Research shows that 90% of us crave an immediate response when a customer service question pops up. Traditional customer service methods, known for long wait times and frustrating phone menus, fail to keep up. That's where customer service automation steps in.

Smart use of automation in customer service can help you efficiently expand your support capabilities without sacrificing the quality of service your customers expect.

In this article, we'll uncover the benefits, examine real-world examples and show you how companies use customer service automation software as a part of their customer service strategy.

What is customer service automation?

Customer service automation is the use of technology to streamline how companies handle customer inquiries and support tasks. Instead of relying solely on human agents, businesses can use AI customer service software powered by technology like chatbots and self-service portals.

These tools can handle a significant portion of customer interactions without direct human involvement, offering several advantages:

• Faster resolution: Customer support automation enables the instant resolution of common issues, freeing up the customer service team to dedicate their expertise to handling more complex cases.
• Improved efficiency: Automation streamlines the process by sorting, classifying and directing inquiries to the most appropriate resource.
• Enhanced agent performance: Automated systems provide customer service agents with relevant information, leading to quicker and more accurate responses.
• Cost reduction: Automating repetitive customer service tasks frees up agents from routine work and allows them to focus on more complex issues, reducing the overall cost of customer service.
• 24/7 availability: Customers can access help whenever needed through self-service options, which leads to higher customer satisfaction.
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However, implementing customer service automation effectively requires careful planning. It's crucial to:

• Identify suitable tasks: Focus on automating routine and well-defined tasks while allowing customers to easily connect with a human agent for complex situations or those requiring individual attention.
• Test and monitor: Continuously monitor automated systems to ensure they meet customer needs.
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Customer service automation: 7 examples

Here are seven customer service automation examples:

Chatbots

Chatbots are AI-powered virtual assistants that can automate routine inquiries, answer FAQs and provide basic troubleshooting steps. By handling routine inquiries, chatbots give your support team more time to solve complex customer problems.

With Glassix, you can make your own chatbot:

• Drag-and-drop flow builder: Build smart chat conversations with a drag-and-drop interface. No coding skills are required.
• Pre-built templates: Launch your chatbot fast with pre-made templates for common questions. These templates are your starting point for creating smooth chat experiences.
• Natural language processing (NLP): Glassix chatbots use natural language processing (NLP) to interpret customer inquiries accurately, no matter how complex they seem. This lets them have natural conversations and resolve issues quickly.
• 24/7 availability: Glassix chatbots offer 24/7 support, so your customers always get the help they need anytime, anywhere.
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Conversational AI

Conversational AI allows computers to simulate natural conversations with humans. It combines machine learning and natural language processing to understand user intent, answer questions and complete tasks.

Glassix empowers you to build a smarter, more efficient customer support system with the power of conversational AI. Here's how:

• Streamline everyday tasks: Design and deploy chatbots to handle routine inquiries such as answering FAQs, troubleshooting common issues and scheduling appointments. This lets your customer support agents focus on complex cases and deliver personalized customer service.
• Personalize interactions: Connect Glassix to your CRM and let chatbots use past customer data and purchase history. This will allow you to have more relevant and helpful conversations with your customers, creating a more positive customer experience.
• Collect and analyze data: Gather valuable customer insights during conversations and analyze this data to spot trends, optimize chatbot responses and continuously refine your overall customer support strategy.
• Enhance agent productivity: Equip your support agents with real-time suggested replies based on the context of the current conversation. This AI-powered assistance allows agents to respond to inquiries faster and more accurately, boosting their productivity and reducing resolution times.
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Conversation tagging

The key to getting the most out of your conversational AI lies in conversation tagging. These tags act like keywords, categorizing customer interactions to reveal valuable insights. Inaccurate or inconsistent tagging can lead to misidentifying core issues or missed opportunities for improvement.

Conversation tagging holds the potential to become a strategic advantage. Here’s how:

• Automated tagging: Leverage AI-powered suggestions during interactions to minimize human error and ensure consistent tagging across all conversations.
• Enhanced accuracy: Refine your tagging system, identify recurring topics, pinpoint problem areas, and gain a clearer picture of customer needs.
• Data-driven decisions: Make informed choices backed by accurate customer sentiment analysis, which will lead to better experiences and increased satisfaction.
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Product recommendations

Personalized product recommendations leverage customer data to offer targeted suggestions, increasing the likelihood of a purchase and boosting customer satisfaction.

