Hiring customer service agents is expensive, no matter how you cut it. However, losing them is worse. 

A high customer service agent turnover means you have to put up with ever-ending cycles of recruitment costs, along with longer wait times for your customers. Also, such an environment often leads to more burned-out employees.

Overall, this can spell doom for your contact center, and by extension, your brand. 

On average, call centers face turnover rates between 30-45%. Gallup data suggests that replacing a single agent can cost up to 40% of their annual salary. 

But the hidden costs go way beyond recruitment and training. Lost productivity, declining service quality, and increased agent burnout—a cycle that’s difficult to break.

If turnover is draining your resources and hurting your customer experience, it’s time to act. This guide breaks down why agents leave, the actual cost of customer service agent turnover, and practical steps you can take to retain your team.

Understanding customer service agent turnover 

Employee turnover has shifted dramatically in recent years. It all began with the Great Resignation in 2021, which saw record-high quit rates (47.8 million) as workers sought better benefits and work-life balance. 

In 2025, turnover still is a big challenge. 

While turnover rates have declined from the 2021-2022 peak, they still remain significant. The latest data shows an average U.S. resignation rate of 17.3%, down from 24.7%. 

Despite this decline, workers face job dissatisfaction. In 2025, 56% of workers are looking for a new job. Additionally, Forbes predicts a similar scene to the Great Resignation in 2025 as employers are waiving off benefits and cutting salaries.

According to this Reddit thread, some of the major reasons employees are leaving  include: 

• Burnout and stress: Some users have described their job as “soul-sucking” due to the repetitive nature, demanding metrics, and constant pressure to perform.
• Poor management: Ineffective, uncaring, or power-tripping supervisors contribute to turnover. Other major issues include a lack of support from management and not feeling appreciated.
• Overemphasis on metrics: A relentless focus on speed and efficiency over customer experience leads to employee dissatisfaction and churn. Agents feel like they are treated as machines rather than human beings.
• Lack of career advancement: Limited opportunities for growth within the company can make agents feel stuck and unmotivated. The removal of career advancement resources was explicitly mentioned as a negative factor.
• Low pay and benefits: While some call centers offer decent pay and benefits, others do not. Employees are more likely to leave when compensation doesn’t match the job demands.
• Difficult work environment: Understaffing, constant policy changes, and having to handle multiple responsibilities (calls, back-office work, escalations) create a challenging and overwhelming environment.
• Lack of training and support: Inadequate training, especially in complex systems, leads to frustration and early departures. 
• Feeling like just a number: Agents often feel devalued and replaceable, leading to a disconnect and lack of loyalty.
• Better opportunities: Agents will leave for better-paying positions or opportunities in other fields, especially when they feel undervalued or burned out in their current roles.

Change in company culture: A shift in focus from customer experience to speed, stricter metrics, and reduced support can drive long-term employees to leave.Cost of customer service agent turnover 

Here are some financial and operational costs associated with high customer service agent turnover:

Financial costs

Recruitment and hiring expenses

These include all costs incurred to fill a newly vacant position, like expenses related to advertising, interviewing, and conducting background checks. 

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According to the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM) research, the average cost per hire is nearly $4,700. These expenses could rise further if you include “soft costs,” such as time spent looking for candidates.

Training and onboarding costs

Average costs of onboarding an employee could be up to $1830. 

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This will also depend on a couple of factors including experience level, training needed, and ongoing support until they reach their full productivity. 

Separation costs

All costs related to the employee’s departure, including exit interviews, administrative tasks, and potential severance pay, are covered.

New agent productivity costs

All expenses incurred when onboarding and training a new agent until they can handle all customer interactions efficiently, including the cost of initial training, lost productivity during the learning process, and errors made during the onboarding period.

Employee lifetime value costs

ELTV is the total expected value of an employee's contributions to an organization during their employment period. 

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The longer the agents stay with your company, the higher the worth. When agents leave your organization, their knowledge and value leave with them, impacting your service level.

Customer satisfaction costs

When new agents are still training, they lack the in-depth product knowledge or skills to solve customer problems swiftly. This can disrupt customer service and lead to dissatisfaction.

Operational impact

Service disruptions and productivity loss

When agents leave, the remaining employees are under additional pressure to get work done. 

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Their absence can lead to frequent disruptions in workflow, and high work pressure can easily overwhelm and stress the employees, leading to decreased productivity.

Decline in customer service quality

New hires can take time to learn professional skills and speed up services. This can lead to long-drawn wait times, inconsistent service, and more escalations with unresolved issues. This results in more customer frustration.

Negative organizational culture

Frequent turnover can create uncertainty, making employees question job stability. Moreover, constantly disrupted relationships can weaken team cohesion and make employees feel undervalued and overworked.

How to reduce customer service agent turnover

Controlling agent turnover has long-term payoffs. Proactively solving its root causes leads to higher productivity, stronger agent engagement, and consistently better customer service. 

Here are some expert-recommended strategies to reduce customer service agent turnover:

Identify early warning signs

Agents don’t decide to leave overnight. There are a series of signs you need to watch out for to identify hints of abandonment:

• Decreased enthusiasm and engagement
• Rise in absenteeism
• Decline in performance with agents struggling to meet their targets or a drop in quality
• Negative interactions with customers or colleagues
• Increase in complaints expressing frustration or dissatisfaction with their workload or management

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If you notice any of these signs, communicate with your employees, understand their concerns and work on improving their experience.

Arrange flexible working conditions

 A US Career study indicated that in 2024, over 95% of workers desired some form of remote work. Specifically, 54% preferred to work fully remotely, 41% favored a hybrid schedule, and only 5% wished to work in the office full-time.

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Offering remote and hybrid arrangements can motivate employees to work better. All you need to do is support your employees with necessary AI-powered tools, CRM access and omnichannel communication tools to work effectively from anywhere.

Improve onboarding & training

Well-trained agents can be far more productive and less stressed. 

Create a comprehensive training program that covers everything from product knowledge to best practices and escalation protocols. Ongoing training helps agents build confidence while managers actively monitor performance and suggest improvements.

Provide better tools  to distribute the workload

Confusing processes and a lack of proper support can increase agents' stress. To mitigate this, use data and insights to identify pain points, streamline workflows, and simplify processes. 

Try implementing AI-powered chatbots to handle initial customer interactions and skilled-based routing to forward calls to the most appropriate agent.

Provide clear career paths

Outline clear career paths to show your agents that there’s growth for them. Outline the steps involved, the skills required, and the potential benefits in store for them. Also, you should provide avenues for professional growth through mentorship, training, and skill development. 

Additionally, schedule regular performance evaluations and career discussions to monitor progress and offer support. This will motivate the agents to stay with the company.

Reward & recognize

Create a formal recognition program that acknowledges and celebrates good performance through public recognition, monetary rewards, or other meaningful incentives. 

Additionally, introduce leaderboards and competitions to create friendly competition and motivate agents to perform better.

Review & learn from exit interviews

Use exit interviews to gather candid feedback on workplace experiences and obstacles. Ask open-ended questions to encourage honest feedback on their experiences, management interactions, and workplace challenges. 

Look for trends in responses and make necessary changes to address the root causes of turnover.

Reduce turnover impact with Plivo CX’s AI agents

While retaining skilled human agents is crucial, businesses also need a fallback plan when turnover spikes. This is where Plivo CX’s AI agents come in.

Plivo CX is an AI-first, omnichannel customer service platform that seamlessly integrates with your CRM, billing systems, and knowledge base to provide accurate, context-aware support for sales, customer engagement, and technical troubleshooting.

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Here is what it can do for your business:

• Always-available customer support: Operates 24/7 without breaks, ensuring uninterrupted customer service
• Seamless integration with business systems: Connects with CRM, billing, ticketing systems, and knowledge base for accurate, context-aware responses
• Versatile AI agent roles: Specialized AI agents for sales, customer engagement, retention, and support
• Intelligent, human-like conversations: Uses approved content (FAQs, policies, articles) to provide accurate and reliable responses
• AI-powered omnichannel support: Supports voice, WhatsApp, webchat, and other communication channels to ensure a unified experience across platforms
• Enhanced customer engagement & sales: AI-driven abandoned cart reminders, personalized offers, and proactive engagement to boost conversions
• Reducing workload for human agents: Minimizes the impact of high turnover by filling workforce gaps
• Compliance & security: SOC 2 certified and GDPR compliant for secure customer interactions

Book a demo to learn more.

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Voice commerce is a $421.7 billion opportunity.

Yes, more than 27% of U.S. consumers made online payments with voice assistants instead of manually browsing multiple screens and navigating the checkout process. Devices like Amazon Echo, Google Home, and Samsung SmartThings now act as virtual shopping assistants.

With the number of voice search users anticipated to reach 157.1 million by 2026, voice commerce opens up a faster purchasing channel. For businesses, this means a higher conversion rate, stronger sales, and streamlined customer support.

In this blog post, we’ll explore voice commerce, how it works, and its benefits for your business.

What is voice commerce?

Voice commerce, or v-commerce, is a technology-driven shopping experience that allows customers to search for, purchase, and manage orders using voice commands. It reduces the reliance on screens and keyboards during the buying process.

The technology relies on two components: smart speakers that convert speech into digital commands and AI assistants that interpret these commands and take action. Customers can shop hands-free while cooking, driving, or multitasking.

How does voice commerce work?

The process starts when your customer speaks a command into voice-enabled devices. While it seems simple on the surface (the customer speaks and the device responds), the technology performs several steps to complete each task. These steps include:

• Converting speech to actionable data: Your customer's spoken command gets captured and converted to text through automatic speech recognition (ASR) algorithms. For example, when they say "buy new headphones," the system captures each word.
• Understanding customer intent: The system analyzes this text to understand what your customer wants. It breaks down the command to identify the action (buying) and the product (headphones). This involves natural language processing (NLP) to interpret the meaning behind the words.
• Finding the right products: Once the system understands the intent, it searches your product database or online store for relevant items. It pulls up matching products, prices, and availability.
• Creating the right response: Then, the system creates a response based on its findings. If multiple headphone options exist, it might ask for more specifics about the price range or features your customer wants.
• Completing transaction: The customer can then confirm their choice, and the system completes the transaction — adding headphones to the cart, processing payment, or scheduling the delivery.

