In customer service, step four often comes first

In customer service, step four often comes first.

The discussion jumps to automation: Which calls can we move to a voicebot?

For me, that’s step four. Before introducing a bot, I want to understand what is actually happening. Why are customers contacting us in the first place? Which requests could be avoided, where do processes break down, and what are the best employees doing differently?

That transparency already creates value. It shows where demand is unnecessary, where processes need improvement and where targeted coaching can help teams perform better.

Take a simple example: customers regularly call because they struggle to log in to the self-service area. A voicebot can handle those calls and help customers through the login process. That may reduce the workload for the service team – but it doesn't solve the actual problem. Improving the login process might prevent those calls altogether.

And sometimes, changes like this may already unlock much of the potential.

Only then would I look at automation. Not because bots are the wrong answer. They aren’t – and especially at scale, they can create enormous value. But if you automate first, you may simply scale a process that was creating friction in the first place.

That's why I believe in taking this step by step:
Transparency → Steering → Optimisation → Automation

Each step creates value and builds the foundation for the next. But not every company needs to reach step four.

The point is not to automate fast. It’s to understand what is worth automating – and what shouldn't create a customer contact at all.

Which part of customer service would you fix before even thinking about automation?

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