CUSTOMER SERVICE
Adoption of conversational AI in social customer service
The digital retail realm is a bustling space with over 3.6 billion users worldwide. It is a vast ocean of opportunities and challenges for businesses. Amidst this sea of connectivity lies the paramount task of addressing customer concerns effectively. Social media platforms are a primary space where customers voice their opinions and concerns.
The social media challenge for customer service
The prevalence of social media usage underscores the need for companies to engage effectively with their audience. Understanding this dynamic landscape is crucial for companies aiming to resonate with their customers. However, the sheer volume of content poses a challenge in promptly responding to genuine customer issues.
The power of social media in shaping customer perceptions is evident. According to Forrester, one-third of Americans have used social media to complain about a brand or its customer service. Companies that actively engage in social customer service witness positive trends, as evidenced by a 7.5% year-over-year increase in customer retention rates, according to the Aberdeen Group. This indicates a growing recognition of the impact social media has on customer satisfaction and the necessity for proactive engagement on social platforms.
Conversational AI: Transforming social customer service
Conversational AI has emerged as a revolutionary tool, enabling real-time analysis and responses to social media posts. Gartner predicts that by the end of 2023, 90% of customer service interactions will rely on AI-driven solutions. This technology has offered a proactive approach to customer engagement.
Retail giants like Amazon have embraced conversational AI to enhance customer interactions. Chatbots deployed on social media platforms efficiently handle customer queries, provide product recommendations, and streamline the shopping experience. This has contributed to increased customer satisfaction and improved brand loyalty.
Travel and hospitality industries have harnessed conversational AI to redefine customer service. A hotel's social media chatbot assisting with reservations, providing local recommendations, and swiftly addressing guest queries, not only helps streamline the guest experience but also enables hospitality businesses to maintain a strong online presence and engage with travellers in real time.
Metrics driving success in social customer service
Measuring the effectiveness of social customer service is essential. Key metrics to help benchmark and improve performance include:
Response Time: A majority of consumers anticipate a response within 24 hours when they engage with brands on social media. Conversational AI significantly reduces response times, transitioning from hours to seconds.
Customer Satisfaction (CSAT) Scores: Implementing AI in customer service correlates with a 15-20% increase in customer satisfaction, as reported by Harvard Business Review.
Issue Resolution Rate: Real-time interaction becomes crucial, with 64% of customers expecting companies to respond promptly.
Sentiment customer service metric: Most used quick replies, most received topics, positive and negative sentiments – tracking these metrics tells a lot about what the customers think and helps brands to optimise customer service.
Implementing conversational AI in social customer service
To successfully integrate conversational AI into social customer service, businesses should follow these steps:
Set Clear Objectives: Identify specific challenges and goals, such as improving response times or overall customer satisfaction.
Train Your Team: Equip your customer service team with the necessary skills to collaborate effectively with conversational AI.
Continuous Monitoring and Optimization: Regularly review and optimise your strategy based on customer sentiment and feedback.
Operating outside of business hours: A customer service chatbot can be implemented on websites and social messaging platforms. They can provide self-service options to empower customers to problem solve on demand. These tools can be used appropriately to meet the expectations of consumers contacting a brand at night or over the weekend.
Make it easy: Customers seeking online assistance are generally not interested in dialling a call centre. The best customer service is experienced when there is minimal to no friction on the customer’s side. This issue can be addressed by having a readily accessible primary point of digital interaction.
Personalisation: Maintaining a human touch through personalised greetings proves to be highly effective when delivering service on a digital platform.
As companies navigate the complex waters of social media, conversational AI emerges as a pivotal tool for steering them towards effective customer service. As customer care champions, the aim is to capture and deepen customer loyalty.
Adopting AI in customer service empowers teams to build a strategy for solving customer queries over social media and have a competitive advantage.