When you implement voice commerce for your business, pay attention to the following:

• Speech recognition must handle different accents and background noise.
• Your product database needs clear categorization for accurate matching.
• Response systems should sound natural while providing accurate information.

Plivo’s AI voice agent makes integrating voice commerce simple. The platform combines three models: speech-to-text (STT) to convert customer voice to text, large language models (LLM) to understand customer intent, and text-to-speech (TTS) for natural responses.

Here's how an interaction with Plivo’s AI voice agent flows:

Customer: "I want to buy a new dress."

AI voice agent: "What style or color are you looking for?"

Customer: "A red cocktail dress."

AI voice agent: "We have red cocktail dresses in stock. What size do you need?"

Customer: "Medium."

AI voice agent: "Found a medium red cocktail dress. Ready to check out?"

Customer: "Yes."

AI voice agent: "Order confirmed. Delivery in three business days."

Each question narrows down options until the customer finds exactly what they want. The system handles real-time conversations with minimal latency and can process and respond to mid-speech interruptions.

Plus, you can train it on your product database and business rules to deliver relevant, contextual responses.

You also control the tech stack behind these interactions. Integrate Plivo with your preferred tools for speech recognition (like Deepgram), language processing (OpenAI), and voice generation (ElevenLabs).

Benefits of voice commerce for business

Let’s now look at what voice commerce means for your business.

Increased key sales metrics

Voice assistance commerce will claim nearly 30% of all e-commerce revenue by 2030. It directly impacts the sales metrics and drives growth through:

• Increased conversion rates: Instead of manually searching for items, customers have to speak to get instant tailored recommendations. This makes shopping more intuitive and reduces drop-offs, leading to a higher conversion rate.
• Reduced cart abandonment rates: Many customers abandon carts due to lengthy or complex checkout processes. Commands like “Buy this now” or “Complete my order” will reduce friction and promote seamless shopping experiences.
• Improved customer lifetime value (CLV): Simplified reordering of previous purchases increases sales frequency and long-term customer retention. Customers can simply say, “Reorder my protein powder” or “Buy the same shampoo as last time.”
  
  • Impact:
    
    • Reduces effort, making repurchasing quick and effortless
    • Customers stick with the brand due to convenience
    • More frequent purchases → Higher CLV

For example, Starbucks integrated voice ordering through Amazon's Alexa for customers to place orders via voice commands. This led to a 16% higher monthly revenue per user from customers who used the feature.

Reduced support cost

Voice commerce reduces support costs as it handles routine customer inquiries with ease. Your support team can focus on complex issues while the voice system manages common questions about order tracking, store hours, and product information.

The system operates 24/7, so customers get immediate answers without waiting for support staff. This self-service approach cuts call volumes and support queue times. Plus, voice assistants can manage multiple customer conversations simultaneously, eliminating additional staffing costs.

Improved customer experience

82% of customers report that personalization drives brand choice. With tailored recommendations and natural conversations, voice agents let customers connect with your brand on their terms.

For example, Domino's virtual voice ordering assistant, Dom, handles customized orders, suggests additions, and finds the best deals.

Beyond convenience, voice commerce helps collect direct customer feedback to improve your service. Customers can quickly share their thoughts through simple voice commands, helping you understand and address customer needs faster.

Challenges of voice commerce

Voice commerce brings three core challenges you need to consider.

Technological complexity

Voice commerce relies on expertise in NLP and voice recognition technology to get started. The system must accurately capture and convert voice commands to text, even with different accents and noisy backgrounds. Misinterpretations of customer queries can affect the entire brand's reputation and reduce customer satisfaction.

Invest in advanced NLP and machine learning algorithms to improve performance. Partnering with a voice-first vendor like Plivo gets the task done through high-quality, low-latency audio and context-aware interactions without a hitch.

Security concerns

Voice commerce shoppers often worry about their data being recorded, stored, and potentially shared with third parties since AI handles sensitive customer data.

This system requires extra security layers for data protection and purchase verification. Businesses must address potential vulnerabilities to prevent fraud or unauthorized access through sophisticated encryption techniques.

Integration challenges

Your voice platform must connect with your e-commerce infrastructure, inventory management, payment processing, and customer data systems. The system should also sync with your product database for accurate pricing, availability, and descriptions.

While platforms like PayPal support voice transactions, many payment systems and banks don't offer voice commerce capabilities yet.  This can slow implementation and limit your growth potential until more providers adopt voice technology.

Measures to make voice commerce the next big thing

Voice commerce relies on advanced technology, but making it right doesn’t have to be complicated. Let’s look at measures to ensure its success and drive customer engagement.

Boost discoverability with voice search SEO

Voice search behavior differs from text — your customers speak in full sentences of 6-10 words. They ask, "Show me high-performance running shoes under $100" instead of "running shoes." So, connect your catalog with search engines and optimize product descriptions for these longer, conversational searches.

With 18% of global consumers using voice shopping weekly, discoverability improves when you optimize for natural speech patterns.

Streamline purchases with voice-activated shopping

Set up quick voice checkout flows and minimize steps between product discovery and purchase.

Nike launched Adapt BB shoes through Google Assistant. Fans bought the entire stock in six minutes using voice commands during an NBA game halftime. The launch proved voice shopping can drive quick sales when you make purchasing effortless.

Deliver hassle-free support with voice AI

Train your voice AI on common customer issues. Build responses for tracking, returns, product specs, and shipping questions. Update the system with new products and policies. For example, 1-800-Flowers runs voice self-service for customers to track orders, change delivery details, and check FAQs. This support channel works 24/7, letting customers get help when they need it.

Track voice commerce performance

Set clear metrics for your voice channel and use insights to refine your strategy. Track voice-activated sales, search volume, and support requests. Monitor how voice affects customer behavior. Do they order more often? Place bigger orders? Buy different products?

Analyze patterns and optimize voice interactions to improve customer engagement and maximize ROI. Voice support cuts operational expenses, and self-service options reduce agent workload. This automated ordering speeds up sales processing.

Turn customer insights into smarter strategies

Update your voice features based on user needs. Fix common pain points, add requested features, and remove unused options.

Estée Lauder's voice-enabled makeup assistant (VMA) collects user input during key moments of the experience. Customers share thoughts through voice commands or the feedback menu. Their app updates reflect direct user feedback.

Voice commerce then, now, and beyond

From basic speech recognition to sophisticated shopping systems, voice commerce has evolved so much. Here’s a timeline of the evolution:

• IBM's 1961 "Shoebox" could understand just 16 spoken words.
• In 1971, Carnegie Mellon's "Harpy" system processed 1,000 words through DARPA funding.
• The real breakthrough came in the 1980s when Dragon Systems brought speech recognition to personal computers.
• The 2010s marked the shift to mainstream voice commerce adoption:
  
  • Apple's Siri (2011) introduced voice assistance to millions of iPhone users.
  • Amazon's Alexa voice assistant (2014) transformed voice shopping by connecting speech recognition with e-commerce.
  • Google Assistant (2016) joined the voice commerce market, driving competition and innovation.

Today, voice commerce is no longer used just for single-store transactions. Businesses can now integrate with multiple voice platforms — Alexa supports transactions for Walmart, Best Buy, 1-800-FLOWERS, and Starbucks. Customers only need to link their retail accounts to start voice shopping.

REI Co-op, Redbox, and eBags also use the platform to distribute deals and track orders.

Apple Store handles peer-to-peer payments through Siri. Walmart's mobile app tests hands-free shopping, order scheduling, and voice-based customer support.

The market shows strong growth potential. Research projects voice commerce to grow at a CAGR of 24.34% annually from 2024 to 2030. That means v-commerce is slowly becoming a necessity to stay competitive for businesses.

Explore voice commerce with Plivo’s AI voice agent

Launch, scale, and manage voice commerce through Plivo’s AI voice agent, which offers 99.99% uptime and 16kHz audio quality for clear conversations along with:

• Human-like interactions: Keep emotion and accent in conversations. Voice detection creates a natural conversation flow
• Context-aware responses: Provide relevant answers with AI that learns from your business knowledge base
• Flexible tech stack: Connect any STT, LLM, or TTS system
• Low-latency audio: Process conversations in real time with minimal delays
• Backup protection: Reroute networks reroute in under 2 seconds during outages
• Voice activity detection: Track speech onset and end for smooth conversations

Guide your customers through product selections, deliver personalized recommendations, and close sales on auto-pilot. Contact us to get started.

Natural language processing (NLP) works behind the scenes in places you might not even notice — filtering spam emails, customer service chatbots, and even accurate Netflix recommendations. It’s woven across industries and is rapidly evolving, with the market projected to hit 156.76 billion by 2030.

It's natural to wonder whether NLP is too complex or worth integrating into your systems. This guide offers five digestible NLP steps so you can understand how the technology works and whether it’s a good fit for your business.

What is NLP?

Simply put, NLP lets a machine understand, interpret, and respond to human language, written or spoken. It's the reason voice assistants listen to your commands, chatbots answer your queries, and search engines predict what you’re looking for even before you finish typing.

The NLP process is powered by two key components.

Natural language understanding (NLU) helps machines decode what humans mean, even if the content isn't totally clear. For example, customer support chatbots use NLU to recognize when a user is frustrated (based on words like “poor service” or “I need help now”) and escalate the issue appropriately.

Once the machine understands what the user is saying, natural language generation (NLG) generates a response in a way that sounds natural. Instead of just responding with pre-set phrases, the system personalizes the response based on the user’s request, offering logical next steps, similar to how a human agent would.

Here’s a quick rundown of the stages of NLP:

• Splits sentences into smaller chunks (tokenization in NLP) for easier processing.
• Identifies keywords, grammar, and structure to understand context.
• Detects names, dates, locations, and brands (e.g., virtual assistants retrieving order details).
• Determines if a message is a question, request, or complaint for accurate chatbot/voice assistant responses.
• Assesses tone and emotions to gauge customer satisfaction in chats.

