Automation can deliver a 40% jump in customer satisfaction—proving its value in keeping customers satisfied.

In this article, we will explore the automation tools you need to deliver exceptional service. We will also discuss what you should consider when choosing the ideal one for your business.

By the end, you will have the extra know-how to build lasting customer loyalty and business success with efficient customer service tools. 

5 Best Automation Tools To Drive Customer Service Efficiency

Review your current customer service strategy and spot where automation can save time or make your customers happier. Then, see which of these tools fits those needs perfectly.

1. Glassix

Glassix combines advanced AI with a user-friendly design to make us a go-to for customer service representatives who want to work smarter. Our GPT-4-powered AI also analyzes conversations in real-time to suggest responses that simplify customer interactions and make onboarding easier for your team members.

We also offer a unified inbox. You can use it to handle conversations across multiple channels without missing a beat. With these features, you can get valuable feedback to help your team understand what your customers expect and create a smoother, more satisfying customer experience. 

You can also use our platform to deploy a chatbot to give automated responses to common queries while gathering customer feedback to improve service quality. This lets your customer service agents focus on more personalized, high-value interactions.

Best For

E-commerce businesses deal with a flood of questions about orders, shipping, and returns coming from multiple channels like email, social media, and live chat. Juggling it all can be chaotic, so it’s no surprise that 80% of e-commerce startups don’t make it—but that’s exactly where Glassix shines.

Our unified inbox keeps everything organized in one place, so no message slips through the cracks. With this streamlined setup, your team can respond faster, stay on top of customer needs, and create a seamless shopping experience that keeps buyers coming back.

Also, SaaS companies can benefit because they face a constant flow of technical questions that demand fast and accurate answers. Our GPT-4-powered real-time suggestions can help your team deliver spot-on solutions. Plus, auto-tagging takes the guesswork out of prioritizing by automatically sorting issues into categories, so critical problems get tackled first.

Price

• Starter: $49/user/month
• Growth: $65/user/month
• Enterprise: Contact the team
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2. HubSpot Service Hub

HubSpot Service Hub lets you juggle a growing customer service team without increasing headcount. It creates a single workspace to manage customer concerns seamlessly, using skills-based routing to connect the right rep to the right issue every time.

With built-in AI, features like reply recommendations and assistants also help your team close tickets faster to cut down on poor service experiences. Plus, it lets you integrate with HubSpot’s customer relationship management (CRM) to give your team a complete view of every customer’s journey.

Use this unified insight to build stronger customer relationships by delivering personalized, helpful support at every step.

Best For

You can thrive with HubSpot Service Hub’s integrated CRM if you have a real-estate business or anything similar. Managing a large database of company contacts, buyer-seller relationships, and deal progress is effortless with a unified view of every interaction.

Also, the skills-based outing ensures inquiries about properties or contracts go to the right rep, while built-in AI tools help your customer service team deliver faster. For example, when a buyer inquires about a specific property, the system routes it directly to the rep managing that listing to guarantee a quick, informed response.

Nonprofits also benefit significantly when managing donor inquiries, volunteer sign-ups, and fundraising campaigns. HubSpot’s AI-driven reply recommendations also help teams respond quickly to questions about donation processes or event details, making sure no opportunities are missed.

Price 

• Marketing hub starter: $15/mo/seat
• Starter customer platform: $15/mo/seat
• Marketing hub professional: $800/mo
• Marketing hub enterprise: $3,600/mo
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3. Hiver

Hiver makes email management a breeze, helping your customer service representatives focus on what matters most: creating satisfied customers. Its AI bot, Harvey, summarizes lengthy emails into quick, actionable notes, so your agents can rejoin a customer interaction with full context. 

Harvey also auto-closes conversations with simple “thank you” responses to save your team from wasting time. It also provides tailored email templates based on your customer’s needs, giving your customer service representative the flexibility to customize responses for a more personalized touch.  

But make sure your automated messages still sound human—no one likes robotic emails. Use AI humanizer tools that add natural language and warmth to make your communication feel personal and engaging to customers.

Your supervisors also benefit since Harvey offers summaries that give a clear view of escalations. With this, you can help yourself and other team leaders to make swift decisions and track customer contacts effortlessly. 

Best For

Hiver shines in businesses like event management companies and recruitment agencies, where managing a flood of daily emails is critical to success. For example, event planners can use Harvey to summarize lengthy client requests or vendor discussions. It lets teams address details like venue changes or catering updates with full context.

