Introduction

Today's customers are tech-savvy and want more out of their experience with brands. Nobody wants to manually pick up the phone and dial customer support for every question they have. They'd rather dig into self-serve materials or interact with a chatbot if it promises to give speedy answers on demand. 

To cater to their needs and scale your customer support efficiently, invest in customer experience automation. It allows businesses like yours to quickly scale a consistent customer experience across multiple channels. 

In this article, we'll discuss the concept of customer experience automation, its benefits, and examples of areas where you can implement it.

What is customer experience automation?

Customer experience automation (CX automation) is an approach to customer service that leverages automated processes and AI-powered technologies to provide a more personalized, efficient, and cost-effective customer experience. 

For instance, a Zendesk report found that AI-driven experiences are becoming more seamless, with conversational AI at the forefront of customer empowerment. These technologies enable businesses to do the following:

• Respond quickly and effectively to customer inquiries
• Streamline service operations
• Automate data collection and analysis
• Reduce manual labor costs
• Gain valuable insights into customer behaviors
• Provide 24/7 support to their customers 

In short, it's about leveraging technology to make the customer experience faster, easier, and more enjoyable for both customers and the business.

How does customer experience automation work?

There are four components of customer experience automation:

1. Unify CX data channels: It’s hard to know what your customers want if you’re not tapping into the channels they’re interacting with you on. Instead of running a fine-tooth comb through each channel, connect your data sources with Dashbot and surface multi-channel insights.
2. Segment the data: Segment data based on different parameters like demographics, channels, customer behavior, customer preferences, etc. Use your entire customer lifecycle to find personalizable attributes to categorize your data.
3. Use data for personalization:  Once you've segmented the data, use that to personalize support and campaigns going forward. It allows you to offer each customer the right content and support without too much effort.
4. Automate CX: Use artificial intelligence (AI) powered platforms to automate the support process to relieve the burden for your CX teams.

The idea is to use machines or software programs to handle routine customer inquiries and support requests, freeing human agents to focus on more complex or strategic customer issues. 

The process starts with businesses implementing automation software like chatbots and virtual assistants. These solutions provide customers relevant and timely information, guidance, or support. Once implemented, it interacts with customers across various channels, such as websites, mobile apps, social media platforms, and messaging apps. Based on these interactions, the data can be added to a customer experience dashboard to further process, analyze and provide excellent customer experiences.

Ultimately, it helps map the entire customer journey, making it easy to measure customer satisfaction metrics across different channels.

What are the benefits of CX automation?

Here are a few benefits of automating CX in your organization:

Create a more efficient customer support team

Automation handles routine tasks, freeing staff to focus on more complex or strategic issues. It streamlines workflows and reduces response times, leading to a more efficient customer service operation. Instead of tackling the same support requests repeatedly, identify the most asked customer queries and automate the resolution process.

For instance, if your chatbot indicates that a customer has a known issue with a product feature, trigger an automation to redirect them to a knowledge base article or video to troubleshoot it.

Deliver consistent and error-free experiences

With too many customer support reps on your team, you run the risk of delivering an inconsistent experience—especially when there are no clear guidelines in place. With automation, that’s not the case anymore.

It eliminates human errors and inconsistencies, ensuring customers receive consistent and accurate responses to their inquiries. It improves customer satisfaction and reduces the risk of negative feedback.

Offer personalized experiences at scale

A 2021 report found that 71% of retailers that invest in personalizing their customer service have seen at least a 4X return on their investment. It shows the power of collecting and analyzing customer data to create personalized experiences tailored to each customer. It improves customer engagement and customer loyalty with your brand—increasing the likelihood of repeat business.

Ensure 24/7 availability to all customers

It allows businesses to provide around-the-clock customer support without human intervention. It improves customer satisfaction and reduces the risk of missed opportunities or lost revenue.

An excellent example of this would be to use AI-powered chatbots. You can use trigger-based automation to offer relevant answers to customers that raise a ticket.