To better understand NLP techniques, let’s go through the most common everyday NLP applications.

Most common everyday NLP applications

Along with autocorrecting and filtering spam emails, NLP is most commonly used in the following use cases:

• Chatbots and virtual assistants: NLP enables AI chatbots in customer service to understand and respond to human language, improving customer support and user engagement. These virtual assistants handle tasks like answering FAQs, scheduling appointments, and providing 24/7 customer service, mimicking human interactions to improve efficiency.
• Language translation: Tools like Google Translate use NLP to provide real-time multilingual support. You use this to communicate with global customers and break language barriers in customer service.
• Sentiment analysis: How does a machine know when a caller is frustrated, angry, or simply uninterested in your product? Sentiment analysis scans customer reviews, support tickets, or even social media mentions to determine if the feedback is positive, negative, or neutral. You can use it to gauge customer opinions.
• Speech recognition and voice AI: Speech recognition converts spoken words into text which helps businesses with real-time transcription, AI-driven interactive voice response (IVR) responses, and improved call routing. An advanced ASR (automatic speech recognition) tool like Plivo also masks inappropriate content in transcriptions and improves speech recognition accuracy by providing a list of hint words expected from the caller.

Now that we know about the most basic everyday NLP applications, let’s understand the five NLP steps in detail. 

5 steps in natural language processing

Let’s go through the five steps in NLP with examples.

Step #1: Lexical analysis

Text preprocessing in NLP precedes lexical analysis as it undergoes cleaning, tokenizing, and structuring raw data to make it readable for NLP models.

A study emphasizes that understanding grammatical structures and keywords is vital for chatbots to provide coherent and relevant responses in real-world situations. Lexical analysis helps NLP do so, making it one of the most important natural language processing steps.

It converts a sequence of characters into a sequence of tokens. This tokenization in NLP deciphers and segments languages into units (lexemes), such as sentences, phrases, and words.

Some words can stand alone, like “cat” or “jump”. These are free morphemes because they don’t need any extra help to be complete words. However, then there are bound morphemes, which have to latch onto something else to make sense. For instance,  “replaying”:

• “re-” (a prefix meaning “again”)
• “play” (the root word that holds the meaning)
• “-ing” (a suffix showing it's happening right now)

Neither of these words can exist alone, they always need a root word to stick to.

Machine learning in AI plays an important role in lexical analysis by helping NLP systems continuously improve their ability to identify and segment words accurately. When NLP analyzes text, it goes through a process to understand these layers, which helps understand word meanings, grammatical structures, and even how words change depending on context.

Lexical analysis teaches AI to deconstruct language the way the human brain does, but faster.

Step #2: Syntactic analysis

Syntax is the foundation of language, it’s how words and phrases come together to form meaningful sentences. Syntactic analysis (or parsing) lets NLP systems understand sentence structure and relationships between words rather than analyzing them in isolation.

This ensures that AI-powered chatbots, smart IVR systems, and voice assistants interpret user queries correctly.

When NLP performs syntactic analysis, it:

• Identifies sentence structure: Breaks a sentence into subject, predicate, objects, clauses, etc.
• Determines relationships between words: Determines which words depend on or modify others.
• Checks for grammatical correctness: Ensures the sentence follows valid language rules.

Syntactic analysis is important for chatbots and virtual assistants to improve customer experience with smart IVR. When a customer says, “I need help to reset my password”, the system uses syntactic analysis to recognize:

• “I” as the subject
• “need help” as the action
• “resetting my password” as the specific request

This structured understanding helps the AI respond appropriately, directing users to the right solution without confusion or misinterpretation.

Step #3: Semantic analysis

Semantic analysis in NLP deciphers meaning based on context, intent, and sentiment. The same word or phrase can imply different things depending on how it's used, and semantic analysis ensures AI comprehends these nuances accurately.

For instance, if a caller says, "I need to cancel my order because I wasn’t happy with the last one," a basic AI might fixate on the keyword "cancel" and proceed with the request.

But a Plivo-powered voice agent with semantic analysis understands the full context. It detects dissatisfaction from "wasn’t happy with the last one" and responds empathetically:

• “I’m really sorry about your previous experience. Let’s make this right.”
• Apart from processing the query, it might offer a resolution: “How about a 20% discount on your current order as an apology?”

Semantic analysis helps voice agents understand natural conversations instead of just keywords. This context-aware approach makes customer interactions more human, but you can also use these voice transcriptions for customer analytics to make informed decisions.

Step #4: Disclosure integration

Discourse integration helps NLP models grasp the broader meaning of conversations by considering previous sentences for context. This ensures more accurate interpretations and reduces confusion in AI-driven interactions.

For example, in a customer support chat:

Caller: "I lost my credit card yesterday."

Bot: “I’m sorry to hear that. Would you like to report it as lost or request a replacement?"

Caller: “Cancel it.”

Without discourse integration, the AI might struggle to understand whether the user wants to cancel the report or the card itself. By analyzing the conversation history, it correctly determines that "cancel it" refers to the lost card and proceeds accordingly.

This is important for businesses to automate customer interactions, and ensure smarter, context-aware responses in finance, healthcare, and beyond.

Step #5: Pragmatic analysis

Pragmatic analysis interprets meaning based on context, tone, and real-world knowledge rather than just literal word definitions so that the conversations feel natural and relevant. For instance, when a user asks, "What's the price of your premium subscription plan?"

The bot responds with, "Sure, our premium starts at $50 per month.”

Now, if the user simply responds, "That's a little steep," the bot automatically suggests, "Would you like to explore our standard plan starting at $30?"

While the user doesn't explicitly mention they want to explore a lower-priced option, pragmatic analysis recognizes the implied concern and suggests an alternative.

Businesses benefit from this by providing better customer engagement, fewer misunderstandings, and more effective automation.

While the steps in NLP help make customer experience better, it’s not all pros. 

Challenges and future advancements in NLP

One of the biggest NLP challenges is the bias in AI models.

Since AI learns from human data, it can reflect societal biases, leading to unfair or misleading outputs. MIT researchers developed a technique that reduces bias in AI models while preserving or even improving their accuracy for fairer and more reliable AI decision-making.

Another challenge is understanding regional dialects and slang. Many NLP models struggle with informal speech, code-switching, and cultural nuances, making accurate interpretation difficult in multilingual or diverse environments.

Ethical concerns, such as misinformation, privacy risks, and deepfakes (AI-generated content that falsely mimics real people) add to the complexity.

Looking ahead, context-aware AI conversations will improve chatbot and virtual assistant interactions, making them more natural and relevant. Real-time speech translation is also advancing, aiming for easy, culturally aware translations without robotic phrasing. As NLP evolves, voice integration in conversational AI will focus on making AI communication more inclusive, ethical, and human-like.

How Plivo's AI-powered voice agents advance intelligent  conversations

Keeping up with customer queries can be overwhelming, especially as your business grows. Long wait times, repetitive questions, and overworked support teams aren’t exactly a route to greater customer experiences.

This is where AI-powered voice automation comes in.

With a system that instantly understands customer requests, responds in natural language, and even recognizes 27 languages to serve a diverse audience in place, keeping your customers happy becomes easy. That’s what Plivo’s AI voice agents do.

They streamline customer interactions with features like real-time transcription, smart IVR for self-service that’s ideal for healthcare, banking, and routine queries, and a secure, scalable voice agent with built-in message redaction and compliance. 

Plus, Plivo lets you integrate any speech-to-text provider, large language model (LLM), or text-to-speech (TTS) engine, giving you complete control over your AI experience.

Thousands of businesses use Plivo to reduce support load, improve response times, and keep customers happy, without disrupting workflows. Contact us to see how our solutions can make your communication systems more efficient.

In 2024 alone, Intercom’s artificial intelligence (AI) voice bot, Fin, tackled 13 million customer questions for over 4,000 businesses. And it’s not just chatbots. Gartner predicts that by 2026, 30% of enterprises will automate over half of their customer interactions, up from just 10% in 2023.

Clearly, AI voice intelligence in customer service is leading the charge.

However, despite its benefits, many business owners still wonder: will automation make customer interactions feel robotic? More importantly, how do you use voice AI in a way that actually improves customer experience?

This guide will break it all down — what voice intelligence is, how businesses use it, and the real impact it has on customer interactions across industries.

What is voice intelligence?

Voice intelligence is an AI-powered system that can understand, interpret, and respond to spoken language the way humans do.

Unlike conventional interactive voice response (IVR) systems, which rely on rigid menu-based navigation, natural language processing (NLP) in voice AI listens to callers' words, processes their intent, and delivers relevant responses.

For example, Apple's Siri goes beyond setting alarms or reminders and asks follow-up questions to maintain context in a conversation. Similarly, Google’s Gemini can summarize web pages, suggest replies, and help you with booking appointments. 

But how does it actually work?

How voice intelligence works

Voice intelligence combines AI tools like NLP, machine learning, and real-time AI-powered speech analysis to analyze calls, voicemails, and digital conversations, helping businesses respond faster and more accurately.

This means they can catch key issues, offer better support, and even automate certain interactions, without losing the human touch.

Let’s break this down with a use case.

User A calls their bank’s support line after noticing an unfamiliar charge on their credit card.

Speech recognition converts voice into text

At the core of voice intelligence lies speech recognition. It converts spoken words into text and allows AI-powered voice agents to "listen" to a caller.

Going back to our example where the user calls their bank, here’s what happens behind the scenes:

When they say, "I see a charge I don't recognize on my card.", the speech recognition gets to work. It transcribes the words into text, identifies individual words, corrects minor pronunciation errors, recognizes the accent, and captures the intent without losing context.

Plivo's automatic speech recognition (ASR) takes it a step further. It filters inappropriate content in transcriptions, supports speech recognition in 27 languages, and offers pre-built models for different industries.

So if the user uses rash language like “I’m pissed off with this bank”, the ASR identifies “pissed off” as inappropriate and removes it from the transcript. At the same time, it correctly interprets 'charge' in the context of financial transactions, avoiding confusion with alternative meanings such as charging a device.

