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There are times when the need to transition the conversation from a chatbot to a human agent to resolve complex customer queries is imminent. There are other times when the agent could be completely left out of the map, as the chatbot takes care of 100% of all requests. And there are other times when a chatbot can support the tasks of human agents. Whatever the case, we must ensure that there are fluid processes that provide a personalized and consistent customer experience.
Why it's important to have a frictionless transition
Frictionless interactions between assistance bots and human agents are crucial for providing high quality customer service. This is due to several reasons:
- Improve the customer experience: With a “smooth” transition, the customer doesn't have to repeat the information they already provided to the chatbot, saving time and avoiding frustration.
- Increased service efficiency: By allowing the chatbot to handle the simplest queries, human agents can focus on more complex questions and provide a better service.
- Reduce costs: Automating tasks with a chatbot can be cheaper than having a team of human agents working 24 hours a day.
- Increase agent satisfaction: By allowing the chatbot to handle repetitive tasks, agents can focus on more challenging and varied queries, which can increase their job satisfaction.
How to achieve a smooth bot-agent transition
To ensure that the transition is smooth, it is essential that the customer knows when they are talking to a chatbot and when they are being transferred to a human agent. Some ways to do this are, for example, to give a different name to the chatbot and the agent, this can help customers recognize when they are talking to each one. Another way to facilitate the transition is to allow the customer to request to speak directly with a human agent at any time during the conversation with the chatbot.
It is also important that the assistance bot is integrated with the company's contact system and CRM. Agents must have access to the chatbot's conversation history in order to continue the conversation smoothly. This can be achieved, for example, by means of a summary of the conversation sent to the human agent when the transfer is initiated so that they have context about what has already been discussed.
Another way to achieve a frictionless transition is for the bot to literally fulfill the role of assistant in the interaction. By using predefined answers suggested by the chatbot, agents can select the ideal answer and send it to the customer. For example, if the customer mentions the competition and their lower prices, have the chatbot suggest the products that fall within the mentioned category and the price range that the customer is interested in.
Step by step to implement a hybrid ecosystem
Step 1: Define the purpose and objective of your support bot
It's crucial to be clear from the start what role your chatbot will play in your operation. Will it be an assistant that works together with your human agents? Or will it be a stand-alone tool that will handle most requests? Defining the purpose and objective of the chatbot will help you determine what functions it should have and how it will interact with your customers.
Step 2: Design logical conversational flows
An efficient chatbot must be able to understand and respond to customer questions and requests in a consistent manner. Design logical conversational flows that guide the customer to the right solution and avoid generic or irrelevant answers.
Step 3: Use artificial intelligence technologies
Artificial intelligence technologies, such as natural language processing and machine learning, can significantly improve your chatbot's ability to understand human language and provide accurate answers. It's worth investing in these technologies to create a more advanced and efficient chatbot.
Step 4: Incorporate transfer options to human agents
Although chatbots are capable of handling a wide range of queries, there will always be situations where a human agent can provide a better answer. Make sure to include options so that customers can be transferred to a human agent in case the chatbot can't resolve their query.
Step 5: Test and continuously improve
It's important to test your chatbot before launching it and to keep doing it regularly to identify areas for improvement. Listen to feedback from your customers and make adjustments to your conversational flows and technologies.
While not necessarily every interaction needs to have a transition, it's important to have a clear strategy for determining when and how it should be done. It is important to clearly define the tasks that the assistance bot can perform or improve and which will be handled by human agents.
InConcert is a leader in the design of contact and artificial intelligence solutions. Write to us to learn more about how we can help you improve the experience of your customers and agents. Together, we can create exceptional customer service that meets the needs of your business.