Automate only what you need to automate

A future-facing McKinsey report found that in 60% of occupations, 30% of tasks can be automated. So, only automate tasks that'll benefit from being automated. Plus, automation can be easily scaled up or down as demand requires, making it a flexible solution that adapts to changing business needs. It reduces costs and improves operational efficiency while always meeting customer needs.

Examples of customer experience automation

Here are a few examples of channels where you can automate your CX:

Chatbots

Chatbots are automated tools that can answer queries, provide product information, or take orders. They benefit businesses that want to offer 24/7 customer service without hiring additional staff. They can quickly respond to customer inquiries and provide accurate answers while freeing up employees' time for more complex tasks.

Businesses are increasingly adopting chatbots powered by new technologies such as LLMs and GPT-4 by training them on the company's specific data and then providing customers with an authentic and branded experience.

Interactive Voice Response (IVR)

IVRs allow customers to quickly access the necessary information without waiting on hold or speaking with a customer service representative. Customers can use their voices to select options and get answers to their questions, allowing them to resolve issues quickly and easily. This is popular with companies that use landlines/mobile phones as a support channel.

Automated emails or texts 

Automated emails and texts are among the most efficient ways to contact customers. Whether you need to send out reminders for upcoming appointments or provide updates about new products or services, automated emails, and texts make it easy to reach your customers quickly and efficiently. It's particularly useful for onboarding, transactional emails, and chatbot-based support.

Plus, automated messages can be customized with specific information that will ensure your customers get the information they need when they need it.

Customer surveys or reviews

Surveys gather customer feedback about your products or services and more specific information about individual experiences. By collecting this data, you can tailor your offerings to better meet your customers' needs. Do this via automated surveys sent via email or within the product whenever a customer completes an action.

CRM integrations

Customer Relationship Management (CRM) integrations allow businesses to connect their CRM software with other systems, such as social media platforms or messaging apps. It helps them easily track customer interactions and engagements across different channels and gain valuable insights into touch points between customers and their brand—allowing them to tailor their services better to meet each individual's needs.

Agent Assist

Agent Assist is a new AI-powered technology that supports customer service representatives by providing real-time assistance during customer interactions. Leveraging the capabilities of large language models like GPT-4, it comprehensively understands and processes customer queries, delivering accurate responses and relevant information instantly. This cutting-edge tool  empowers agents to resolve issues more efficiently, while keep a human in the loop (the agent) to approve outputs from the AI and continually train the models.

Embrace CX automation to future-proof customer service operations

CX automation is the future of customer service and can be embraced now to future-proof customer service operations. It helps create a more efficient customer support team, delivers consistent and error-free experiences, offers personalized customer experiences at scale, and ensures 24/7 availability to all customers. 

You don't necessarily have to automate all processes—focus on what you need to improve most or identify the gaps in your services for starters. For instance, redirect customers to self-service options for common queries, and automate the triaging process or the feedback analysis. 

Are you interested in learning how to begin identifying automation use cases with Dashbot? Book a demo with us today.

FAQs for Customer Experience Automation:

1. What is Customer Experience Automation (CXA)?

Customer Experience Automation (CXA) uses technology to optimize a customer's interaction with a business. CXA is typically used for repetitive tasks such as user verification, appointment scheduling, and feedback collection. This technology saves businesses time and money by reducing the number of customer service representatives while providing customers with the prompt service they deserve.

2. What are examples of CXA?

CX automation includes automated chatbots, IVR, customer surveys, automated email campaigns, and self-service portals that allow customers to access information and complete tasks independently and easily. Businesses can create a more efficient, seamless, and satisfying customer experience through automation.

3. What are the benefits of Customer Experience Automation?

By automating repetitive tasks, businesses free up time to focus on more complex and meaningful interactions with their customers. Plus, it helps businesses provide more consistent and personalized experiences by gathering data and insights about their customer's behavior and preferences. It increases customer satisfaction and loyalty, as customers feel heard and understood.

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