NLP understands intent and context

NLP in voice intelligence recognizes accents, slang, and even sentiments. It actually grasps the meaning behind those words the way humans do.

When the user says, "I see a charge I don't recognize on my card," the system, using NLP, identifies key terms like “charge” and “don't recognize” to understand that the user is reporting a potentially fraudulent transaction.

If such an interaction has occurred in the past, machine learning in voice intelligence learns from it and improves its ability to detect predictable phrases like "unauthorized charge," "fraud," etc. It also detects a spike in customers calling about fraudulent charges in the future.

AI-driven decision-making determines the right response

After the call gets transcribed and analyzed, AI taps into past interactions to offer a faster, personalized resolution. For instance, if the user has travel alerts active on their account, AI determines the charge is legitimate and reassures them.

If the user expresses urgency with phrases like, "It's serious", or "I need to talk to a specialist now", AI picks up on the tone and escalates it to a human fraud specialist. 

But even the smartest voice AI can only make good decisions with high-quality voice data.

Plivo’s call analytics plays a vital role by identifying audio issues like poor network conditions, background noise, or low call clarity. It correlates audio quality metrics with device metadata and network conditions so that businesses can ensure AI decisions are based on accurate, uninterrupted speech data.

This leads to better fraud detection, sentiment analysis, and overall customer experience.

Text-to-speech (TTS) helps bots sound human-like

While voice recognition AI converts the call into text, text-to-speech (TTS) does the reverse. It converts the AI-generated responses into natural, human-like speech.

TTS gauges intent adapts to different accents, and structures responses naturally. Instead of a robotic reply, it might say, “I understand that an unfamiliar charge is concerning. Let me check that for you.”

For urgent cases, it might say, “Let me transfer this call to our fraud specialist right away.”

Unlike stiff, pre-recorded messages, TTS adapts to each conversation in real-time, making AI-powered voice responses feel more human and helpful.

This brings us to our next question: what are the benefits of voice intelligence?

Benefits of voice intelligence for businesses

Now that we know how voice intelligence works, let’s understand its benefits for businesses.

Scalability: Never leave a customer on hold

Voice intelligence enables businesses to manage customer interactions efficiently, regardless of call volume. AI-powered tools ensure immediate attention for every customer, eliminating long wait times and improving satisfaction.

For example, a retail business may experience a surge in inquiries about shipping, returns, or product availability during the holiday season. Voice intelligence deploys agents to answer common questions like "What is your return policy?" or "When will my order arrive?" for multiple customers at the same time.

For calls requiring human assistance, the AI gathers details such as order numbers or the nature of the issue beforehand, helping representatives resolve concerns more quickly.

What’s more, AI can offer callbacks instead of making customers wait on hold, keeping frustration levels low and satisfaction high.

Reduced costs: Say goodbye to excess customer support hiring

Since AI-powered voice agents handle repetitive inquiries, it reduces the workload for human agents. Businesses don't need to hire extra staff to manage call spikes. Plus, during high call volumes, it absorbs extra demand, keeping customer service intact without additional payroll expenses.

AI-powered voice agents also learn instantly and require no training, further reducing the overhead of onboarding new employees.

Increased customer satisfaction: Make context-aware conversations in multiple languages

Become, a financial technology company, integrated Plivo's Browser SDK to enable high-quality voice calls within their web application. This integration allowed account managers to communicate effectively with customers worldwide, totaling over 6 million minutes of calls, thereby improving customer relationships and operational efficiency.

Voice intelligence, however, isn't just for call centers.

It can enhance learning, customer support, and global communication, even for a language-learning platform. The technology can use voice agents to provide real-time translations and personalized tutoring, translate and simplify complex concepts in their preferred language.

Improved compliance: Save a fortune on penalties

Industries like finance, healthcare, and telecom require call recording and documentation to comply with laws like the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA), Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard (PCI-DSS), and General Data Protection Regulation (EU) (GDPR).

A provider like Plivo ensures businesses can automatically record and store calls securely. Its APIs implement custom monitoring and analytics solutions tailored to your compliance needs. So, it helps improve customer experience while ensuring your business complies with the necessary regulations.

Real-world use cases of voice intelligence

Let’s look at how businesses are putting voice intelligence to work, improving customer experiences, and solving everyday challenges.

1. Faster customer support and personalized shopping assistance  

AI-powered voice agents can handle order tracking, refunds, and cancellations without human intervention.

When a customer asks, "Where's my order?", the AI agent fetches real-time tracking updates instantly, reducing wait times and improving customer satisfaction.

With voice AI analytics, businesses can also gain customer insights and offer personalized shopping assistance. Voice agents guide customers through product selections, suggest tailored recommendations, and even complete purchases.

2. Streamline routine financial services

As per a 2024 survey by Bain & Company, financial services firms are experiencing notable productivity gains through AI adoption. For instance, voice intelligence software in financial services can offer instant account information, transaction processing, and personalized financial advice anytime, anywhere to the customers.

It can also become a financial advisor for the customer and recognize trends and patterns to suggest smart investment strategies.

3. Improve patient outcomes

Voice intelligence in healthcare helps providers deliver secure, and HIPAA-compliant interactions to ensure a smoother journey for everyone.

You can easily provide preliminary health assessments, medication reminders, and appointment scheduling with a personalized AI touch.

4. Make customers feel included

For educators and institutions, AI-powered voice solutions reduce the need for multilingual tutors, making education more scalable and cost-effective.

Even better? They can act as personalized tutors, adapting to each student’s learning style, and providing clarifications, explanations, and feedback in real time.

Take the first step toward integrating voice intelligence with Plivo-powered AI voice agents 

Integrating voice intelligence into your communication systems can feel daunting, especially with technical bottlenecks, and the risk of sounding too ‘robotic’. 

However, Plivo-powered AI voice agents make it easy. It lets you integrate any speech-to-text provider, LLM model, and text-to-speech provider of your choice, giving you the flexibility to build natural, high-quality AI voice interactions.

Plus, Plivo delivers on two key pillars of exceptional customer interactions, crystal-clear voice quality and reliability. With 99.99% uptime and high-quality 16kHz audio, it ensures reliable communication across 220+ countries and territories.

Whether you use voice agents to preserve emotions, emphasis, and accents, or to handle mid-speech interruptions, Plivo-powered AI voice agents reduce latency and provide real-time responsiveness.

Since the future of voice intelligence lies in context-aware, emotion-driven interactions, it’s time to switch to a provider that offers all that and more. Contact us to learn how thousands of businesses optimize their workflows without disrupting customer experience with Plivo.

As the evening winds down, what's better than a game of your favorite sport? Maybe some badminton?

During your break while playing, you check your phone. A message instantly pops up—not stored in an inbox, not a push notification you can swipe away, but a flash SMS.

It’s a limited-time deal on the badminton shoes you’ve been eyeing, expiring in two hours. You tap the link and complete your purchase.

This is what flash SMS can do—capture attention, create urgency, and drive immediate action. Unlike regular SMS, it ensures that time-sensitive promotions don’t go unnoticed.

So, how do you send a flash SMS that delivers results?

In this article, we’ll cover the key steps to creating a high-converting campaign and best practices for crafting compelling messages.

How do flash SMS promotions work?

Flash SMS, or Class 0 SMS, is a unique text message that instantly pops up on the recipient’s screen without needing to be opened, ensuring immediate visibility. 

Businesses use flash SMS promotions to send urgent, action-driven messages via an SMS platform, making it ideal for time-sensitive promotions. Unlike regular SMS, it bypasses the inbox, grabbing attention and prompting quick customer action.

Since the message stays on-screen until dismissed, customers are more likely to click, redeem offers, or complete purchases quickly.

Here’s how flash messages work:

• Instant visibility: The message pops up on-screen as soon as it’s received
• No inbox clutter: Flash SMS does not get stored unless the recipient actively chooses to save it
• High engagement: Since the message must be dismissed manually, it grabs higher engagement than standard SMS

Use cases for flash sms

Businesses across various industries use them to engage customers, increase sales, and send critical alerts. Below are some key use cases of flash SMS:

1. Flash sales and limited-time discounts 

When running limited-time sales, every second counts. You can instantly inform customers about time-sensitive promotions, prompting quick actions.

Example: A fashion brand running a two-hour sale sends:

"🚀 50% OFF for 2 hours! Tap now before the deal ends → [link]"

2. Urgent alerts and real-time updates

Customers need instant updates for important service changes, like order confirmations, delivery delays, or security alerts. Organizations can use flash SMS to send critical information that requires immediate attention.

Example: A payment service provider sends:

"⚠️ Suspicious login detected on your account. Click here to verify or secure your account → [link]"

Since the message stays on-screen until dismissed, customers take action immediately.

For instance, T-Mobile tested sending emergency alerts via satellite to ensure users receive vital information even when off the grid.

3. Exclusive VIP offers for loyal customers

Brands can reward their most loyal customers with exclusive deals or early access to new products via flash SMS. By sending time-sensitive, personalized offers directly to their screens, businesses can build stronger relationships and increase customer retention.

Example: A cosmetics brand launching a new product line sends:

"💎 VIP early access! Get first dibs on our new collection before anyone else → [link]"

How to set up a high-converting flash SMS campaign

Flash SMS campaigns can deliver higher conversions when executed strategically. Follow these key steps to maximize every message's impact and drive measurable results.

Step 1: Define your campaign goal

Before sending out any messages, clearly define the objective of your campaign. A well-defined goal ensures that your messaging is focused, relevant, and aligned with your business needs.

Are you aiming to:

• Increase sales through a flash sale or limited-time discount?
• Increase engagement with VIP offers or event reminders?
• Create urgency with time-sensitive updates or alerts?

Flash SMS works best when:

✅ You need immediate engagement (e.g., flash sales, limited-time discounts)
✅ Your brand wants to stand out in crowded inboxes and notifications
✅ Your audience responds well to urgent, short-form marketing

However, frequent overuse can lead to customer fatigue, so use flash SMS strategically.

