Proactive Automation is the Next Step in eCommerce Customer Service
Support tickets regarding queries like “Where is my order?” are always an issue for eCommerce customer service teams. Given the supply chain problems the industry has experienced in recent months, this scenario might look familiar to you:
Your customer orders one of your products. On your website and in the confirmation email the estimated delivery time was approximately 3-4 days. A week passes and the frustrated customer gets in touch to ask what’s happening with their order. An agent then has to spend time tracking their order and resolving the complaint.
But what if the customer never has to reach out? That’s where proactive automation comes in.
What is proactive automation?
Proactive automation is where artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) automatically run solutions before issues persist and become bigger problems.
The innovative solutions developed by DigitalGenius create actions in AI workflows that run checks in the background of orders. If these checks match against specific criteria then it sends out emails or alerts regarding the issues.
Why proactive automation is better than reactive
When it comes to customer service, time is of the essence. According to HubSpot Research, 90% of customers rate an “immediate” response as important or very important to them.
When your business is dealing with high volumes of support tickets, it makes it very difficult to fulfil that expectation…
Not only that but if customers feel the overall experience is a bad one, roughly half of them are likely to switch to a competitor, according to Zendesk.
Image source: HubSpot Research
However, these are problems that come with using a reactive approach rather than a proactive one. Reacting to customers puts your customer service team on the back foot.
By using proactive automation, your customers are less likely to get in touch since potential issues are identified and dealt with beforehand.
As such, proactive automation provides a natural evolution of your automation processes.
How your business (and customers) can benefit from proactive automation
So, now you know what proactive automation is and how it compares to the more traditional reactive approach to customer service. But what does that mean for you?
Now, we’re going to cover some of the most obvious benefits for eCommerce customer service teams.
Less incoming support tickets
In the scenario we gave in the introduction, if proactive automation had been in place the AI would have recognised that the order was being delayed at some point in the chain.
The system would then have the opportunity to investigate the issue with the carrier and give the customer the details they need, meaning they never raise an issue in the first place.
As a result, your customer feels informed and valued and your customer service teams get fewer incoming support tickets.
Better brand reputation
Customer service is the key to a great brand reputation.
In fact, 78% of customers say they will forgive a company’s mistake if they receive excellent customer service and 92% of them are more likely to make another purchase as a result.
Image source: Salesforce
Moreover, according to the Qualtrix XM Institute, 94% of customers are highly likely to recommend a company if they’ve rated their customer experience as “very good”.
Therefore, it’s easy to see how using proactive systems of automation can lead to a better brand reputation.
Better insights
Customer interactions create data that, as a business, you can use to measure a number of key metrics. These measurements provide you with opportunities to gather insights and make positive changes.
With proactive automation in place, you can also gain data insights on how many problems actually occur in the chain rather than just the ones customers report. With enhanced insights, you can spot patterns and make better decisions for your business.
Start using proactive automation with DigitalGenius
Using AI-driven automation helps your customer service teams solve problems faster and more effectively.
With the help of proactive automation solutions by DigitalGenius, you can help solve your customers’ issues without them ever needing to contact customer support.
As a result, your eCommerce business will benefit from fewer support tickets (and therefore more time for agents to work on complex cases), better brand reputation, and better data insights.
