Automate Customer Service Through Email
29 Nov 2023
5.5 min read
When we think of customer service automation, people tend to think about chatbots. But for most brands it’s not the simplest place to start a customer service automation journey. Embedding a chatbot requires a chat widget, which not all brands have, and it requires the chatbot to be set up to be effective. We’ve seen chatbots that send customers around in circles and try to route them to places they don’t want to go.
Instead, an easier place to start might be email. Let’s explain. In customer support, not all channels are created equal. One channel that sticks out like a sore thumb is email.
If a customer is on the phone to customer support, they have a specific expectation. The expectation is that they will speak to someone who will answer their request there and then. The same goes for live chat – the customer expects a customer service agent to be typing a response in the moment. By extension, the customer expects the chatbot to be able to answer the question there and then.
With email, the expectations change completely. When a customer sends an email to customer support, they want a quick response, but the parameters of what is “quick” change completely. A response within an hour on the phone would be unacceptable, but via email – hey that’s not so bad.
Because all most all support requests require some conversation back and forth, this can take even longer via email because customers don’t always respond immediately, so the conversation goes on for days.
Email can be annoying for a customer service team because it can slow down all of your metrics, and it sits there in the background getting in the way. That’s why it’s ripe for customer service automation, which can significantly enhance service quality.
Meeting customer expectations is crucial in email automation. Evaluating and refining automated systems ensures these services align with the rising demands and expectations of customers, thereby enhancing overall satisfaction and loyalty.
Introduction to Automated Customer Service
Automated customer service refers to the use of technology to handle customer inquiries and support tasks without direct human intervention. This can include self-service portals, chatbots, email templates, and large language models (LLMs). Automated customer service aims to provide efficient and effective support to customers, reducing response times and improving customer satisfaction. By leveraging automation tools, businesses can empower customers to find answers and solve problems on their own, freeing up human agents to focus on more complex issues.
Understanding Email Automation in Customer Service Automation
Email automation is a powerful tool that lets customer service teams provide fast, consistent responses. But what does it involve?
At its core, email automation uses AI to read incoming emails and respond based on set criteria. It’s like having an extra team member who never sleeps or takes breaks. Because it’s automatic, you can respond much faster at scale than a human could, meaning it’s easy to juggle multiple conversations at once. This allows customer service agents to focus on more complex issues and personalized interactions.
This approach can help with repetitive queries by providing immediate answers outside office hours. We have heard from customers who have this running that their own customers are amazed to be receiving responses out of hours, not realising that it’s an automated email.
Email automation helps provide customer support through various channels such as live chat, email, and social media, ensuring a seamless experience for both the support team and the customers.
Getting started with email can be easier than starting with chatbots because all you really need are some simple email templates that can be plugged into your customer service software or helpdesk.
Don’t be fooled by providing a catch-all automated email response that attempts to respond to every single possible customer query. Customers don’t like that – it’s not personalised and it’s not relevant.
AI can help by detecting the intent in the email and providing a more relevant automatic response, which you can create using your email template. This can significantly save time for your support staff, allowing them to focus on more critical tasks.
Benefits of Customer Service Automation
The benefits of customer service automation are numerous. Automated customer service can reduce labor costs, improve response times, and increase customer satisfaction. By automating routine tasks, businesses can free up human agents to focus on high-priority issues, improving the overall quality of support. Additionally, automated customer service can provide 24/7 support, allowing customers to access help whenever they need it. With automated ticketing systems and workflow automation, businesses can streamline their support processes, reducing manual workload and improving efficiency.
Live Channels vs Asynchronous Channels in Customer Service
The world of customer service is split into two camps: live channels and asynchronous ones. Live channels like phone calls or chats demand immediate attention, while email, an example of an asynchronous channel, doesn’t need instant response. Understanding each customer interaction allows teams to deliver better service and streamline automated customer service processes.
