Feature: Why companies need to re-think their automated customer service systems

Angry at how your bank, insurance company, or service provider keeps sending custom or “straight” responses to your personal requests, huh?

Well, those custom responses and feedback are a product of automated systems and, more recently, Artificial Intelligence systems that pick suggestive words in your requests and provide the best possible replies.

While automated customer service systems can provide certain benefits, such as saving the organisations using them from the need for extra customer service staff, they also have several disadvantages that can impact the customer experience. Here are some common drawbacks to automated customer service:

Lack of personalization: Automated systems often lack the ability to understand and address the unique needs and concerns of individual customers. They typically rely on pre-defined responses and cannot adapt to complex or specific inquiries, leading to a less personalized interaction.

Limited problem-solving capabilities: Automated systems are designed to handle routine and straightforward issues. When faced with complex or non-standard problems, they may struggle to provide adequate solutions. This limitation can frustrate customers who require more in-depth assistance.

Difficulty with nuanced communication: Automated customer service systems typically operate through voice recognition or chatbot interfaces. These systems may struggle to understand the subtleties of human language, including sarcasm, irony, or nuanced questions. Consequently, customers may feel frustrated or misunderstood.

Lack of empathy and emotional support: Customers often seek empathy and emotional support when they reach out to customer service. Automated systems generally lack the ability to empathize or offer emotional assistance, which can lead to customer dissatisfaction, particularly in sensitive situations.

Inability to handle complex scenarios: Some customer issues may require human intervention due to their complexity or the need for critical thinking. Automated systems are generally limited to predefined scenarios and struggle to handle intricate or evolving situations, resulting in unsatisfactory resolutions.

Difficulty in resolving unique or uncommon problems: If a customer faces a problem that falls outside the usual range of issues handled by automated systems, it may be challenging for them to find a resolution. In such cases, the lack of human judgment and problem-solving capabilities can hinder the effectiveness of automated customer service.

Negative impact on customer experience: Customers often prefer interacting with human representatives who can understand their concerns, provide personalized solutions, and offer a human touch. Relying solely on automated systems can lead to a diminished customer experience, leading to frustration, dissatisfaction, and potentially the loss of loyal customers.

Where possible, it is important for organisations to adopt a blend of automated systems and personalized approaches to handling queries. Calls to customer service centers should not only limit customers to a particular set of service requests.

There must always be an option where a customer can reach out for personalized solutions. Tech tools may be great, but the human element of customer service must not be missed.

Article by: Ama Nyameye