5 Reasons to Introduce Chatbots to Your CX Strategy ft. Vodafone
Kevin Knowles is the Head of Contact Automation at Vodafone Group. Overseeing the company’s operations across 26 different markets, he is responsible for the development of automation in Vodafone Group’s Contact Centre and for driving a digital-first customer experience through the use of chatbots, robotic process automation, predictive care and customer satisfaction measurement.
Kevin spoke at the 3rd Edition of Customer Contact Week Europe, telling the story of how Vodafone Group is moving towards the future of customer contact through automation, chatbot and omni-channel capabilities.
In a recent interview, Kevin provides an insightful overview of their story so far. Here, we explore some of the key benefits of introducing chatbots to your customer service experience alongside some of the knowledge shared by Kevin in his interview.
Why are chatbots so important now? COVID-19 has highlighted the importance of connectivity, mobility and business continuity and how chatbots can do exactly that...
1. Chatbots can save businesses a significant amount of money
Companies already save up to 29% on agent salaries by employing chatbots instead. It is predicted that by 2022, chatbots will save businesses up to €7bn per year. However, while many fear that the introduction of chatbots will lead to a loss of customer service based opportunities for human workers, Kevin explain’s that in reality this is not the case. Chatbots also allow humans to take on tasks that technology can’t do. Kevin explains that at Vodafone, chatbots allow human agents to deal with more complex queries and, “add more value by giving expert advice about the products and services that Vodafone offers. Really, what we want is for our people not to be robots, but to be humans. We want our robots to do the mundane and simple work leaving our people with more time for the value added work.”
2. Chatbots can serve multiple customers at a time.
Humans can only pay attention to three to four processes at once without making mistakes. Chatbots are capable of handling thousands of customer queries and conversations at once. When human employees are expected to make a quota of x amount of resolutions a day, or are required to interact with multiple customers at a time they will naturally become more prone to mistakes. This will inevitably result in less satisfied customers and a greater cost to the company. The introduction of chatbots is a great way to relieve human employees to quantitative pressures and allow them to pay greater attention to more complex issues.
3. Chatbots can provide service 24 hours a day, 7 days a week
Chatbots don’t take breaks, make customers wait or get tired. They can answer customer queries instantly, day or night and outside of hours. It is natural for human agents to get tired, sick or require leaves of absence. Chatbots don’t experience any of these symptoms so can be relied on to provide service around the clock, across the calendar. This provides customers with access to instantaneous service at their convenience, as and when they need it.
4. Chatbots are constantly learning and updating
Chatbots are capable of gathering and analyzing a lot more data than humans can. This data can be used to improve products, services and the customer experience. While adhering to data protection laws, companies can instantly gather the information gained during chatbot interactions. With this data, they can make timely, responsive decisions to the way they operate. This can provide a significant advantage over competitors and create a responsive organisation that is always in tune with the wants, desires and expectations of their customers.
5. Chatbots assist in providing an omni-channel experience
Chatbot programming can be used in numerous ways because it is so flexible. Their technology can be used across products from email, to websites, social platforms and text. At Vodafone, where a chatbot named TOBi has been implemented specifically for this reason, Kevin explains that it is considered highly important that their customers have a consistent experience when they reach out to them. “Whether that contact comes through the call centre, chat, our app or in a retail store, we need to remember the customer’s information and previous interactions with us every time that they make contact.”
