Should You Use a Robot for Your Customer Service?

customer service

It is now more important than ever to use artificial intelligence (AI) and chatbots in the customer service department. More than AI, you should also begin experimenting with the use of actual robots in delivering quality services to your customers. How many times have you received complaints about how your customer service staff treated the customers? Shouldn’t they be the ones solving these problems? And yet, the majority of the complaints about your staff are centered on them.

This shouldn’t come as a surprise to business owners. Customer service personnel are incredibly stressed and pressured. They often find themselves at the receiving end of threats and rants. This is why it’s important to understand the role of technology in delivering quality service to customers. Yes, it’s time to integrate robotics in your customer service department.

Customizing Your Own Robot

You don’t need a robot akin to what you see in the movies. They don’t have to look realistic. Robots in customer service can be something as simple as an app or an integrated platform. It can also be a process in your actual store where the customers have to interact with a machine. Companies that provide printed circuit board prototype assembly services can customize a robot for you. The robot can either be fully or semi-automated. It depends on the depth of customer service you want the robot to provide on your behalf.

What Type of Services Should the Robot Offer?

At the very least, the robot should offer a way for the customers to air their grievances. They should provide a platform where the customers will feel heard. They need to know that someone from the company will hear about their complaints and will do something about them. But that’s only at the basic level. More advanced robots should be able to provide an instant solution to non-complex customer problems.

For example, a customer complained about the quality of the material of the products. Depending on the store’s return and exchange policy, the robot should be able to give the customer information on how to proceed with returning the item or product. Some robots might even have the capacity to “accept” the returned item and issue store credits or process the return of payment to the customer’s card.

employees working

Convenient, Ease of Use, Practicality

Here are three reasons you should use robotics in your customer service. Number one, it is convenient both for you and your customers. You don’t need to hire someone to deal with customer complaints. The robot will do that for you. It’s a one-time upfront payment. The good thing about this is it will stay with you forever. Retention is about regular maintenance, but you do not have to renegotiate the terms of an employment contract to retain its services.

It’s also easy to use. People are increasingly comfortable with the idea of interacting with robots. They’ve transitioned from cashless self-checkout counters to conversing with chatbots to interacting with robots in a short span of time. Then, of course, using robots in this day and age is practical. They save time and money. They stretch your meager resources and provides more opportunities for better service.

Human-robot Combination

The future of customer relations depends on this human-robot combination. It will be the saving grace of customer experience. Sure, some customers demand human interaction today, but they will soon realize the advantages of having robots attend to their needs and wants. Not only are robots available 24/7 for them to complain to, but they’re in a position to address basic to complex complaints. Wouldn’t customers want that kind of service?

The use of robots in customer relations isn’t completely without human interaction. Most of these robots will call on actual humans if the process becomes too complicated for them. If they cannot “solve” the customers’ complex problems, they’ll have to escalate that problem to an actual person who can deal with it.

In short, there is still a human connection, only that they come last in the hierarchy of customer service relations. Customers should have the option of interacting with either the robot component of your customer service or an actual person who can address more complicated situations.

The future of customer relations will be dependent on the connection between robots and humans. The rise of robots in this particular industry is necessary for the growth of every organization. Companies can provide better service because of robots. At a time when this sector is experiencing high turnover and recruitment difficulties, business owners will benefit from the use of robots. They can provide stable and more sustainable growth.

About the Author

Share this on

You might like

Scroll to Top