The Role of Phone Call Bots in the Customer Service Domain

Here comes a million-dollar question for our readers who are in dilemma whether to integrate phone bots into their customer service. Do you want to stay ahead of your competitors and stand out in this competitive market? 

Well, sticking to traditional telephones for support services is not enough to meet customers’ increasing demands in today’s digitalized world. You must upgrade with time. 

The implementation of Artificial Intelligence in a call center has elevated customer support services to new heights. Among all the technologies used in the service industry, the adaptation of call bots is widely increasing due to their effectiveness in economically optimizing the call center. 

This blog provides detailed information about phone call bots and their major role in improving your customer service. 

So, let’s dive in.

Phone call bots: Definition

Phone call bots are automated dialing systems, often known as voice bots or virtual assistants, that automatically dial customer numbers and play a pre-recorded message. They work like regular phone numbers, but the interaction takes place between real customers and the virtual assistant. 

AI-empowered virtual assistants provide excellent customer support by handling more than just calls. They can control multiple calls simultaneously to manage the high call volumes. They can also do repetitive tasks like answering mundane questions and forward the calls to real agents when the questions are complicated, helping businesses achieve maximum efficiency.  

Besides basic chores like call handling, call bots further liberate customer support time by performing data entry tasks after the calls. Overall, call bots optimize call center operation, enhance agent productivity, and reduce overhead customer costs. 

Understanding the Contrast Between Voice Bot and Call Bot

All customer support resolutions, such as virtual assistants, phone bots, call bots, and voice bots, run on AI. It can understand and comply with human language. However, it is quite difficult for professionals to differentiate between a voice bot and a call bot. So, let’s compare them in the table.

How does the Call bot works?

Machine learning technology, such as speech recognition and natural language processing, which can interpret, manipulate, and understand human language, enables the smooth working of call bots. 

They combine different forms of integration, like databases, catalogs, appointment scheduling software, calendars, purchasing and inventory systems, etc., with speech-to-text and text-to-speech capabilities. Setting up APIs, establishing data flows, and making sure the integration works with the current systems to handle both inbound and outbound calls in real-time.

Call bot works just like a regular phone number but has a pre-defined workflow and pre-recorded messages to maintain effective interactions with multiple customers or prospects at the same time. 

Moreover, it is highly efficient and productive, as it can outperform tasks such as appointment scheduling and access and update data entry tasks after the calls. However, for complex queries, it routes the call to the right human agent and ensures an outstanding customer experience. 

Benefits of Phone Call Bots

The integration of the AI phone bot in a call center has numerous customer, representative, and business benefits when it comes to providing excellent customer service. Let’s discuss its benefits in detail.

1. 24/7 Availability

Unlike the human agent, call bots can deliver fast and reliable, around-the-clock service. The software provides customer support regardless of time, but the customer agent requires enough rest and can work only on their shift. 

2. Handle Repetitive Tasks

The phone bot can perform routine and time-consuming tasks and respond to customer demands quickly and efficiently. Ultimately liberating free time for human agents so that they can focus on more complex issues for the better operation of the customer support department. 

Businesses must integrate a call bot because data shows that 83% of customers expect to resolve their complex issues by single agents without routing to multiple departments. 

3. Instant Response

As discussed earlier, phone bots are available 24/7 to service callers. They are quick and provide instant responses to customer queries, which is better than human agents. Thus, they significantly reduce customers’ waiting times and improve the call center’s overall efficiency. 

Instant response is highly important in all business sectors. It signals that you are reliable and committed to customer satisfaction, and it further helps bond customer trust. According to the survey, 83% of consumers anticipate speaking with a representative right away. 

4. Cost efficiency 

The integration of phone bots in your businesses reduces customer cost overhead. They are reported to reduce 90% of repetitive calls,  70% of phone costs, and call handling time by 40%.  They are budget-friendly and time-saving compared to human agents. 

Your business can use this automation to improve customer retention and enhance sales and ROI. It’s not about suggesting replacing all your agents with call bots but about analyzing the right automation for your organization. 

5. Collecting Data for enhanced customer insights

In addition to answering calls, phone bots also play a pivotal role in enhancing customer insights. It can gather data, monitor customer satisfaction levels, and deliver more precise and tailored responses.

The collected data can be extremely helpful for strategic decision-making. It can also help provide personalized customer service and enhance their experiences. 

6. Route the calls to the right agent

Advanced AI-driven call bots are designed to assist human agents in performing repetitive tasks and answering mundane questions. However, in complex tasks, they can also route calls to the specific agents or departments responsible for handling such complications. 

Thus, it is a game-changer for customer service businesses. 80% of marketing and customer service experts think that using bots to handle client inquiries increases the effectiveness of human workers.

FAQs

What are the benefits of using phone call bots in customer service?

The benefits of using phone call bots in customer service are:

1. Around-the-clock service
2. Handle high call volumes efficiently
3. Reduce wait times
4. Ensure consistent service quality

What types of queries can phone call bots handle?

Phone call bots can handle queries such as

1. Account balance checks
2. Order status updates
3. FAQs
4. Appointment scheduling

How can your call center incorporate a callbot?

Before integrating a callbot, specify your goals and requirements.

Choose a reliable provider. Customize the callbot for lead generation, customer service, marketing, and support. Integrate with CRM programs if needed.

Test and fine-tune before launch.

Are phone call bots able to handle accents and dialects?

Yes, the advanced phone call bots can personalize interactions by accessing customer data and previous interactions to provide tailored responses and recommendations. 

What are the frequent use cases of phone call bots?

The use cases of phone bots are:

1. Routing
2. Customer support and FAQ Assistance
3. Appointment Scheduling and Reminders
4. Feedback and survey collection
5. Emergency Notifications and Alerts
6. Technical support troubleshooting
7. Payment processing and billing inquiries

Is it safe to talk to bots? 

Speaking with an AI phone bot is secure as long as you exercise caution when conversing with it. Be aware of unfamiliar inquiries from AI bots, such as payment or personal information, because legitimate businesses will never call and request private information. If you are suspicious of any malicious act, you can report it right away.