How to Increase CSAT and Drive Customer Engagement with Digital Assistants

One of the most important things a company can do is prioritize customer satisfaction. In industries with many competitors offering similar products and/or services, customer service will almost always be a differentiating factor worth investing in for your organization.

It is crucial that your customers receive the service they expect, on their terms, in their own language. In fact, companies that prioritize the customer experience generate 60% higher profits than those who do not .

Not only does impeccable customer service put your business ahead with a great reputation, but it also has tremendous financial benefits. Customer retention and loyalty remain a massive factor in the financial success of your business.

Customer satisfaction also has an impact on attracting new customers. Customers will sometimes share positive customer service experiences, but are much more likely to share negative ones. As a result, when it comes to customer loyalty, providing those positive customer service experiences is what helps set companies apart.

Improving CSAT and Customer Service Operations

As the customer service landscape evolves, customer expectations grow. With so many businesses offering immediate support, any length of wait time frustrates customers. A Forrester report on customer service trends shows we have already stepped into the era of automated, smarter and more strategic customer service. This is why it is more important than ever to keep up with your competitors and customer expectations.

According to a survey by Userlike, 65% of customers would prefer to be helped by a chatbot immediately versus waiting for a human agent. This shows that customers are welcoming Conversational AI into the customer service environment. Userlike also found that the majority of customers perceive the deployment of a bot as innovative. Customers are becoming more welcoming of Conversational AI and as they do, they begin to expect the immediate help it brings. As chatbots and virtual assistants become more common, customers will expect their favourite global brands to have it as a customer support channel, and may view the lack of one as a flaw in customer service.

Best Practices for Customer Engagement with Digital Assistants

Conversational AI will surely improve your customer’s experience if it is done correctly. There are many things that can be done to ensure your customers get the best experience possible.

Make it visible

To start, it is always a good idea to make your bot easily accessible. It is good practice to place your bot noticeably at the bottom of every page of your website, or in the contact us section. This will ensure support is just one click away. Convenience is the main reason customers will choose a bot over a human agent. Therefore, it is essential to make your bot as available and helpful as possible.

Be upfront, it's a chatbot

When a conversation with your bot is initiated, it is important to introduce and identify your bot as a virtual assistant and give it a natural, human-like tone that is representative of your brand. It will impact how the customer will interact with your chatbot, so be straight with them. Don't hesitate to even guide them as to what the chatbot can and cannot do for them.

Technology can have a personality

A chatbot with a personality engages the customer and sets your brand apart. Keeping a customer engaged ensures they use your conversational AI and will help build trust and rapport between your organization and customers. Very few businesses have the guidelines in place for crafting conversational experiences, you might want to train your team or hire a consultant to help you update it. It will make a difference if the messages sent by your digital assistant fits with the medium of instant messaging. We have seen some faux pas where organizations send messages the same way they write emails or even webpage copy.

Keep the humans in the loop

If you are not familiar with the term "human in the loop", it's simply the concept of an agent taking over the conversation when it becomes impossible for the chatbot to handle. In a customer support context, we always recommend having a fallback option with an available agent during your business hours.

In the past, achieving high levels of customer satisfaction may have seemed like an unrealistic dream. However, as technology evolves, customer satisfaction is more attainable than ever. Loyal and satisfied customers will not only have a positive impact on your bottom line revenue but will help attract new customers and accelerate growth.

One surefire way to ensure your customers are happy is to deploy Conversational AI that will help them quickly and on their schedule. After all, happy customers are crucial for business success.

Customer Support Doesn’t Have to be Hard to Scale

Limited resources are by far one of the biggest barriers to creating a robust customer support strategy. Because CS often requires direct interaction with customers on an individual level, it can be difficult to scale in a cost-effective way.

While many businesses focus on their customers in the early stages of their development, when businesses begin to grow more rapidly, it becomes difficult to keep up. Companies may solve this by expanding their CS team. However, this can be difficult to do in a cost-effective way. A customer support chatbot can come in handy to take care of the simpler and repetitive requests to allow your support team to focus on the more complex situation at hand.

No matter how good your products and services are, the growth of your company could be in danger if you don't offer an outstanding customer experience.