Experience is big business. Delivering an exemplary one has been the driving force for digital transformation, as organizations of all sizes have sought to provide a better experience for users, both internal and external. It comes as no surprise then, that businesses were estimated to have spent in excess of 500 billion on technology and services for customer experience alone in 2020.
Are companies losing sight of the person in the user?
On the one hand, this is great to see, and demonstrates how more and more companies are becoming customer centric. On the other, investing in lots of new softwares does not always automatically deliver a great experience, whether it’s for customers or employees. As a recent McKinsey article noted, this “can easily turn into a race for the latest ‘breakthroughs’ and tools, regardless of whether they help solve problems in a way that customers will value.”
There’s also an internal user issue. While customers are critical, if the internal user experience is not up to much, then businesses could struggle to keep employees engaged and productive. Long term, this could have an adverse impact on service levels, undermining whatever customer experience gains the new tech delivered.
Any new tool needs to be easy to use for everyone – a truly great user experience – and it needs to be implemented to solve problems above all else.
How the evolution of chatbots is changing user experience
The evolution of chatbots is a good example of this. When first deployed, there was often a sense among customers that artificial intelligence-driven messaging services were designed to keep customer service costs low, to prevent them from speaking to a human agent and actually resolving their issues.
While this was absolutely not the case, it was frequently noted that it was very much the perception. Part of this was down to the then-limitations of the technology. As a relatively new solution, customers were not used to it, particularly when it came as part of a clear trend to steer people away from contact centres through the increased use of live chat and web self-help.
Now, of course, AI chatbots are becoming an increasingly important part of the customer service mix, in sectors as varied as social housing, healthcare, financial services and retail. The usage statistics bear out the growing user acceptance of these services – one housing agency recently reported that its AI chatbot handled around 11,000 customer queries in 12 months. That’s 30 interactions a day that its relatively small contact centre team didn’t need to be involved in.
And this wasn’t about just pushing those customers into an arbitrarily decided ‘complete’ category; the provider’s customer satisfaction scores averaged 89% across the year, demonstrating that users were happy with the service they received from the chatbot.
Why chatbots mean augmenting, not replacing, people
Crucially, this doesn’t mean companies can do away with human agents. Deploying chatbots is about augmenting existing resource, not replacing it or using them as an excuse to cut back. The housing provider has achieved what it has because it properly prepared the bot with upwards of 800 potential questions and answers in the system, yet this does not cover all eventualities – just the most straightforward ones. Live chat and telephone channels have to be in place to handle complex or emotionally charged queries.
AI’s job hasn’t finished, however. As part of an intuitive triage process, the chatbot can gather intelligence and provide the agent with as much relevant data as possible to assist them with their customer interaction. From gathering the basic details of the issue or query, through to sentiment analysis of the language the customer is using, the AI can prepare the agent before they talk to the customer. No more frustration at having to repeat themselves, or feeling like they are being passed from one department to another; the agent is empowered with the correct information to solve the customer’s problem as quickly and thoroughly as possible.
Prioritising internal and external users
This goes back to the point about ensuring a high level of service for both internal and external users, where the experience of one is not hampered to deliver that of the other. This is critical – employees that are better able to focus on the job in hand, and are supported by technology, are more likely to deliver a greater level of service, which in turn is the foundation for a good customer experience.
We’re at a pivotal moment in the experience industry. A variety of trends such asan increasing demand for self-service, more intuitive technology, powerful personal devices and greater acceptance of a variety of different communication channels, are all converging to create a paradigm shift. A shift in which the user is front and centre, and that every solution deployed, whether chatbot, live chat, social channel, voice or web, is working in tandem to ensure that everyone enjoys a great experience.
