Customer support automation tools are the foundation of great customer experience. It automates crucial parts of customer support functionality which enhances the experience of both customers and agents. And grants you more time to focus on business growth. However, with so many tools available in the market, getting the hands-on perfect tools for your business can be a tough task. Therefore to help you find the perfect tool that fits your customer support team, we have put together the top 17 customer service automation tool features comparison.
Importance of choosing the right CSA tool for your business
1. Improve efficiency
The right automation tool helps businesses offer quick and relevant responses to queries through multiple channels with fewer errors and mistakes. It hands over the ticket to the experts on time which reduces wait time.
Customer support automation technology like chatbots and AI take care of income service requests during the company’s off-hours which eliminate the need for hiring employees to work at odd hours.
2. Data insight
In the past years, data analytics has been a main driver of customer satisfaction. Data analytics lets you study trends in customer behavior. Hence with the combination of analytics with AI, you can make predictions on individual customer behavior and offer an intelligent and informed customer experience at any point of the customer journey.
3. Cost-effective
Traditional support demands more human involvement, training, cost, and time. However with automation, the agents don’t have to spend extra time on repetitive tasks, or in fact, there is no need to spend extra on recruitment or training folks in the support team. It allows customer support teams to redirect their time and effort to tasks that hold more weight and complexity.
4. Scalability
The scalability of any business requires a lot of investment. Be it time, money, or human resources. But, with automation, scalability is highly achievable. It helps you grow without needing to increase human resources. The automation gathers information before the conversation even starts with the help of an AI-like, chatbot, and leaves agents to take up more complex tasks. With that scalability comes ease.
Key features to compare
1. Automated responses
An automated response is a key feature to look out for in any customer support automation tool. Automated responses can save a lot of labor costs. While manually responding to a consumer’s message and email takes forever. Automation eliminates that time needed and allows your employees to participate in tasks that help bring more money. Not just that, the automated responses help you stay connected with your customers even during the time you are away.
2. AI Chatbots presence – Mobile/desktop
Chatbots help build relations and connect with their customers in different channels. Be it generating leads, informing customers, or assisting the users during their purchasing journey. Chatbot is crucial. Therefore while looking for customer support automation, you should look out for chatbot features and an interface that is both mobile-friendly and desktop friendly.
3. ML Capabilities
Machine learning helps automation tools become more accurate at predicting outcomes with the help of historical input. It gives a business a glimpse of trends in customer behavior and operational business patterns. It’s helpful for businesses to customize product development and marketing initiatives to customer demand.
4. Analytics and Reporting
Analytics and reporting help businesses make decisions based on data. It also helps Businesses identify areas of inefficiency and opportunities for improvement. By analyzing data, businesses can understand the flaws in their operations and work on improving efficiency, productivity, and profitability. Reporting helps to evaluate the performance and progress toward goals. And adjust with strategies as needed.
5. Integrations with other tools
The automation tools should be capable of working together with other tools seamlessly for better results. For instance integration of customer relationship management (CRM) systems with a business intelligence tool can help gather a good amount of data on customer behavior. It helps improve data accuracy and prevent errors. Therefore integration with other tools is a feature you can’t neglect.
6. Personalization and customization options
Personalized interaction makes customers feel special. It drives repeat engagement and loyalty over time. Customers feel more connected when the content is personalized and not generic. That way, customers can resonate on a personal level. Hence there will be a retention of customers. Also, it enables businesses to offer relevant and required content that reduces resource wastage and increases efficiency.
Related: Customer Service Chatbot Features
Comparison of different customer service automation tools
1. Zendesk
Zendesk is a cloud-based customization support automation tool that helps brands build great customer relationships. It is designed to improve customer experience by offering support in various channels like sms, website, phone, email, mobile app, social media, etc.
Strength
- It allows integration with various apps like MailChimp, Trustpilot, Xero, Shopify, and more.
- Tagging and tracking issues to report on the different problems is easier.
Weakness
- To get the most out of Zendesk, agents, and admins need to train it. Or you’ll need to enroll in a training course.
- Using all features of Zendesk is quite expensive.
2. Freshdesk
This tool converts and unifies tickets coming via mail, chat, social media, website, phone, etc. Freshdesk allows self-service to customers, manages SLA, and measures metrics to provide seamless customer support.
Strength
- Easy to use and navigate.
- The UI offers wonderful tracking and organization of emails and support issues.
