As a B2B organization, your support infrastructure plays a key role in the customer experience you provide your clients. Today, this means providing fast, high-quality service that’s also personalized. Automated tools powered by artificial intelligence do a great job of decreasing resolution times and allowing your clients to take advantage of multi-channel support. But what about personalization? Relying too heavily on automation can make your clients feel less like partners and more like numbers.
Fortunately, there are ways to automate your support operation and still give your clients the unique customer experience they need. It may require some adjustments, but it’s well worth it in the long run. You’ll retain loyal clients and grow your business reputation. Let’s go over several ways to use automation and also provide personalized support.
Be Transparent About Your Automated Tools
In the modern business world, people are very familiar with digital support channels. They interact with them regularly. The last thing your clients want is to feel like they’re being tricked. That’s why it’s better to be upfront about the customer support automation tools you’re using. For example, if you’ve integrated an AI-powered chatbot, let them know this tool is there to provide fast, automated support and that an agent is available if the interaction falls flat. When it comes to automated email follow-ups, your messages shouldn’t lead the client to believe a live agent is on the other end. Your clients will appreciate your honesty. Plus, they’ll know what support channels to avoid if they need assistance from a live agent.
Use Automation to Learn More About Your Clients
You have to understand how your clients behave if you want to provide personalized support. This means learning how they use your product, knowing when they typically need support and what channel they prefer when communicating with your team. This is an area where artificial intelligence shines. These tools can track client behavior so your agents can provide proactive service that caters to each clients’ particular needs. Furthermore, automation can help deliver personalized answers depending on a client’s issue. For example, if a chatbot session is taking place and the client needs more information, they can receive a direct link to product resources. Or, the chatbot will automatically transfer them to an agent who can answer their questions.
Ensure Your Agents Still Play a Vital Role
In a support environment, automating everything is a big mistake. This will effectively take the personalization out of your service and make your clients feel disposable. Instead, let your agents use customer support automation tools to their advantage. This will change their job roles up a bit, but after a short adjustment period, your support team will operate like a well-oiled machine. The goal is to have your agents control and supervise the customer service process. When a client isn’t getting what they need from an AI-powered tool, an agent is waiting to take over. In addition, automation will put client information at your agents’ fingertips, which means they can provide a more personalized experience every time.
Make Automation and Personalization Work Together
You can’t afford to ignore the power of customer support automation if you want to remain competitive. You also can’t afford to neglect personalized service. Use the tips above and make both work to your advantage.
PhaseWare can help automate your operation with B2B customer support software. Contact us today to learn more.
