Customer service agents and call center solutions are widely essential to businesses in normal times — and incredibly vital during the current pandemic when communications operations are being overwhelmed and tested like never before. In response to office closures and business changes across the globe, many organisations have turned to technologies like chatbots support their communication strategies. In fact, a recent Gartner study found that organisations that embed AI in their multichannel customer engagement platform will elevate operational efficiency by 25% by 2025.
However, the speed at which many businesses have taken on this task is overwhelming — and in some cases rushed. While the accelerated deployment of chatbots guarantees some improvements to customer communications, AI integrations must be carefully and intentionally introduced, especially in times of crisis. This ensures that the data and content used to power a chatbot solution — the very foundation of expediently delivering consistent and accurate information — truly improves the communication experience and does not just temporarily fill a void.
Here are four things to consider when integrating chatbots into your customer experience:
1 – Make it personal
An authentic, personalised conversation is critical — especially during a time of high stress — even when answering seemingly straightforward questions. To lean into a humanistic approach, some platforms utilise Natural Language Understanding (NLU), a technique that advances two-way communication in a more natural cadence. Another technique in AI integration is using sentiment analysis to check the mood of a user based on algorithms and differ the responses based on the appropriate sentiment. By weaving in these tactics, developers can more effectively mimic a traditional customer service agent with a conversational design that breaks down elements of interaction and reacts more fluidly to questions. To foster further empathy, maximum accessibility and inclusivity, chatbots should be equipped with the ability to translate and compute in non-English languages.
2 – Optimise for speed
IT resources and leaders don’t have time to spare in crisis-mode No-code or low-code frameworks are intuitive — meaning you don’t need to outsource to an IT team to dedicate months to building out a solution. Best of class out of the box integrations extend the solution even more, efficiently importing a system of records that decrease time to market.
3 – Implement omni-channel support
In times of remote work and stay-at-home orders, customers are using several channels to reach businesses. Because this can mean anything from a mobile device or tablet to a laptop or desktop, chatbot solutions must be easily integrated into any channel — including web, SMS, or any chat application such as WhatsApp. A multimodal, omni-channel enabled platform can provide meaningful connection at any moment through conversation that meets customers wherever they are. Pro tip: implement chatbots with voice capabilities to help ensure customers can talk if they prefer.
4 – Create a single, unified view across conversations
Data is essential to understanding the volume, frequency and content patterns of inbound questions and allows for a more personalised experience. Smart chatbot frameworks give insight into past interactions with users, gathering a more holistic view of the most important messages to be conveyed and how well they are coming across. Much like a customer service agent will go through training and try new techniques for better communications, chatbots get this ongoing training through data.
The dramatic impact that purpose-built AI has on customer service will be a key competitive differentiator in the coming years. Build solutions that reduce the time for users to get an answer – and don’t stop there. Keep building. Why? The unprecedented support needs of the last months will only increase this trend. With the critically improved customer experience offered when AI is effectively implemented, businesses cannot afford to fall behind.
Guest Blog by Vikram Khandpur, chief product officer, Sinch
from UC Today https://ift.tt/3gOQ3SI
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