Step 2: Build a targeted audience list

Not all customers respond the same way to promotions. To maximize conversions, segment your audience based on:

• Purchase history: Previous buyers, high-value customers, or first-time shoppers
• Engagement level: Subscribers who interact with past SMS campaigns
• Location & timing: Send messages at optimal hours based on customer time zones

By sending personalized, relevant messages, you increase the likelihood of engagement and action.

Step 3: Craft a clear & actionable message

Since flash SMS messages appear directly on the screen and are not stored, your message must be clear and action-driven.

• Keep it under 160 characters: No room for fluff!
• Use urgency-driven words: “Hurry!,” “Limited time,” “Only today”
• Include a strong CTA: “Shop now,” “Claim your deal,” or “Reserve your spot”

Example messages:

🚀 FLASH SALE! 40% OFF sitewide for 2 hours only! Shop now → [link]
⚡ EXCLUSIVE! VIP early access to our new collection. Tap to shop → [link]

Step 4: Optimize timing & frequency

Flash SMS works best when timing aligns with customer behavior and purchasing patterns. Sending messages too early or too late can reduce effectiveness, while poorly timed promotions may go unnoticed. 

Consider:

• Peak activity hours: Send messages when customers are most likely to engage (e.g., lunch breaks, evenings)
• Urgency-based timing: Align messages with last-minute reminders for ongoing sales
• Avoiding spam: Sending too many messages can lead to opt-outs. Balance frequency for maximum impact

Step 5: Choose a reliable flash SMS platform

A successful flash SMS campaign requires a robust SMS marketing platform that can handle high-volume messaging with zero delays. 

Prioritize an SMS provider that offers instant message delivery, automation features, and real-time analytics to optimize performance and engagement.

When evaluating a platform, look for:

• High delivery speed: Messages should appear on the recipient’s screen immediately to create urgency
• Advanced analytics: Real-time tracking of open rates, click-throughs, and conversions helps measure success
• Automation capabilities: Features like scheduling, segmentation, and personalized messaging improve efficiency
• Regulatory compliance: Ensure the platform adheres to SMS marketing laws and offers opt-in/opt-out functionalities

A well-equipped flash SMS platform can maximize the impact of your campaign by delivering messages at the right time to the right audience. 

Step 6: Test & measure performance

You need to continuously optimize flash SMS campaigns for better results. Track key performance metrics like:

• Open rates: How many recipients saw the message immediately?
• Click-through rates: Did users take action on the link provided?
• Conversion rates: How many purchases or sign-ups resulted from the SMS?

A/B testing different messages, timing, and CTA variations can help refine your campaign for even better results.

Step 7: Ensure compliance 

To maintain trust and legal compliance, follow SMS marketing regulations, such as:

• Obtain user consent before sending promotional messages.
• Provide an opt-out option (e.g., “Reply STOP to unsubscribe”).
• Avoid misleading content or overly aggressive messaging.

Best practices to maximize flash SMS conversion rates

A high-impact flash SMS campaign requires careful planning, targeted messaging, and real-time optimization. By following best practices, you build customer trust while ensuring long-term engagement:

Personalize messages for higher engagement

Flash SMS grabs attention instantly, but driving action requires relevance and urgency. Personalization in SMS is a proven strategy for higher engagement. 

Customers are 90% more likely to complete a purchase after receiving a personalized SMS.

Why it works: Personalized SMS messages make recipients feel valued and increase their likelihood of acting on the offer.

Example: "Hey Alex! Your exclusive 20% off coupon expires in 2 hours. Don’t miss out! Shop now 👉 [link]"

How to do it:

• Use the recipient’s first name to create a sense of familiarity
• Reference previous purchases to suggest relevant offers
• Offer exclusive discounts to repeat customers

Keep the message urgent and actionable

A well-timed flash SMS pushes customers to act on the spot. The key is to create a sense of urgency that makes hesitation feel like a missed opportunity.

Why it works: When customers see an offer that won’t last or an exclusive deal with limited availability, they’re more likely to act fast.

Examples:
"Only 50 spots left! Claim your exclusive VIP deal now → [link]"
"Deal ends in 2 hours! Shop now before it’s gone → [link]"

How to do it:

• Use countdowns to emphasize urgency ("Only 10 t-shirts left!)
• Highlight limited stock to create scarcity ("Deal ends in 1 hour!")
• Add words like "Hurry," "Only," "Last chance," and "Expiring soon" to drive immediate action.

Ensure a good mobile experience

Flash SMS with a poorly optimized landing page can break the conversion flow. More than 58% of website traffic comes from mobile devices. If your landing page doesn’t load quickly or is difficult to navigate, they’re likely to abandon the purchase.

How to do it:

• Optimize landing pages for fast loading speeds (aim for under 3 seconds)
• Use a clear, single CTA button to drive instant action
• Ensure the checkout process is seamless on mobile devices

Monitor performance and optimize campaigns

Even the most well-crafted flash SMS campaigns need ongoing optimization to maintain high conversion rates. 

Real-time tracking helps identify what’s working, whether it’s the messaging, timing, or audience segmentation—so businesses can fine-tune their approach.

Optimization strategy:

• Test different CTA formats (“Shop Now” vs. “Claim Your Deal”)
• Adjust send times (lunchtime vs. evening)
• Segment audiences based on engagement history

Key metrics to track:

• Open rates – How many recipients viewed the message?
• Click-Through Rates (CTR) – How many clicked the link?
• Conversion rates – How many completed a purchase?

Why businesses trust Plivo CX for high-impact flash SMS campaigns 

Remember the badminton break scenario? 

A flash SMS offer appeared instantly, grabbing attention and leading to an immediate purchase—no inbox clutter, no delays, just action. Now imagine that same impact at scale, reaching thousands of customers and ensuring every time-sensitive promotion is seen and acted on at the right moment.

That’s where Plivo CX comes in. Running a high-impact flash SMS campaign requires more than just sending messages—it demands precision, automation, and real-time tracking to drive results.

As a robust omnichannel SMS marketing platform, Plivo CX provides businesses with instant message delivery, real-time tracking, and advanced automation to drive immediate customer action. With data-driven insights, businesses can optimize their flash messaging for maximum engagement and conversions.

Here’s what Plivo CX can do to your SMS marketing campaign:

•  E-commerce integrations: Connect with e-commerce platforms like Shopify, WooCommerce, BigCommerce, and Magento to personalize and send SMS directly from your e-commerce system.
• Send messages at the perfect moment: Automate and schedule messages at optimal timings across time zones to ensure your messages reach customers at the perfect moment for maximum impact.

• Leverage customer browsing behavior: Plivo CX uses session data to send personalized product recommendations and time-sensitive offers based on customer interests. This leads to higher engagement and conversions.
• Instant campaign alerts: Keep customers engaged with timely updates on product launches, flash sales, restocks, and new arrivals. Sending real-time alerts ensures they never miss out on exclusive, limited-time offers.

• Create high-impact SMS with AI: With our Copywriter AI feature, generate compelling SMS messages instantly using pre-built templates and smart suggestions. This improves SMS deliverability.

• Customer segmentation: With Plivo CX’s Audience feature, leverage purchase history, spending habits, and engagement data to segment customers and send targeted SMS.

With Plivo’s premium carrier network spanning 220+ countries, businesses can deliver SMS instantly and at scale, reducing costs by up to 70% while tripling ROI. 

On average, Plivo CX users generate $71 for every $1 spent, making it a powerful customer engagement tool for high-impact, time-sensitive messaging.

Maximize the impact of your time-sensitive SMS campaigns with a platform built for speed, precision, and engagement. Schedule a free demo today!

Not knowing their order shipping status is quite frustrating for any online shopper, especially for time-sensitive orders. Order SMS updates are crucial to maintain trust and improve customer experience. 

In fact, 83% of shoppers look for regular text updates about their order shipping status. 

In this post, we will share a step-by-step guide covering the type of SMS order updates, how to set it up, and best practices for effective implementation.

Type of effective SMS order updates

Regular SMS alerts/reminders at different stages are crucial to keep customers engaged. Here are the main stages that you must cover: 

1. Order confirmation

The first step is to send an order confirmation SMS as soon as the order is placed. This gives the customer reassurance that the order is confirmed. 

This message typically contains the customer name, order number, and product name. You can also provide some basic details on shipping or estimated delivery time in this message. 

Order confirmation SMS template

Hi [Customer Name],  Your order #[Order Number] for [Product name] is confirmed. Your order will be shipped soon, and we'll send you a tracking link once it's on its way. If you have any questions, feel free to reach out. Thanks for shopping with us!

2. Shipping update

You can send a shipping update once the order is dispatched. This message usually contains the order number, product name, tracking link, and expected delivery date. 

This proactive SMS ensures that customers are not left wondering where their order is. 

Shipping update SMS template

Hi [Customer Name],  Your order #[Order Number] for [Product name] is shipped and is expected to be delivered by [Expected delivery date]. Track it here [Tracking link]. 

3. Delivery update

A delivery update is sent once the product is out for delivery. This message helps consumers plan their availability to receive the product. 

This typically contains the order number, product name, and estimated delivery time.

Delivery update SMS template

Hi [Customer Name],  Your order #[Order Number] for [Product name] is out for delivery by [Time window].  If you have any questions or concerns, feel free to contact us at [Customer support number].

4. Delivery confirmation

A delivery confirmation SMS is sent after the order is delivered. It often includes a link with a feedback form or support number to contact in case of any issues. 

Delivery confirmation SMS template

Your order #[Order Number] of [Product name] has been delivered successfully. We hope you enjoy your purchase! Please share your delivery experience [Delivery feedback]. If you have any questions or concerns, contact customer support at [Customer support number].

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How to set up automated SMS order updates

Here is a step-by-step guide to creating a reliable automated SMS update system: 

1. Choose an SMS marketing platform

The first step is to choose an SMS marketing platform to deliver the messages. Some key considerations to decide on an SMS marketing platform are:

• Can the platform be integrated with your eCommerce store?
• Is the pricing in your budget?
• Does the platform allow setting up automated SMS workflows?
• Is the SMS deliverability high and reliable?