Chatting in the here and now with your customers is what live chat involves. It’s a bit like playing ping-pong - the quicker you respond to their questions or problems, the happier they’ll be. But there’s a catch - it can feel hectic for support agents juggling multiple conversations at once.
In contrast, emails allow for thoughtful replies that aren’t rushed by immediacy demands. Your team gets time to craft personalised responses which customers appreciate as per SuperOffice research. The downside? Slower response times may frustrate some clients who expect swift help.
Maintaining a human touch in customer interactions is crucial. While automation can handle routine tasks efficiently, complex issues still require the empathy and understanding of human agents to achieve optimal customer satisfaction.
For some customers, sending an email is a way of just ticking off a question and they aren’t expecting an immediate response. Obviously if you can get back to them quicker, you have more chance of getting to the bottom of the query and leaving them with a happy outcome.
A big advantage of email automation? Its ability to operate out-of-hours. Even if your support team isn’t working round-the-clock shifts yet (we see you night owls), automated responses let users know when they’ll get answers without leaving them hanging.
Implementing Automated Customer Service
Implementing automated customer service requires careful planning and execution. Businesses should start by identifying areas where automation can have the greatest impact, such as routine customer inquiries or support requests. Next, they should select the right automation tools, such as chatbots or email automation software, and integrate them with existing systems. It’s also essential to provide training and support to human agents, ensuring they can effectively use automation tools and provide additional assistance when needed. By empowering customers with self-service options and providing personalized support, businesses can improve customer satisfaction and loyalty.
Exploring Solutions to Common Frustrations with Email Automation for Customer Satisfaction
When people think of automated emails they think of impersonal auto responses, but there is no reason they need to feel so cold. If you can correctly detect the intent you can either route it to the right team to pick up when they come online, or if it’s possible you can even solve the customer problems within the automated system.
For example if an AI can connect to your carriers, it can find out what the status of an order is and can then answer questions related to that order. That means all WISMO queries that come in via email can start to be dealt with automatically.
Beyond that, you can start to bring in more personalisation. Using customer data effectively allows us to tailor responses and make them more relevant. You can even reference past interactions - all through automation.
Email automation is also effective in helping customers find answers quickly and efficiently.
This takes some work in building the workflows and if/then decisions to be able to respond effectively, but there is no reason why an email automation cannot follow the same basic steps as an agent, provided it can connect to the same systems.
Frustration also arises from slow response times with email automation, especially outside office hours. With email automation, there is no need to wait for an agent to become available, the automated system can respond immediately, enhancing self service support.
Measuring Success with Customer Feedback
Measuring the success of automated customer service requires collecting and analyzing customer feedback. Businesses can use key metrics such as response times, customer satisfaction, and net promoter score (NPS) to evaluate the effectiveness of their automation tools. By analyzing customer feedback, businesses can identify areas for improvement and make data-driven decisions to optimize their automated customer service. Additionally, businesses can use customer feedback to identify opportunities to improve their overall customer experience, such as providing more relevant information or improving the usability of their self-service portals. By leveraging customer feedback, businesses can continually improve their automated customer service, driving improved customer satisfaction and loyalty.
Conclusion
If you are looking to embrace conversational AI, you might want to test it on email first. The pace is slow, so it’s easy to speed up. The tickets there can be annoying for your team to always be aware of. Email automation can also enhance the customer journey by streamlining interactions at various stages, allowing for better data collection and personalized communication.
This can also be an opportunity. If a customer fires off an email, there’s a chance that by the time they get your response, they have forgotten about the issue and are no longer interested. By speeding up the back and forth you can keep them engaged and potentially make a sale.
Secondly, customers sometimes send emails because they don’t have the time or availability to sit on the phone during working hours. If you can stay on top of the email responses and respond quickly you can keep customers happy and engaged with your brand, fostering customer loyalty.
If you want to discuss how to use customer service automation in email effectively, make sure you speak to our team.
