Customer service automation in e-commerce – chatbots, voicebots and AI in practice

E-commerce customers expect fast, efficient and round-the-clock service. The number of online transactions is growing every year, and traditional methods of responding to enquiries or complaints may prove insufficient. In response, shops are opting to automate customer service, using chatbots, voicebots and artificial intelligence. This reduces response times and improves communication. Automation is a process that will allow you to operate faster, more efficiently and in a more user-friendly manner. So how can you take advantage of it?

Automation of customer service in e-commerce – what are the benefits?

Data from Fluent Support clearly shows that 90% of customers say that a quick response to their enquiry can be crucial in making purchasing decisions. 60% of these customers consider a response received in less than 10 minutes to be quick.  In turn, data from 99Firms shows that chats are the most popular form of contact. . 

Automating customer service processes in e-commerce is now an integral part of modern sales strategies. By using chatbots, voicebots, and artificial intelligence-based solutions, you can serve your customers faster and more efficiently.  This also reduces the time needed to respond and relieves customer service teams from repetitive enquiries. .

The most important benefits of automation include:

• increased customer satisfaction,  
• efficient and prompt communication at every stage of contact,
• immediate response to customer enquiries,  
• the possibility of quickly obtaining assistance in selecting products,
• resolving issues with orders,  
• tracking the status of your shipment.

All of this positively impacts your customer's shopping experience.

Contrary to appearances  It is not only online shops that are turning to such solutions. An example is InPost, where the Mat chatbot and voicebot have been implemented. The bot is happy to answer customer queries and quickly helps them verify what is currently happening with their parcels.

From the perspective of an online shop owner, this makes InPost a stable business partner in the area of logistics and parcel delivery.  the service is automated, yet remains user-friendly at all times .

Automation of customer service processes in e-commerce – tools and solutions

Among the most popular e-commerce customer service automation tools are three tools. 

The first of these are chatbots. They respond to the most frequently asked questions from customers and are available 24/7, so customers can quickly get help when they need it.

Chatbots can, among other things:

• respond to repetitive, frequently asked questions,  
• assist in product selection,
• support customers in the process of returns and complaints,  
• in the case of more complex issues, redirect the customer to the appropriate department,
• prepare the context of the case before the consultant takes over the conversation.

Voicebots are an alternative to chatbots (or a support for them). The bot serves the customer through voice conversation – the system recognises the user's intentions and is getting better at natural conversation.

Voicebots can, for example:

• answer incoming calls on the helpline,  
• ask about the purpose of the contact and organise the requests,
• answer simple questions,  
• if necessary, efficiently transfer the customer to the appropriate department.

AI systems are also used for customer service. Although they do not always provide direct answers to users, they are very good at analysing customer behaviour.

AI systems enable, among other things:

• identify problems in the purchasing process,  
• identify the moments when customers most often abandon their purchases,
• recommend appropriate marketing and sales activities,  
• support the creation of more tailored communication for different customer groups.

By applying these solutions,  you automate processes that previously required manual handling,  such as order status tracking, payment processing, abandoned basket reminders, and sending relevant notifications.

The role of artificial intelligence in automating customer service processes in e-commerce

Artificial intelligence is slowly becoming a permanent feature of our lives. Not only does it help us solve quick, simple everyday tasks, but it is also at the heart of the development of modern customer service automation.

Chatbots and voicebots learn thanks to algorithms They accurately recognise users' intentions, analyse the context of the conversation and provide specific, personalised responses. AI can predict customer needs. It suggests products related to previous purchases or proposes solutions to the most frequently reported problems.

Automating customer service in e-commerce also means access to valuable data. Based on this data, you can find out what problems customers most often report. You will see what can be problematic for users in the purchasing process. Thanks to such data, you will be able to introduce specific improvements.

As you can see, automation not only allows for more efficient handling of customer enquiries. It also increases sales efficiency and enables quick responses to your customers' problems.

Is it worth using  chatbots ,  voicebots  Is it AI?

The implementation of automation is not limited to large e-commerce shops. Smaller and medium-sized shops can also benefit from it. It will allow smaller businesses to reduce customer service costs and increase sales efficiency.

These technologies are also finding their way outside the e-commerce sector. An example of this is the chatbot and voicebot Mat from InPost, mentioned earlier in the article. Mat is adept at helping customers solve their problems. This allows the company to  handle a huge number of queries per day without compromising on efficiency .

So, is it worth using chatbots, voicebots, and AI? Definitely yes! This solution will allow you to automate repetitive processes. The response time to customer enquiries will be significantly reduced, and the service will be available to them 24/7. This will also significantly reduce the workload of the customer service team.

Chatbots can answer frequently asked questions, assist in product selection, accept complaints and forward them, and direct customers to the appropriate departments. 

Voicebots, on the other hand, enable natural voice conversation.  They will certainly be appreciated by customers who prefer to talk rather than write. Voicebots quickly recognise customers' intentions and, like chatbots, in the event of a more complex query, they will direct the customer to the appropriate department, which will take over their query.

You don't have to implement all technologies at once. To begin with, it's worth testing the chatbot itself and seeing how it handles customer queries. After a while, you'll receive valuable data that will tell you whether this solution works and how it can better support your customers. 

In an age where customers expect quick answers to their questions, and your office only works during specific hours, the time needed to respond is significantly reduced. With this solution, you will learn what your customers most often come to you with and respond efficiently to their needs.