2. Integrate with eCommerce platform

Once the SMS platform is finalized, you can integrate it with your eCommerce store. This integration will give the SMS platform access to the required data to send order updates. 

3. Set up automated SMS messages

Post integration, you define automated workflows to send messages when a new order is placed or the status changes of any existing order. In these automated workflows, you can set up trigger events and respective messages for the trigger. These trigger events would be:

• Order placed
• Order shipped
• Order out for delivery
• Order delivered

The platform will automatically send messages whenever a trigger hits.

4. Test and refine messages

You can track the key metrics to optimize your SMS updates further. These metrics can mainly be open rate or click rate.

Best practices for implementing SMS order updates

Follow these best practices to design effective SMS order updates:

1. Cover all order stages

Provide clear and consistent communication throughout the entire order process, from order confirmation to shipping and delivery, so customers are always aware of their order's status.

2. Keep the message concise and relevant

Customers want a quick note, so keep the message crisp with necessary details (Order number, estimated delivery date, tracking link).

3. Personalize message

For a better experience, personalize the message with specific customer/order information. 

For instance, don't just mention the order number in the message. Instead, add the product name so customers are aware of which order you're talking about in the message. 

4. Use a reliable SMS provider

You cannot afford poor deliverability in order status SMS. Imagine sending an order confirmation promising a shipping link upon dispatch, only for that crucial shipping update to go undelivered. 

That's not the type of experience customers expect, nor does any eCommerce platform want to deliver. This inconsistency frustrates customers and reflects poorly on your brand. To avoid such issues, you can choose an SMS provider with high deliverability. 

5. Add branding to SMS

Add brand details to SMS so customers can immediately recognize the brand. Some branding elements can be:

• Register your business name as the sender ID rather than using a general long code number
• Create brand voice guidelines for consistent tone and style for messages
• Start or end messages with your brand name

Send SMS order updates on autopilot with Plivo CX

Plivo CX simplifies SMS marketing for eCommerce businesses. Our no-code journey builder allows you to automate order updates easily.  

Seamlessly integrate Plivo CX with Shopify, and then you can create automated SMS order update workflows using a drag-and-drop interface – no coding required.

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Apart from the effective journey creation, Plivo CX also supports:

✅Getting customers to opt-in

✅Segmenting subscribers

✅Creating campaigns with in-built templates and AI copywriter

✅Scheduling marketing campaigns with AI assistance

✅Launching ad-hoc campaigns with ease

✅Building reports of campaigns

You get an end-to-end solution that also complies with all industry and government regulations. 

Further, we do not rely on external carriers and use our internal premium carrier network. This capability enables you to send messages to over 220 countries/territories with higher deliverability for as little as $0.0065. 

The best thing is, you can easily cut your SMS marketing costs by up to 70%.

Want to create SMS order updates campaigns quickly? 

Schedule a demo today to explore the powerful features of Plivo CX.

You might not realize it, but these subtle signs could mean you're experiencing burnout at work:

• 🤔 The “huh” exclamations when a new query ping comes in
• 😤 Getting easily irritated by almost anything
• ⚠️ Making routine mistakes that could normally have been avoided
• 📢 Raising your voice at customers
• 😐 Feeling unenthusiastic when handling customer queries
• 🏢📉 Reduced engagement levels, even while in the office

According to WHO, these signs of customer service burnout can also lead to chronic stress that spells doom for employee wellbeing. Picking these pointers up early can help minimize damage to your business and agents.

In this article, we’ll discuss the causes of customer service burnout, its impact on your business, and how to reduce or avoid it with AI.

Causes of customer service burnout

According to a 2022 McKinsey report, one in four employees experiences burnout. For customer support teams, this is usually a result of ticket overload, handling many of the same tasks every day, inadequate resources and support, and a toxic work environment.

High ticket loads due to rapid scaling

Scaling is essential for every business. 

However, it becomes problematic when your team size and resources remain the same. Imagine managing over a thousand queries, up from a few dozen per day, with just five agents. That means each agent has to handle about 200 tickets every day, compared to the previous 20.

This increases the workload and pressure on your team, even if the salary is appropriate. Your agents exhaust themselves to meet a set target, which leads to burnout in the long run. 

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Handling repetitive tasks

Customer service may seem routine, but the daily tasks can quickly become overwhelming:

• Responding to routinely asked questions
• Processing refunds
• Escalating complaints to a higher level
• Manually updating customer details
• Retrieving customer data
• Managing order status inquiries

First, these repetitive tasks gulp 10% to 25% of your agent’s productive time. Moreover, constantly handling the same inquiries without variety or meaningful engagement makes the job feel monotonous and mentally exhausting. 

Over time, this lack of stimulation can reduce motivation, increase stress levels, lead to burnout, and eventually impact the quality of customer interactions.

Inadequate technical support and training

Untrained or improperly trained agents struggle to handle customer queries effectively, leading to frustration, stress, and a feeling of being overwhelmed. 

When agents feel overwhelmed, their performance suffers, creating a ripple effect: customers become frustrated due to poor service, and overall satisfaction declines. 

Agents, already struggling to keep up, may face backlash from both frustrated customers and unsympathetic management. Over time, this cycle of stress, blame, and dissatisfaction erodes morale and also causes burnout.

At the same time, inadequate or outdated support tools and AI-powered technical solutions mean your agents have to execute most tasks manually. This results in human errors, repetitive tasks that become monotonous, and inefficiency in delivery.

Toxic work culture and environment

Work culture becomes toxic when unrealistic expectations, a lack of recognition and appreciation for milestones met, illegal demands for overtime, unhealthy cutthroat competition fostered by the company, and poor team communication lead to disputes.

These reasons also contribute to a toxic work environment and workplace tension, which inevitably causes burnout.

Impact of customer service burnout on organizations

According to Gallup's often-cited burnout report, 76% of employees experience burnout occasionally, and 63% are more likely to take sick leave because of this.

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But burnout affects more than just your agents. It can also affect your company, often manifesting as decreased team productivity, increased staff turnover, customer dissatisfaction, and declining ROI.

Decreased productivity and morale

Burnout keeps your employees from their best, with many of them spending more time on a task than usual or getting stuck in a cycle of customers’ frustrated complaints. 

This is even more prevalent in younger employees, according to meQ. Under-30 employees are 62% more likely to report stress-impaired productivity than older employees older than 60.

When a significant number of your first-line support staff members break down under stress, others who are not affected by burnout have to step in to handle deficits. They eventually become overwhelmed as well, and the cycle continues until the whole team’s productivity and work morale take a significant dip.

Increased staff turnover

Chronic stress results in increased sick leave and absenteeism from work. But it can trigger worse outcomes—staff turnover. 

In a study conducted by UKG, one-third of affected GenZ employees may resign. Agents in the millennial age group are also likely to opt in for stability over continuous work strain on their mental health, and this often means quitting.

Increased staff turnover creates a void in your support team’s structure, leading to heavier workloads for the remaining agents and declining service quality. As experienced employees leave, valuable knowledge and expertise are lost, forcing your HR team to train new hires who may struggle to keep up constantly.

Customer dissatisfaction

A highly stressed customer service team and burnout support reps will provide subpar support. This can take the form of delayed response times, unsatisfactory resolutions, or aggressive communications between your service rep and a customer, resulting in poor service delivery and a bad customer experience.

65% of customers switch to another brand after a bad experience, so burnout ultimately increases your customer turnover rate.

Declining organizational ROI

High staff and customer turnover, recurring training and onboarding costs, and increased customer acquisition costs increase avoidable expenses. A recent Gallup analysis also shows that absenteeism can cost businesses $340 per employee per missed workday.

But besides the expenses, every customer lost as a result of agent burnout means lost revenue. Customers with bad experiences also write bad reviews that can damage your reputation and prevent other prospects from patronizing your business. 

Avoiding this is crucial, given that four in ten consumers use online reviews as their main channel of finding a product or even buying.

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Reducing burnout in customer support: 4 effective ways

Reducing burnout among your customer support team members can help boost staff retention, improve service delivery, and scale your ROI. Let’s talk about four ways to do that.

1. Recognize the warning signs and causes 

Burnout often goes unnoticed at workplaces, and your agents might not bother talking about it because they don’t want to risk their jobs. So, it’s crucial to recognize the subtle signs, such as decreased productivity, routine mistakes, exhaustion, disengagement, and a lack of motivation.

Frequent clashes with other support reps or customers are also a pointer. Instead of being critical, step in to understand why and implement measures to address them, including providing time off if necessary.

2. Create a feedback chain between the team and organization leaders

Design a system that allows your agents to report factors that predispose to burnout like excess ticket allocations or unrealistic performance expectations. This could be a monthly survey, digital feedback integrated with every employee’s dashboard, and traditional office boxes. 

The feedback should also be optionally anonymous to avoid job threats from indicted employees, including team leads and managers. Review each entry carefully and respond to your support team. You can also host bi-monthly review sessions or open spaces to collect live feedback and make your agents feel heard.

3. Establish a healthy working environment and culture

Identify factors such as unrealistic expectations, lack of recognition and appreciation for milestones met, illegal demands for overtime, unhealthy cut-throat competitions, and eliminate them. 

Create a gamified reward system which recognizes and appreciates your agents for every milestone crossed. For instance, if an agent resolves ten complex queries on a streak without any callbacks from customers on the same issue, that deserves a shoutout or a monetized reward. 

Address overtime and moderate expectations—your agents are humans, not bots. Also, build a healthy culture by introducing engaging off-work activities such as team outings, wellness programs, casual game nights, and mindfulness sessions. 45% of employees say vacations work for them. 

Engaged employees are 71% less likely to experience burnout.

4. Moderate workload per agent as much as possible

Scale your customer support team according to your business needs. The more customers you onboard, the more queries you will receive and the more hands you will need to handle them. 

Most importantly, recognize that each agent has a different capacity for handling complaints—so avoid setting a fixed, one-size-fits-all quota. A better approach is to assess each agent’s past productivity based on their previous performance data. Use this information to assign workloads more effectively, ensuring that agents are neither overwhelmed nor underutilized.  

