Automated customer service is everywhere we look. When grocery shopping, we see it as self-checkouts. When we call our credit card company about a concern, we hear it as an interactive voice response (IVR). When we email a business, we usually see it as an automated reply, and when we are online, we often see it as a customer service chatbot.
Yet despite its prevalence, automated customer service has many pitfalls that can hinder the quality of the work it’s designed to help with, whether through technical issues or by causing customer frustration.
Technical Issues
Any automated solution is subject to technical issues, such as software glitches, system failures, and security issues. These problems can make the automated system difficult to use (if not unusable) and even lead to security concerns about sensitive data, harming a business’s trust and reputation.
System Downtime
Most automated systems require downtime to install updates or perform regular maintenance. These periods can disrupt workflows and slow down customer service, frustrating customers and customer service agents. This downtime can have even more serious implications for companies that rely solely on automated systems to serve their customers. Customers experiencing issues will be left without any form of assistance, which could have cascading adverse effects on a business.
Inability to Respond to Complex Queries
While technology has dramatically improved the handling of complex tasks and queries, not all customer service automation systems can handle every problem or query that comes their way. These systems are often built with automated responses. When a customer comes to an automated service with a query that is not easily resolved or available in the automated response catalog, it can lead to issues resolving the problem promptly. The system may even become a barrier to getting human support.
The inability to respond to complex problems is a significant pitfall as most people don’t go to a customer support system with a simple issue like figuring out how to maximise your gains with spins when playing at an online casino or how a return policy works. They are more likely to go to customer service with an issue about their personal information or a problem with a product or service offer that requires more complex reasoning and problem-solving.
Lack of Human Connection
Though we’re in an increasingly digital world, a lack of human connection from companies, especially in customer service, can become a major drawback. In multiple surveys, the vast majority of people—75% to 80% of them—prefer working with a real person when trying to resolve an issue, so much so that people are more likely to opt for a service provider that uses real customer service agents than one without. Because of this, a company relying on automated customer service could hurt its ability to gain and retain customers or clients and ultimately hurt its bottom line.
Lack of Empathy
When customers reach out to customer service, it often means they are encountering a problem and are hoping to be met with empathy and understanding over the frustration, worries, and other emotions they may be experiencing. While automated customer service can address the issue, it doesn’t express empathy or understanding for the situation—which can add insult to injury. In situations where customers are experiencing negative emotions, which happens more often than not, it can further contribute to the negative emotions, impacting customer satisfaction and sentiment towards a company. These impacts can ultimately harm a company’s reputation and its overall performance.
Customer Frustration
The frustration caused by being sent unhelpful links, navigating an automated system they’re unfamiliar with, being unable to speak directly to a person, or being given automated responses that don’t address the issue a customer is facing understandably causes feelings of frustration. It can lead to customers giving up on getting a resolution, costing a company their business. Alternatively, by the time a customer can get through to a real person, the customer service agent is now dealing with an agitated or irate customer and has a far more difficult job in resolving the issue. The frustration customers feel can also be compounded by the other pitfalls we’ve already discussed, making this an essential concern to address for any company using or considering automated customer service.
Why Are Automated Customer Service Options Used?
Upon reviewing these challenges, it’s easy to question the use of automated customer service options. While they certainly have drawbacks, they can also offer features that make them beneficial when implemented effectively. An automated system can free up customer service agents to deal with more complex issues more quickly, be far more efficient than a person, and be available 24/7. These abilities can help lower operational costs and prevent a backlog of frustrated customers waiting for support, even if the system isn’t always perfect.
Additionally, automated systems can provide accurate data about customers and their issues. This information allows companies to improve by making more evidence-based decisions to better serve their customers, whether it’s addressing the quality of a product or updating customer service responses to better meet customer needs.
Modern Customer Service Programs Require a Careful Balance
Considering the positives and the negatives of customer service automation highlights the need for companies to take the time to create the right balance of automation and real-person assistance. This could mean having an attendant nearby to assist with any concerns for self-checkouts. For IVR or chatbots, this could involve creating an option to speak directly to a person from the beginning of a customer interaction, or it could be a solution unique to the company. Regardless of how companies create a balance, doing so can deliver quality customer service that leaves customers with a positive sentiment about the company and gives customer service agents more time to complete their tasks, creating a positive situation for everyone involved.
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