Automating Workflows: Top 5 Benefits for Customer Service Managers

What is Workflow Automation?

Workflow automation is a process of automating (operating without human intervention) the steps involved in a business process. This can be done using workflow automation software designed to streamline repetitive and time-consuming tasks. By automating these processes, businesses can improve efficiency and productivity, and enhance customer experiences while also reducing costs.

It is important to note that workflow automation tools like conversational AI and chatbots are not about removing human interaction but improving upon the overall customer experience. Automating workflows allows for faster, more consistent, and more accurate experiences than traditional processes.

With workflow automation, your customer service representatives can spend less time connecting customers to the right department, entering data, and answering low-level questions. This leaves your representatives with more opportunities to connect with customers on a personal level and provide services that differentiate your brand from competitors.

Top 5 Benefits of Automating Workflows

There are many benefits to automating workflows within your call or contact center software. Below, we will touch on what we consider the top five benefits of workflow automation.

Reduced Operational Costs

Automating workflows has the opportunity to lower costs, increasing your revenue. This is done in a few direct and indirect methods. One indirect method is through the increased efficiency in your call center processes. Workflow automation helps you accomplish processes faster, allowing you to generate more leads and higher revenue for your call center.

A more direct method is to delay your need for additional employees. As your business and client list grows, it’s easy to say that you will need to grow your staff as well. However, when you utilize workflow automation, you won’t need to scale as quickly, saving you money on hiring, training, and paying the salary of new staff members. This is great news when you have resource constraints (a building, and your bottom line, is only so big).

A More Efficient Call or Contact Center

Having a member of the staff manually attend to all tasks is time-consuming, and inefficient. This can cause delays and increase overall handling time. By automating workflows, your call center can expect tickets to be dealt with faster and more accurately.

• Self-service: Your customers can utilize tools like chatbots and automated menus for self-service, resulting in faster answers to simple questions.
• 24/7 Accessibility: Workflow automation is always working for you, even after hours if you choose.
• Machine Learning and Sentiment Analysis: This helps to reduce human intervention even further, giving your workers more time to focus on those higher-value tasks aided by the insights of AI.

Better Customer Experiences

When you incorporate workflow automation, your customers will start their interaction with your company right away. This means the customer’s wait time is whittled down, and tasks such as authentication and answering low-level questions can be done before the customer is even connected to a representative.

Fun Fact: Did you know that 65% of consumers will become long-term brand customers if they experience great customer service?

Better Employee Management

As mentioned previously, automating workflows allow employees to focus on high-value tasks. This is important to call and contact center managers, as planning for the future and scheduling during fluctuating traffic times is a feat within itself. As basic tasks become automated, management can help employees focus on the more challenging or complex issues at hand.

Continual Improvement

Once your company begins automating workflows, you will most likely see a culture shift. As customers are helped more effectively and efficiently, and your employees are working on more meaningful tasks, you will see an overall improvement within the office. Your workers have the opportunity to feel more fulfilled, and your customers will be more likely to return. With these incremental improvements, you have the potential to make further improvements in other areas.

Workflow Automation is The Solution You Need

If you manage a large call or contact center and you need a solution to help you better manage your employees’ time, automating workflows is key. Workflow automation is efficient, effective, and helps to improve both the customer and employee experience for overall enhanced results.

Learn more about S-NET’s workflow automation solutions for our call and contact center platforms. We provide comprehensive features designed for the modern customer and agent experience, as well as enhanced integrations to workflow automation and AI engines for tailored business communications.