How Voicebots Can Scale Your Customer Service Efforts

Customer service has always been an ever-evolving effort to perfect the customer experience. Almost all of us have had at least one frustrating experience with phone-based customer service, if not more. And then companies try to solve the issue with IVRs, which only fight half the battle. 

Enter the voicebot, an AI-based model that can speak with humans, understand natural language, and utilize data to deliver human-like answers in response. Some people think of them as the next generation for the outdated IVR system that no one was ever that fond of, while others consider them something else entirely. 

Regardless of what you think of them, voicebots are poised to change the way businesses handle customer service and support. Here’s what you need to know. 

What are voicebots?

Voicebots, also known as AI voicebots, virtual assistants, chatbots, or voice assistants, are computer software programs that are capable of using AI and machine learning (ML) to interpret user queries and commands and then react or respond accordingly. 

Their use of natural language processing (NLP) and machine learning technologies allow these bots to interpret things like intent and context to provide more relevant, useful answers. Voicebots also allow for personalized interactions like never before. The biggest features of these AI tools include:

• Personalization 
• Natural language understanding 
• Contextual awareness
• Learning capabilities 
• Omnichannel integration
• Automation
• Reporting and analytics

As technology continues to evolve, so do these AI tools, making them an essential part of every customer support strategy. What can voicebots do for you?

Provide customers with convenience 

Many people today prefer using chatbots and virtual assistants for self-service as opposed to interacting with a real person when they reach out to a company. When you have this option available, you’ll give people what they want. You’ll also provide a solution that delivers answers on their time, which is a big selling point for people in the service arena, too. 

Deliver 24/7 support 

Voicebots don’t need breaks. They also don’t earn a huge hourly wage, so they won’t cost you a fortune to keep on the payroll 24 hours a day. When you are competing in today’s global landscape, response times are everything. Using a voice assistant or chatbot to connect with users first can resolve a lot of issues without human intervention. And for those who do need a real person, they’ll be directed to the right channels. 

Reduce response times and handle high call volumes 

When and where you implement a voicebot will make a difference, too. If you get a lot of general inquiries or calls from customers, a voicebot can take some of the workload and make sure that your human agents are only engaged when necessary. Voicebots respond faster, provide more direct answers, and can field call volumes that people can’t even fathom. 

All this works in your favor, showing your customers (and leads) that you’re responsive and have customer service solutions that meet their needs. 

Voicebots can grow with you 

In business, having the right tools to scale your growth is essential. Too often in the past, companies were forced to adopt new tools and abandon old ones with each new growth. Today, that’s not necessary. Voicebots and other AI solutions are designed to grow with your business and be scaled to the exact solution that you need. This allows you to deliver a solution now and continue to do so in the future. 

You can even use your voicebot to predict customer service trends and needs in the future if you want. These AI bots can glean insights from a lot of useful data to help you make business decisions and more. 

Personalized assistance 

People today love having personalized, tailored experiences with the businesses they interact with online and in person. They want someone to look at them as an individual and deliver the personalized service they desire. When you invest in a voicebot, you can deliver that and so much more. 

Voicebots can track previous interactions and engagements to deliver better solutions in the future. It can even reference previous interactions to give customers peace of mind that they’re getting the individual support they desire. 

Increase efficiency and cost-effectiveness 

Voicebots are a lot more affordable than a staff of customer service reps (CSRs). Even outsourcing doesn’t offer the same affordability and efficiency because there are still humans involved. Don’t get us wrong – you do need human agents available for your customers. However, when you have a voicebot, you can resolve a lot of issues before people get to an agent, delivering a more cost-effective, efficient solution for customer service. 

Improved data collection and aggregation 

Companies collect thousands of bytes of data on a regular basis. Much of it sits around, untouched and unused, or at least it used to. With the power of AI, you can now cultivate all that data to gain valuable insights about your customers, customer service process, and other elements. You can use this data to improve the customer experience from end-to-end, anticipating customer needs and delivering a proactive support solution. 

Speaking of scalable solutions, why not partner with Smith.ai for everything you need?

At Smith.ai, we’ve always taken pride in our ability to deliver a comprehensive solution for our clients. We know that you have a lot on your plate and your time is valuable. As AI has evolved, we’ve embraced it and are rolling out our very own AI voice assistant to help you deliver the solutions your customers need. 

Let us take care of the details so that you can focus on the deals and the customers who are interested in them. 

We’ll also provide a 24/7 answering service to ensure that you never miss any of those customers, too, and make sure that it’s ready to scale with you as you grow. 

To learn more, schedule a consultation or reach out to hello@smith.ai.