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Expert Answers to Biz Questions
Listen in! Pick up some expert advice to a reader's question that we selected from CyberSchmooz.
The Pros and Cons Of Customer Service Automation
No business, however, large or small, can afford to ignore or pay mere lip service to its customer service offering. Having strong customer service foundations allows you to clear up customer concerns quickly and efficiently, as opposed to having customers who are unhappy at your response to their initial concerns. The advent of social media has made customer service even more important, as unhappy customers can rapidly spread their feelings among thousands of followers, but advancing technology also provides business owners with ways of streamlining and improving their customer experience through the use of customer service automation. As with all business solutions, it has its pros and its cons, so let's take a look at them now:
PRO: Quicker Responses Whenever They're Needed
We live in an increasingly fast-paced world, and the business world is also becoming ever more competitive. That means that if you don't provide a speedy and helpful response to a customer you risk losing them forever, with the added danger that they could also tell their friends or social media contacts, creating a bad news story. Automated customer service solutions ensure that your helpdesk provides a speedy response to any query, and it also means that your business can be contacted on any day, at any time, which is particularly useful if you have customers across the globe.
CON: Lacking the Personal Touch
Customers can sometimes resent automated systems because they feel that they lack the personal touch, or they prefer to contact somebody who works directly for the company the concern relates to, rather than their query being answered by an external service. This can be overcome by selecting an automated solution which provides a speedy and yet relevant and well-informed response. High quality automated replies can still have the warmth and understanding that customers need, so it pays to take the time to find an automated system that meets your requirements.
PRO: Easy Monitoring of Customer Concerns
If you're a large or expanding company you may have to deal with lots of customer contacts on a daily basis, and in that circumstance, it's easy to lose track of progress made in response to complaints, or even whether they've been responded to at all. Automated software solves this problem as it logs complaints in real time and allows you to see exactly what stage responses are at. They can also be used to produce detailed reports, meaning you'll have a much better understanding of customer concerns relating to your product or service.
CON: Difficult for Customers To Use
Nothing could be easier than phoning a customer service representative in the relevant company and speaking to them there and then, rather than having to select from a series of options or be left waiting for a live chat with an online helpdesk. That's why smart businesses put ease of use as one of their automated customer service priorities, and with the right service selected, it doesn't have to be difficult or frustrating for customers at all.
PRO: Cut Down on Recruitment Costs
Recruiting customer service staff can be costly and a very time-consuming process, especially if you have a large turnover of staff meaning that the process has to be repeated. Automated solutions mean you can offer high-quality responses without the need to recruit in-house, and that can bring significant savings over time.
Selecting a superior quality automated customer service helpdesk can help negate or avoid some of the cons associated with customer service automation. Having the right system in place can free up time and resources that could be better used to grow your business, whilst still improving the customer experience. It seems likely, therefore, that more and more businesses will be turning to an automated solution.
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