AI solutions for customer service burnout

Effective utilization of solutions integrated with AI in customer service helps eliminate burnout proactively and boosts productivity by up to 66%. Let’s see how it works.

1. Integrate Chatbots to handle routine requests

AI-powered chatbots can manage routine L1 tasks such as processing order status inquiries, resetting passwords, answering recurring questions, handling basic troubleshooting, updating account details, and guiding customers through simple self-service options. 

This prevents ticket overload and helps your agents focus on managing a few complex requests that bots cannot handle.

As an omnichannel customer service platform with several AI-powered features, Plivo CX offers an OpenAI-powered self-service chatbot. It is designed to take the pressure off your team, escalate difficult queries to agents, and reduce time to resolution.

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2. Use a routing system to assign tickets to appropriate agents

AI-driven routing systems intelligently assign tickets to the right agents by analyzing customer data, agent availability, performance metrics, and the complexity of the query. This helps to reduce burnout by ensuring that workloads are distributed fairly and preventing individual agents from being overwhelmed with difficult or excessive tasks.

Plivo CX offers a powerful automation workflow builder to help you design skill-based routing pathways, which ensures tickets are routed to appropriate agents, in addition. Plivo CX’s in-app customer service solution utilizes customer data to allocate live chats to your support team members.

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3. Employ GenAI to assist agents

There are moments when you’re stuck and unsure of how to respond to a customer, particularly during peak hours when there’s an influx of customer queries. 

Generative AI leverages existing data to curate a relevant reply, which your agents can modify if necessary and send right away. By reducing response time and cognitive load, GenAI thus minimizes stress, prevents decision fatigue, and helps agents stay focused—ultimately reducing burnout.

You can use solutions like Plivo CX’s in-app customer service, which equips your agents with the best snippets to use every time and enables them to give quicker, more accurate responses.

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Reduce customer service burnout with Plivo CX

Plivo CX’s in-app customer service solution lets you seamlessly integrate AI-powered chatbots into your apps. This bot reduces burnout by automating routine and monotonous requests so your agents can focus on core customer inquiries. 

With a built-in data-routing feature, your chatbots can efficiently escalate and assign live chats to the most suitable agents, ensuring fair distribution and accelerating resolution times.

Plivo CX also offers:

• Unified communication: Manage all customer conversations across channels like email, voice, SMS, WhatsApp, and live chat from a single, intuitive dashboard.
• Effortless workflow design: Visually build custom workflows and automation with a drag-and-drop interface, no coding required.
• Seamless integrations: Connect Plivo CX service with your existing tools, including CRM, ERP, helpdesk, and homegrown systems.
• Data-driven optimization: Track real-time analytics and generate custom reports to gain insights into customer interactions and agent performance.
• AI-enhanced efficiency: Prioritize urgent tickets, ensure brand consistency, provide timely updates, and adapt quickly to changes with AI-powered support and proactive service.
• Rich communication: Enhance interactions with multimedia support, including images, videos, and documents.
• Increased productivity: Streamline workflows with message templates, internal notes, and skills-based routing.
• Comprehensive features: Leverage call recording and barge-in for agent coaching, customizable IVR, multi-language support, and robust security features.

To learn more, book a demo now!

Every SMS marketing campaign depends on a singular, fundamental factor—successful message delivery. Businesses rely on SMS to engage their audience effectively, whether it’s a promotional offer, a transactional update, or an appointment reminder. 

But what happens when a message doesn’t reach its intended recipient?

SMS delivery reports provide critical insights into message status, helping businesses track success rates and optimize their communication strategy. 

With global A2P (application-to-person) SMS revenues projected to reach $78 million by 2027, understanding delivery trends is more crucial than ever.

In this article, we’ll break down how SMS delivery reports work, the key insights they offer, common reasons for delivery failures, and best practices to improve SMS deliverability. 

How do SMS delivery reports work?

An SMS delivery report (DLR) is a status notification that confirms whether a sent message has been successfully delivered to the recipient's device.

These reports provide real-time updates on the status of messages sent and help businesses track whether their messages are successfully delivered, pending, or failed. They offer key insights to optimize SMS marketing and customer communication.

Imagine an e-commerce store sending an order confirmation SMS to a customer. If the message is marked as "Delivered," the store knows the customer has received it. However, if the status shows "Failed" or "Pending," they can investigate—was it a wrong number, carrier issue, or the recipient’s phone turned off? 

With this insight, the business can resend messages, update contact lists, or optimize delivery times to ensure critical updates reach customers efficiently.

For businesses relying on SMS for engagement, SMS delivery reports serve as a performance checkpoint, ensuring messages reach their intended recipients. 

By analyzing these reports, companies can refine their messaging strategies, improve deliverability, and enhance customer interactions.

Key insights from SMS delivery reports

Each SMS sent goes through a verification process that determines its final status. By understanding the different delivery statuses, businesses can fine-tune their SMS strategies for better engagement and higher conversion rates.

Here’s what the different SMS delivery reports indicate:

1. Delivered ✅

• The message has successfully reached the recipient’s mobile device
• Indicates a functional phone number and a network that accepted the message

2. Failed ❌

• The message could not be delivered due to issues like:
  
  • Invalid or deactivated phone number
  • Network errors or carrier restrictions
  • The recipient’s phone being switched off for an extended period
• Businesses should monitor failed messages to clean contact lists and improve targeting

3. Pending ⏳

• The message is still in transit and waiting for a final status update
• Common reasons include:
  
  • Temporary network congestion
  • The recipient’s device is turned off or out of coverage
  • Carrier delays in processing the message
• Pending messages may eventually be delivered or fail depending on network conditions

4. Rejected 🚫

• The message was actively blocked by the carrier or recipient’s device
• Possible reasons:
  
  • The recipient is on a Do Not Disturb (DND) list
  • The carrier has spam filters that flag the message
  • The recipient manually blocked SMS from the sender
• To minimize rejections, businesses should comply with SMS regulations and ensure recipients have opted in

5. Unknown ❓

• The final delivery status could not be determined
• Possible reasons:
  
  • No response from the recipient’s carrier
  • The message was sent but the carrier failed to report its status
• Since unknown statuses can create uncertainty, businesses should monitor trends and optimize their SMS routing strategy

Why SMS delivery reports matter:

• Helps businesses identify delivery issues and improve audience targeting
• Ensures higher SMS engagement rates by removing inactive numbers
• Enables businesses to adjust message content to avoid spam filters

By analyzing SMS delivery reports, businesses can gain a data-driven advantage in their SMS campaigns. This ensures higher deliverability and reduced SMS delivery failures.

Common reasons for SMS delivery failures

Even with a reliable SMS gateway, some messages fail to reach recipients due to various reasons. Here are the most common issues:

How to use SMS delivery reports for better engagement

Businesses can optimize messaging strategies by analyzing delivery report data. Here’s how you can use SMS delivery reports strategically to refine your engagement tactics:

Fixing failed message issues

If your delivery reports show a high percentage of failed messages, it’s a clear sign that something needs fixing. Monitoring these reports helps businesses identify patterns and address issues like invalid numbers or carrier restrictions.

96% of consumers have felt annoyed by SMS marketing messages, which can lead them to block senders or mark messages as spam, further reducing deliverability. Regularly reviewing delivery reports ensures your messages don’t get lost in spam filters.

Sending messages at the right time

Timing directly affects SMS engagement and deliverability. Analyzing delivery reports helps identify when recipients are most likely to respond. Messages sent too early or too late may be ignored, while poorly timed promotions can lead to higher opt-out rates.

For example, Papa Murphy’s, a take-and-bake pizza brand, used SMS campaigns strategically by offering discounts during slow business hours, leading to a 17% increase in in-store traffic. 

By using delivery reports to track response patterns, businesses can fine-tune their messaging schedules to maximize impact.

Optimizing SMS content to avoid spam filters

To improve SMS deliverability, focus on clarity, value, and relevance. Messages should be concise, legally compliant, and free from spam triggers. 

Instead of generic promotions, personalize content based on user behavior, purchase history, or location to increase engagement.

For example, instead of a vague discount offer, send:
"Hey [Name], your favorite sneakers are back in stock! Grab them now with 10% off: [link]"

Segment audiences for higher deliverability

Not all customers engage with messages in the same way. Using delivery reports to segment audiences based on engagement and preferences ensures that messages are relevant. 

This increases the likelihood of successful delivery and customer interaction.

Example 1: VIP customers (Frequent buyers)

"Hey [Name], as a valued customer, here’s early access to our exclusive sale!  Enjoy 25% off before anyone else. Shop now 👉 [Link]"

Example 2: Inactive customers (Haven’t purchased in a while)

"Hi [Name], it’s been a while! We’ve got 15% off just for you to make your comeback special. Use code WELCOME15 at checkout. 🛒 Shop now 👉 [Link]"

Reduce costs by eliminating invalid numbers

Failed delivery reports indicate inactive or incorrect numbers. Removing these from your list ensures you’re not wasting resources on undeliverable messages, improving both cost efficiency and targeting accuracy.

Best practices for improving SMS delivery rate

Improving SMS delivery rates is crucial for effective communication and customer engagement. Implementing these best practices helps ensure messages reach the right audience without delays or failures.

A healthy clean contact list = Higher deliverability

Keeping a clean and updated SMS contact list is essential for improving delivery rates and reducing message failures. 47% of U.S. millennials appreciate receiving SMS messages from brands they've opted into, emphasizing the importance of targeting engaged subscribers.

Regularly removing invalid numbers, duplicate contacts, and inactive subscribers ensures messages reach the right audience. This minimizes delivery failures and compliance risks. 

A well-maintained SMS list enhances engagement, reduces costs, and improves overall SMS campaign performance.

Send SMS when customers are ready to act

Beyond analyzing past reports, businesses should proactively test and refine their messaging times. A/B testing different send times and tracking responses can help identify optimal engagement windows.

For U.S. audiences, compliance with TCPA regulations is important. Messages should not be sent before 8 AM or after 9 PM in the recipient’s time zone. While mid-afternoon tends to perform well, avoiding Mondays and peak rush hours can prevent messages from being overlooked. 

