1 Chatbots and virtual assistants

Chatbots and virtual assistants are software applications that use natural language processing and artificial intelligence to interact with customers via text or voice. They can answer common queries, provide information, guide customers through processes, and escalate complex issues to human agents. Chatbots and virtual assistants can be integrated with your website, mobile app, social media, or messaging platforms to provide 24/7 customer support. They can also learn from customer feedback and data to improve their performance and relevance.

2 Knowledge base and FAQs

A knowledge base is a centralized repository of information and resources that customers can access to find answers to their questions. It can include articles, videos, guides, tutorials, glossaries, and other content that explain your products, services, features, policies, and best practices. A frequently asked questions (FAQs) section is a subset of your knowledge base that covers the most common and urgent customer queries. A knowledge base and FAQs can be automated by using tools that generate, update, and optimize content based on customer behavior, feedback, and analytics.

3 Self-service portals and dashboards

A self-service portal is a secure online platform that allows customers to manage their accounts, preferences, orders, subscriptions, payments, and other aspects of their relationship with your business. A dashboard is a visual display that shows customers key metrics, progress, goals, and recommendations related to their usage of your products or services. A self-service portal and dashboard can be automated by using tools that sync data, send notifications, offer suggestions, and enable actions based on customer inputs and needs.

4 Feedback and surveys

Feedback and surveys are methods of collecting customer opinions, ratings, suggestions, and complaints about your products, services, or support. They can help you measure customer satisfaction, loyalty, retention, and advocacy. They can also help you identify gaps, issues, and opportunities for improvement. Feedback and surveys can be automated by using tools that design, distribute, and analyze questionnaires, polls, reviews, and testimonials based on customer segments, triggers, and channels.

5 Automation best practices

When using automation for customer self-service, it is important to carefully plan, implement, and evaluate your strategy. To do this, you should align your automation goals with customer needs and expectations. It is also important to choose the right automation tools and platforms for your business, taking into consideration features, functionalities, integrations, costs, and scalability. Additionally, you should test and optimize your automation processes and performance by monitoring and measuring the effectiveness, efficiency, and usability of your solutions. Finally, it is important to balance automation and human interaction by providing customers with the option to switch to human support when needed.