Glassix goes beyond basic recommendations to deliver a personalized experience that boosts sales and customer satisfaction. Our customer service software is specifically designed to streamline e-commerce businesses:

• Deeper customer insights: It isn't just about past purchases. Analyzes a broader range of customer data, including browsing behavior, search history and past interactions. This comprehensive approach paints a detailed picture of each customer's preferences and needs.
• Smart recommendations: By leveraging this rich customer data, Glassix recommends products that complement what a customer is already viewing. Let's say, someone is looking at a specific dress. Glassix might suggest shoes, handbags or jewelry that would create a complete and stylish outfit, encouraging the customer to add more items to their cart.
• Increased sales and satisfaction: When recommendations feel personal and relevant, customers are more likely to make a purchase. They'll appreciate the curated selection that saves them time and effort. This leads to increased sales and fosters customer satisfaction and loyalty.
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Ticket routing

The first step to resolving a customer inquiry efficiently is ensuring it reaches the right agent. Ticket routing is the process of directing customer inquiries (questions or requests for help) to the most qualified team or agent to solve their problem. Here's how we can help you with that:

• Smart routing engine: Our system goes beyond simple keyword analysis. We use advanced natural language processing (NLP) to understand the nuances of your customer's message. This includes identifying the specific issue, its urgency and the customer's sentiment – are they frustrated, confused or simply seeking information? Considering these factors, we can route tickets to the agent with the most relevant expertise to address the problem quickly and effectively.
• Reduced misrouting: We automate the ticket routing process using pre-defined rules based on your specific needs. These rules can consider factors like product type, inquiry category and agent skillset. Our system also leverages real-time data analysis, allowing it to adapt and learn from past interactions. This minimizes misroutes, ensuring your agents aren't bogged down with irrelevant inquiries.
• Improved agent efficiency: Deliver relevant tickets directly to qualified agents and reduce time spent sorting through irrelevant inquiries. By eliminating the need to sort through irrelevant requests, you free up your agents' valuable time. This allows them to focus on solving customer problems quickly and efficiently, leading to higher first-contact resolution rates and improved overall customer satisfaction.
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Appointment booking

Customer service frustration often stems from the back-and-forth of scheduling appointments. Wouldn't it be easier if customers could book their own time directly? Customer service and support automation will allow them to do just that, leading to:

• Reduce phone calls and emails: Free up your team's valuable time by allowing customers to book appointments directly through a user-friendly interface.
• Increase flexibility: Offer appointment scheduling outside regular business hours, catering to busy customer schedules and boosting convenience.
• Minimize scheduling errors: Eliminate the back-and-forth of confirming dates and times through an automated system that displays real-time availability.
• Improve customer satisfaction: Empower customers with self-service options and provide a seamless scheduling experience, leading to higher satisfaction rates.
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Customer feedback analysis

Customer feedback is a goldmine of insights, but manually analyzing it can take time and effort. Here's where automation comes in:

• Identify trends and recurring issues: Use sentiment analysis and topic modeling on feedback data and automatically uncover recurring issues and areas for improvement.
• Prioritize customer concerns: Categorize and prioritize issues based on severity and frequency. This ensures you're focusing your customer service efforts on the problems that matter most to your customers, optimizing your entire operation.
• Personalize responses and resolutions: Leveraging customer feedback to train chatbots to address frequently asked questions and offer relevant solutions.
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How is customer service automation benefiting these 4 companies?

These four companies saw big improvements after implementing Glassix for automated AI customer service:

Bezeq

Bezeq, a front-runner in communications, implemented Glassix to automate their customer service, and the results are impressive:

• Reduced workload and faster resolutions: Bezeq's Glassix-powered chatbot deflects 35% of technical inquiries, freeing up agents for complex issues. This demonstrably shortens resolution times for both simple and complex problems.
• Cost savings and efficiency: Customer service automation with Glassix led to a 5% decrease in manpower, resulting in cost savings and a more streamlined operation.
• Always-on service: Unlike human agents, the chatbot provides 24/7 support, ensuring customers can get help whenever needed.
• Seamless experience: Glassix integrates with Bezeq's existing support portal. This created a smooth and unified experience for their customers, who don't have to jump through hoops to get their assistance.
• Proactive problem detection: The chatbot monitors customer routers in real time, identifying potential issues before outages occur.
• Smart scheduling: If a physical problem is detected, the chatbot can automatically schedule a technician visit, eliminating the need for the customers’ involvement.
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Holmes Place

Holmes Place, a fitness club chain with over 140,000 members, faced a surge in inquiries after pandemic closures. To streamline communication and reduce wait times, they implemented Glassix unified messaging platform. Here's how it transformed their customer service:

• Reduced call volume and faster responses: Glassix chatbot handles 35% of member inquiries on WhatsApp and soon via live chat, eliminating the need for phone calls in many cases. This significantly reduces wait times and frees up agents for more complex issues.
• Convenience and efficiency: Members can conveniently reach Holmes Place through their preferred digital channels – WhatsApp, Facebook Messenger, Instagram and live chat. Glassix centralizes inquiries across all 53 clubs, ensuring efficient routing and quick responses.
• Improved member experience: The chatbot provides instant information on business hours, health regulations, class schedules and administrative matters. They get the answers they need quickly and conveniently, leading to a more efficient and positive experience.
• Happy members, happy staff: Reduced call volume lightens the load on agents, allowing them to focus on personalized support. This, along with the positive feedback from both members and club managers, highlights the success of Glassix in creating a win-win situation for everyone.
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Estee Lauder

Estee Lauder, the brand's visionary founder, believed in the power of spreading the word among women. Her motto, "Telephone, Telegraph, Tell a Woman," emphasized the importance of personal connection.

Estee Lauder embraced the digital age by implementing Glassix unified messaging platform. Here's how it transformed their customer service:

• Effortless omnichannel customer support: Customers can reach Estee Lauder on their preferred platforms (WhatsApp, email, Facebook Messenger, Instagram), with WhatsApp emerging as the most popular choice (over 70% of inquiries).
• Empowered agents and faster responses: Estee Lauder's customer service team can handle multiple inquiries simultaneously, streamlining communication and exceeding customer expectations with faster response times.u
• Personalized service and deeper customer insights: Glassix provides agents with a complete picture of each customer's interactions across all channels. This allows them to deliver personalized advice, answer product questions specific to the customer's needs and assist with orders seamlessly.
• Seamless internal workflows: Integration with their CRM system ensures seamless communication and streamlines internal workflows for order tracking and returns.
• Business continuity: Glassix ensured uninterrupted service during the pandemic, even with increased online traffic.
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Hertz

Hertz, a global leader in car rentals, boasts over 11,500 locations in 170 countries, including the Dollar and Thrifty brands. As the world moved digital, Hertz needed a way to keep pace with evolving customer preferences.

Here's how Glassix's unified messaging platform transformed Hertz's customer service:

• Seamless multi-channel support: Customers can conveniently reach them via their favorite platforms – WhatsApp, email, Facebook Messenger or live chat. This caters to the digital-first generation and provides a smoother, more convenient way to get the service they need.
• Maximized efficiency and enhanced experience: Glassix's chatbot tackles a high volume of inquiries daily, freeing up agents for complex issues. Combined with 24/7 self-service, this significantly improves service speed and empowers customers to get help when needed.
• Expanded digital services: Customers can handle accident claims directly with the legal department through platforms like WhatsApp or Facebook Messenger.
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Ready to wow your customers?

Customer service automation isn't about replacing human interaction entirely. It's about creating a seamless experience that empowers customers to get the help they need whenever they need it. 

Automation in customer service streamlines routine tasks, enabling immediate and convenient support for your customers. This frees up your support team to focus on complex issues, delivering personalized interactions that build stronger relationships.

The results speak for themselves. Companies like Bezeq, Holmes Place, Estee Lauder and Hertz have significantly improved customer satisfaction, agent efficiency and overall operational costs after implementing customer service automation strategies.

Ready to automate customer service yourself? Get started with Glassix today and see how automation can help you wow your customers.

FAQs

Why is automated customer service good?

Automated customer service offers several benefits: Faster resolutions for common issues, freeing up agents for complex problems Increased customer satisfaction with immediate, convenient support options Improved efficiency through streamlined processes and 24/7 availability Reduced costs through automation of repetitive tasks.

How do you automate customer experience?

Customer experience automation involves using automated customer service tools like chatbots, AI and self-service portals to handle inquiries, answer questions and complete tasks.

What is CX automation?

CX automation, or customer experience automation, is the umbrella term for using technology across different channels (website, email, phone) to streamline and improve the customer journey at every touchpoint. Customer service automation, which tackles things like answering FAQs or resetting passwords, is a big part of CX automation.

What are the disadvantages of automated customer service?

While automation offers many advantages, there are also some potential drawbacks: Frustration for customers who prefer human interaction for all inquiries Inability to handle complex issues requiring human empathy and judgment Importance of careful design and implementation to avoid impersonal experiences.