Weakness
- It has limited article categories and folders.
- The support and contact system is as bad as it gets. creates multiple tickets for one issue.
3. Hubspot
It’s a customer support tool that brings entire companies together to optimize workflow, information, and revenue. It offers integration facilities from customer service to sales, marketing, and trading helping the company grow smoothly.
Strength
- Offers free CRM forever with unlimited user facility.
- Easy to set up, use and manage. Both free and paid users can have chatbots on their websites.
Weakness
- CRM does not adjust to a requirement of a business that has a complex sales process.
- CRM is not suitable for businesses with large sales teams.
4. Help Scout
Help Scout is an all-in-one customer support automation tool that helps support teams provide self-service email, and live chat support from one centralized tool.
Strength
- It has a great email and message-tracking interface.
- Software is suitable for personalization and individual performance.
Weakness
- It doesn’t help track chats and calls.
- Project management practices are poor and that weakens the ability of the organization to expand the product line.
5. LiveChat
LiveChat is an Excellent customer support automation tool that offers live chat features? It supports both customers and sales teams and allows you to interact with specific visitors based on their profile and behavior, and send personalized messages to enhance engagement.
Strength
- It is simple to set up, configure, and use.
- The software supports more than 200 integrations.
Weakness
- The live chat terminates when a different window opens.
- Bit expensive for small businesses.
6. Service Now
It is an operation management automation tool that offers client software distribution, password reset, and activity packs. Hence empowers you to improve productivity by reducing tasks and automating processes.
Strength
- Capable of managing all services together at a single platform but in separate modules.
- Easy integration with other tools.
Weakness
- Capacity management is missing.
- The interface is not user-friendly. New users need to be guided on how to navigate through the tool.
7. Marketo
Marketo offers robust performance for businesses of all sizes using tools like email, sequences, search engine optimization, and strong integration with third-party CRMs.
Strength
- Great integration option
- Very useful in sending large volumes of emails.
Weakness
- It has bad reporting of analytics.
- UI is confusing, slow, and has bugs.
8. Pipe drive
Pipe drive is a Cloud-base CRM tool that assists the sales team manage leads and deals. And offers automated workflow with the help of AI.
Strength
- Offers excellent integration with improved functionality in specific areas.
- Offers a free trial process.
Weakness
- The drag-and-drop deal management can be difficult to understand.
- Integration problem.
9. Slack
Slack is a Cloud-based project collaboration and team integration that simplifies business communication. Some of its features are open discussions, private groups, deep contextual search, direct messaging, file sharing, etc.
Strength
- Connects the team effectively despite being in different geographic areas.
- User-friendly interface.
Weakness
- It’s difficult to search for a specific conversation.
- The app freezes during prolonged use.
10. Chat360
It offers multi-channel conversational marketing platforms to enterprises all around. It allows you to take your sales, marketing, and support efforts to any channel you prefer.
Strength
- It has easy to use interface
Weakness
- It has no free trials.
Factors to consider when choosing a tool
1. Budget
Cost is a major factor when selecting the right automation tool. Apart from the product price, there will be potential expenses like maintenance costs, manpower costs, etc. A tool that permits cloud hosting reduces your expenses in the long run. All the costs should be evaluated properly to ensure that the cost is within the budget.
2. Company size and needs
It’s important to consider the size of the company while selecting the automation tool. Larger companies require automation with more advanced features. While small companies might do with basic tools that are easier to use and maintain. Also keeping the company’s needs in mind, automation tools should fulfill the requirement first. For instance, a company should go for a social management tool if it requires a tool that can monitor and respond to customer inquiries and comments on social media platforms.
3. Customer preferences and behavior
For any business, customer experience, and satisfaction are prime. While selecting an automation tool those factors should be considered first. The tool should be compatible with customers’ access. Make sure that customers are not unhappy and frustrated by slow performance. The automation tool should not keep the privacy and security of customers at stake.
4. Support and training opt
Tools should be adjustable and customizable with the change in needs and demands. Continuous training helps the tool meet specific needs. There should be scope for updates and upgrades to help tools evolve.
Having training and support options help businesses speed up the automation tool, especially when an issue arises.
Conclusion
It’s a daunting task to find the tool that meets your immediate need as well as is flexible enough to cover future requirements. A wrong choice leads to dissatisfied customers, and frustrated team members. Therefore take your time and make the most informed decision you can.
Hope the blog helps you figure out the best tool that serves you and your team.