Plus, Harvey AI can make it easier for these business types to re-engage clients and candidates by suggesting tailored email templates for follow-ups, like checking in with a potential client after an event proposal or reconnecting with candidates about new job openings.

Price

• Free
• Lite: $19/user/month
• Growth: $29/user/month
• Pro: $49/user/month
• Elite: Contact the team
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4. Sprout Social

Sprout Social makes managing social media interactions easier and more effective. With people spending an average of 151 minutes daily on social media, this tool can help your team deliver exceptional customer service right where your audience spends most of their time. 

Its Automated Inbox Rules categorize and prioritize inbound messages from platforms like Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram. 

With this, you can make sure your team responds to the most pressing issues first. Sprout Social also has Suggested Replies to help you cut response times in half and build a community of happy customers across your social media channels. 

Sprout also excels at gathering insights to strengthen brand loyalty through social media. It lets you offer automated surveys after every interaction to measure NPS® and CSAT scores. Use these tools to analyze customer feedback and pinpoint areas for improvement to provide a consistent social media support experience.

Best For

Sprout Social is a perfect fit for online retailers and hotels or resorts, where social media is crucial for building trust and driving decisions. For the former, customers often turn to platforms like Instagram and Facebook to:

• Browse reviews
• Make purchasing decisions
• Ask questions about products

For the latter, social media serves as a first point of contact for potential guests seeking quick responses about availability, amenities, or promotions. This makes Sprout Social a tool to help them create a strong first impression and influence bookings.

Price

• Standard: $199/seat/month
• Professional: $299/seat/month
• Advanced: $399/seat/month
• Enterprise: Contact the team
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5. Salesforce Einstein

Salesforce Einstein transforms customer service systems with its proactive AI agent. It can help your customer support team resolve issues faster by automating repetitive tasks, like follow-ups and case updates, to reduce the risk of poor customer service.

Additionally, Einstein’s advanced algorithms optimize schedules and routes for field technicians. It considers skills, location, and job details to guarantee timely resolutions. 

Salesforce also has AI-generated summaries of case resolutions and customer interactions that let your agents work smarter. Predictive and generative AI further enhances personalization to help you build loyal customers through consistent, impactful support.

Best For

Salesforce Einstein is a game-changer for field service companies, like Prime Time Window Cleaning, where optimized scheduling and precise routing are crucial. Its advanced algorithms can assign the closest, most qualified technician to each job to cut travel time and delays. This keeps operations smooth and ensures customers get fast, reliable service.

For large-scale enterprises, Einstein’s ability to generate AI-powered summaries of case resolutions and automate repetitive tasks makes it indispensable. These features help your customer support team handle large volumes of inquiries efficiently to guarantee smooth operations and improved overall productivity.

Price

• Starter suite: $25 /user/month
• Pro suite: $100/user/month
• Enterprise: $165/user/month
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Finding The Perfect Fit: Factors To Consider When Selecting An Automation Tool

Highlight the must-dos for each factor and brainstorm with your team to find the tool that fits your needs and makes delivering excellent customer service a breeze.

1. Scalability

Scalability is your tool’s ability to grow with your business. It guarantees that as you take on more customers or expand your services, the tool can handle the increased workload without sacrificing good customer service or slowing down your processes.

Why is this important?

Without a scalable tool, your customer service professionals might feel overwhelmed, causing slower response times and frustrated customers. A scalable automation tool ensures your service standards stay high, even as you grow. Plus, it allows you to align with your long-term business goals, so you’re not constantly switching tools or processes as you scale.

How To Check

Look at case studies. Check how the tool performed for other businesses managing a growing customer journey.

Also, test the tool under pressure. To do this, simulate a high-volume scenario to see how well it handles spikes in activity. For example, let’s say you run a luxury rental business like Soprano Villas.

Summers often bring a surge in booking inquiries and customer questions about amenities or availability. Simulate this seasonal high-demand period by flooding the system with inquiries to test its response time and efficiency. In this niche, where service standards play a huge role in customer satisfaction, this stress test is needed to avoid bottlenecks during busy seasons.

Lastly, check if it offers flexible plans or additional features to accommodate growth. For example, check if you can easily add advanced analytics or AI-powered chatbots to keep up with your growing customer base and evolving support needs.

2. Customizability

Instead of forcing your team to work around a rigid system, a customizable tool molds itself to your workflows. With this, you can guarantee smoother operations and better results. 

