Business is Going To Fluctuate — Automation Can Help

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With markets ping-ponging, a global health crisis expanding by the day, and political uncertainty, many businesses are feeling uneasy (at best) about the future. Companies around the world are scrambling to meet the changing needs of customers on a timely basis, maintain responsibilities to employees, and of course, try to stay profitable.

Customer support channels have been flattened by inquiry volumes compounding at exponential rates, and customers are desperate for answers they simply cannot access. An automation-first strategy can help today, and will also give your company flexibility in turbulent times, neutralizing costs without compromising customer satisfaction.

Maintaining the Integrity of Your Customer Service

Quality customer service is the biggest differentiator in customer retention. Ninety percent of us have left a business because of poor customer service, and the need for outstanding support will continue to rise as we enter what appears to be a period of prolonged instability ahead.

By automating your support, you can personalize the customer experience from the start. A smart, AI-powered chatbot can recognize a client and their unique history when they initiate a query, and using their personal habits with the company, make smart suggestions for solutions. In fact, many companies find that seventy-five percent of inquiries can be handled completely by a chatbot. Especially in times of crisis, this gives your support staff and your broader team a chance to focus on the most mission-critical work, and to troubleshoot any crisis-related issues that may have arisen.

Don’t Be Caught Unprepared

With the global health crisis that has risen from COVID-19, many industries have seen a recent uptick in customer inquiries; none more so than the travel and tourism industry. Already notoriously-long phone queues have been compounded by the spike in cancellations and inquiries about flight safety.

Utilizing an automation-first strategy in your customer support can be a steadying tactic for your business in times of financial insecurity. During periods of economic recession, consumers are far more likely to be conservative with their purchases. Factoring in the effect of poor customer service on retention rates, this combination can be a death blow to businesses in economic downtimes.

With high CSAT scores from automating your customer service, your support agents are freed up to take on a more value-added role in your business. Knowing that they don’t have an endless queue of phone inquiries looming over their heads, the customer service team can take the time to develop meaningful connections with essential clients.

Explore Options Now, Not When You’re In Crisis

Having the foresight to recognize that at some point or another—whether it be by recession, or global health pandemic, or political turmoil—that your business will be rocked by factors outside your control is the start of transforming your business for the automated age.

If you wait until your business is in crisis mode to automate your customer service, you may have already lost valuable customers. It is important for organizations to be forward-thinking, not only to future-proof your business, but to make sure that you’re competitive in the years to come. As more businesses move towards automation, being caught with the poor customer service strategies of the past will drive your customers to competitors, and that’s a crisis no one wants to face.

Mike Murchison
Mike Murchison, one of Forbes’ Top 30 under 30, is the CEO and Cofounder of Ada, a venture-backed AI-powered platform that is transforming how businesses around the world, including TELUS, Upwork, and AirAsia, provide customer service. Before Ada, Mike answered tens of thousands of customer service inquiries manually firsthand. Using this experience, he set out to build Ada’s platform that puts the benefits of AI into the hands of non-technical support teams to build, manage, and track ROI-driving automated customer experiences.

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