget.
  • Zendesk Guide: Integrates with Zendesk Support, so you can keep it all in one place.

CRM Automation: Maintain Your Individuality (With No Additional Work)

Why Automate Your CRM?

  • Keep Track: Know everything that your customer has done with you.
  • Attach Effortlessly: Know each customer by name and customize actions for their requests.
  • Incorporate Your Devices: Integrate your CRM with chatbots, email marketing, and help desks seamlessly.

Top CRM Tools

  • HubSpot CRM: Free to join, with automation such as follow-ups and email tracking.
  • Example: A real estate agent sends personalized emails using HubSpot, depending on client requirements such as pools or huge backyards.
  • Salesforce: Bundled with features for expanding companies. More expensive but worth it if you want higher-level automation and analytics.

How to Automate Customer Service For Success

Start Small

Do not try to automate everything at once. Start with just one or two tools (e.g., a chatbot for FAQs or a help desk for ticket tracking) and scale from there.

Keep It Human

Automation is awesome, but human beings love to touch things. Use it for repetitive work, then intervene when humanity really is at stake.

Test and Improve

Your customers and your employees know what’s working best. Gather suggestions, adjust your instruments, and keep evolving.

What You’ll Get: Happy Customers, Happy Business

Automating customer service is not a replacement for human beings; it’s simply the easier option — for you and your customers.

Like customer experience specialist Shep Hyken says: “The idea is to automate where you can, and humanize where it matters.”

If you have the right customer satisfaction tools, you will not only speed up your services but provide a service that will be appreciated by clients.

So, what’s stopping you? Start small, try it out, and let automation do the work for you so you can focus on growing your business.

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