Why should you think about this?

Customizability matters because every business has different goals, workflows, and customer expectations. A tool that is not flexible can limit your team’s efficiency and even hurt your customer service performance. 

Suppose your business needs to send personalized follow-ups to existing customers. A tool that does not allow customizable templates can slow down your team. In contrast, a customizable tool empowers your team members to work in a way that feels natural and efficient.

How To Check

Test workflow creation. To do this, map out one of your current processes, like handling customer inquiries or follow-ups, and see if the tool lets you replicate it without extra steps or workarounds. Check if it’s easy to add, remove, or adjust steps as needed.

Additionally, verify that it connects seamlessly with your current software or other tools you are using. For example, if you are in the medical industry, check if your automation tool integrates with your EMS logistics software. See how they can work together to let your customer service teams efficiently provide real-time updates to patients and families. 

You should also check if you can edit to meet your unique communication style and service needs. So if you have an e-commerce business, make sure you can customize email templates for order confirmations or shipping updates to match your brand’s voice and specific service needs. 

3. Collaboration Features

These features, including real-time updates, shared task tracking, and the ability to leave comments or notes within the system, are designed to help your team work together seamlessly. Use them to make sure everyone, from your customer service rep to a team leader, stays in sync.

Also, collaboration features are needed to build a team with strong customer service skills. When team members can share insights, tag each other in tasks, and review progress together, they provide faster, more accurate responses to customers.

For example, if a customer has a complex issue, a rep can loop in a colleague with specialized knowledge in seconds. Without these features, communication gaps can prompt delays or errors, which can frustrate both your team and your customers.

How To Check

You should check if your customer service teams can tag others in comments or assign tasks for smooth handoffs. Also, see if the tool provides shared dashboards or a centralized view of team progress.

Review the notification settings too. Make sure it alerts team members about updates without overwhelming them. You should also look for built-in messaging or integration with tools like Slack to enable quick and easy communication.

4. Cost & ROI

A tool that costs less upfront but does not improve efficiency significantly or help your customer support teams deliver great customer service can cost you more in the long run. Without considering costs and ROI, you risk losing money and missing opportunities. 

For example, if an automation tool reduces response times, streamlines workflows, and boosts customer satisfaction, it is not just paying for itself—it is helping your business grow. On the flip side, a tool with hidden fees or limited functionality could drain resources without delivering results.

How To Check

Estimate how much time your customer support teams will save and how that translates into cost savings or higher efficiency. To do this, track how long repetitive tasks currently take, like responding to FAQs or assigning tickets, and compare it to the time the tool can automate these processes.

Review all costs too. So check the setup fees, training, and potential upgrades to make sure you are getting full value.

You should look at competitors offering similar features and see if the value they deliver justifies the price difference. Lastly, check if the tool comes with active customer support to reduce downtime and help your team maximize efficiency.

5. Trial Options

Trial options can be a free trial, demo, or pilot program that lets you explore the features and see if the tool fits your needs.

Why do you need to consider this?

A trial gives you firsthand experience with the tool’s capabilities and shows you whether it can truly help your team in providing excellent customer service. Without trying it out, you might invest in a solution that looks good on paper but falls short in practice.

For example, a tool can claim to improve response times, but during a trial, you discover that its interface slows your team down. A trial is your chance to identify red flags and confirm that the tool aligns with your workflow and goals.

How To Check

Assess if the trial period is long enough (15 days, 30 days, or more) to test key features and simulate real scenarios. Then, use a trial to evaluate the provider’s support. Plus, during the trial, replicate daily tasks to see if the tool integrates smoothly with your team’s processes.

Suppose you are testing an automation tool to handle high-volume customer inquiries. Make sure the trial runs long enough to cover a busy week. Use this time to test features like ticket routing and response templates, and evaluate how quickly the provider’s support team resolves any setup issues.

Conclusion

Now let’s wrap up and get you ready to make a decision. Gather your team to pinpoint where automation can make the biggest difference to improve your customer service. Then, evaluate which tools fit your needs and tackle high-priority areas first.

Prioritize what aligns with your goals, test thoroughly, and implement changes step by step for maximum impact. But make sure you monitor if your chosen tool is creating the improvement you expect. 

To get you started, partner with Glassix. You can use our platform to unify your inbox and create chatbots to make it seamless to communicate with your customers and address any issues swiftly. Sign up now and let’s make your brand more efficient.