By continuously optimizing send times, businesses can enhance engagement, minimize opt-outs, and ensure compliance as well.

Failed or delivered? Use reports to refine your SMS strategy

Utilizing delivery reports allows businesses to track the success of their SMS campaigns. Companies can spot trends, identify issues, and adjust strategies by analyzing these reports. 

For example, if many messages are undelivered, it may indicate issues with carrier compatibility or the need for content optimization.

Follow the regulations to improve SMS delivery

Following TCPA and GDPR regulations is crucial for SMS deliverability and customer trust. Businesses must obtain explicit consent before sending marketing messages, ensuring compliance and avoiding penalties.

Using double opt-in confirms subscriber interest, reducing spam complaints and improving engagement rates. A well-managed opt-in/out process keeps your SMS list clean, enhances deliverability, and builds long-term customer relationships.

Choose a reliable SMS gateway

Partnering with a trusted SMS gateway ensures high deliverability and reliable message transmission. A reputable provider offers strong infrastructure, regulatory compliance, and carrier relationships to prevent message failures and filtering issues.

Plivo CX, an advanced omnichannel SMS marketing platform, helps businesses optimize message delivery, track performance, and engage customers with precision. 

With AI-driven insights and intelligent segmentation, brands can improve SMS deliverability, reduce costs, and maximize campaign success effortlessly.

Elevate your SMS strategy with Plivo CX delivery tracking report

Many businesses struggle with SMS delivery issues due to failed messages, spam filters, or poor timing. These challenges can lead to missed opportunities, reduced engagement, and wasted marketing budget. 

Without real-time insights, identifying why messages fail and how to fix them becomes difficult.

Plivo CX simplifies SMS campaign management, providing businesses with real-time delivery insights, AI-powered automation, and intelligent customer segmentation to optimize messaging strategies and improve deliverability.

Whether you’re sending promotional offers, transactional updates, or appointment reminders, Plivo CX helps you automate and personalize your SMS outreach, ensuring every message counts.

Here’s why Plivo CX is the smart choice for reliable and data-driven SMS campaigns:

• Performance insights: Plivo CX tracks key campaign metrics to measure ROI and optimize delivery, as well as your SMS strategy. Get real-time insights to see what works and adjust for better engagement and conversions.

• Seamless E-commerce integrations: Integrate with e-commerce stores like Shopify, BigCommerce, WooCommerce, and Magento to personalize SMS campaigns and send SMS directly from your e-commerce system.
• Timely engagement: Schedule messages strategically across time zones to maximize deliverability and engagement. Schedule messages at optimal times across time zones.

• Leverage browsing behavior: Use session data to send personalized offers and product recommendations based on customer interests. Tailored messages increase engagement and drive higher conversion rates.
• Craft engaging messages:  With Copywriter AI, generate and send messages instantly, ensuring they reach recipients at the right time. Use AI-driven suggestions and pre-built templates to create personalized SMS messages that improve deliverability and customer engagement.

• Customer segmentation: Use the Audience feature and segment your customers using purchase history, spending habits, and engagement data for better targeting. Smart segmentation ensures the right message reaches the right customer at the right time.

• Welcome new customers: Make a great first impression with personalized welcomes and exclusive discounts for new subscribers. Start building customer loyalty from day one with engaging, value-driven messages.

• Send campaign announcements: Keep your audience in the loop with product launches, flash sales, restocks, and new arrivals. Timely updates ensure customers never miss out on limited-time offers.

With Plivo’s premium carrier network covering 220+ countries, businesses can cut SMS costs by up to 70% while tripling ROI. On average, Plivo CX users generate $71 for every $1 spent, making it a powerful tool for e-commerce businesses.

Don’t let failed messages impact your business. Take control of your SMS strategy, improve deliverability, and maximize engagement with Plivo CX.

Book a free demo today and experience smarter, more effective SMS marketing! 

“We’re closed at the moment. Please reach out again during our business hours.”

Imagine contacting customer support in an emergency, and this is how they respond. Frustrating?

According to The Consumer  Patience Study, 50% of customers are less likely to spend money on a business that takes longer to respond. If you’re unavailable when your customers need you, your competitors will be.

That’s why 24/7 customer support is critical for e-commerce businesses. It keeps customers engaged, reduces cart abandonment, and drives repeat sales.

So, how do you ensure your customers get the help they need anytime, anywhere? This blog post will show you how to implement effective 24/7 customer service that keeps your business running and your customers returning.

5 ways to offer 24/7 customer service as an e-commerce business

Data from The Harvard Business Review revealed that taking longer than five minutes to respond to a lead can reduce your lead qualification success rate by 10 times. Delaying your response to between five and ten minutes can result in a 400% drop in success. 

Here are five practical ways to deliver 24/7 customer service and enhance customer satisfaction.

Chatbots

Chatbots can simulate human-like conversations with customers in real time. They can guide customers toward resolving their issues and handle tasks like order tracking, product recommendations, and FAQs. 

For small and mid-sized e-commerce businesses, chatbots are a cost-effective way to deliver 24/7 customer service without hiring additional staff. 

In fact, data from Leadoo shows that websites using chatbots can boost conversion rates by 10-100%.

Brooklinen employs AI-powered chatbots on its website to assist customers with product inquiries, order tracking, and common support questions. The bots are available 24/7 to provide assistance outside regular business hours.

Omnichannel Communication

Customers reach out through multiple channels—email, chat, phone, and social media—and want a consistent experience no matter what channel they use. 

Omnichannel support ensures customers don’t have to repeat information or start from the beginning whenever they switch channels. This approach can help e-commerce businesses maintain context and personalized support while being available on multiple platforms to offer round-the-clock customer support.

Orvis, a fishing gear and apparel brand, has a great omnichannel strategy. It is so good that they have literally won an award for it.

The channels used include:

• Retail locations
• Online website
• Social media platforms, including Instagram and Pinterest
• Amazon storefront

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Self-service options

Self-service options empower customers to solve issues on their own. This includes embedding resources like help centers, in-app tutorials and knowledge bases within your website.

A good self-service resource is well-organized, up-to-date, and easy to navigate. It typically includes helpful information about your products. This could be guides, videos, FAQs or blog posts available 24/7, even when your team is not.

Allbirds, known for their sustainable shoes, offers a comprehensive FAQ section covering everything from sizing to returns. It also features an articles section that discusses trends and guides customers in finding the proper footwear for different occasions.

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5. Community forums

Never underestimate the power of active community forums. Active online communities are valuable knowledge repositories.

A well-designed forum allows customers to interact and share experiences about products and services. This approach can also greatly reduce the burden on your support team while allowing customers to access information independently 24/7.

Glossier, a beauty brand, maintains an active community space on Reddit where customers discuss products, share beauty tips, and troubleshoot common issues. Businesses can use platforms like Discourse or Reddit to build similar customer communities and maintain a strong online presence that is accessible 24/7.

Social media monitoring

Social media can help you constantly monitor consumer needs and sentiments while expanding your round-the-cloud customer support capabilities. To stay visible on social media, regularly share valuable content, promptly reply to comments and inquiries, and engage in relevant social media conversations. 

This will also allow you to understand how customers perceive your brand while identifying issues early, even outside of business hours.  Addressing concerns before they escalate will foster a reputation for responsiveness among your customers.

II Makiage does it perfectly by replying to user comments smartly. When a prospective customer commented about being confused about foundation shades, it immediately responded with a quiz link to help the user find a suitable shade. 

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7 steps to implement round-the-clock customer support

Here are seven effective steps to help you implement round-the-clock customer support without stretching your team too thin:

1. Analyze your customer base 

If your customer base spans different time zones, round-the-clock customer support is essential to ensure prompt assistance regardless of location. Analyze customer support inquiries to identify peak hours and whether extended support is needed. 

Understanding customer preferences will also help you determine the most effective channels, such as self-service options or personalized phone support. 

2. Evaluate the cost and benefits

Consider the expenses of hiring a 24/7 support team, investing in necessary technology, and providing staff training. Weigh these costs against the potential gains, such as higher customer satisfaction, lower churn rates, and a stronger brand reputation. 

Begin with a limited approach and expand gradually. You don’t need to launch a complete 24/7 support system right away. To gauge the results, try extending support hours or providing live chat during high-traffic periods. As customer demand grows, you can adjust and expand your support accordingly.

3. Choose the right technology

Use technology to deliver efficient 24/7 customer support. Invest in a reliable customer service platform to manage and resolve issues faster. 

Deploy AI-powered chatbots to handle basic questions and simple tasks, allowing your team to focus on more complex problems. Build a detailed knowledge base so your customers can easily find answers independently.

4. Establish clear internal protocols

Create escalation protocols, define response time standards, implement clear communication channels between teams, and develop standardized workflows for dealing with different customer inquiries. 

This will ensure support issues are tracked, routed and resolved systematically, minimizing delays.

5. Set response times based on the query type and channel used

Customer inquiries have varying levels of urgency. Issues like payment failures, order cancellations, or delivery delays need immediate attention, while questions about product details or return policies can allow for more flexible response times. 

You can improve support efficiency by categorizing these queries and assigning them to the right communication channels with clear response time expectations.

For example, live chat can handle urgent concerns like tracking lost packages or fixing checkout errors. Respond to email inquiries for more detailed questions about bulk orders or product specifications. 

Direct customers to community forums for topics like styling tips or user reviews, which aren’t time-sensitive. This method ensures every customer receives prompt and appropriate support based on their needs.

6. Conduct regular staff training

Equip your team with deep product knowledge, good communication skills, and the ability to manage customers in diverse scenarios. The training should cover technical and customer service skills like communication, collaboration, and empathy. Ongoing professional development ensures support staff can provide efficient support at any time of the day.

7. Deploy automation and plan for scalability 

Finally, use AI and automation to speed up assistance and response times. Tools like AI agents and machine learning-driven support solutions can manage a large number of routine inquiries and provide 24/7 customer service.

Best practices for providing 24/ customer service

Industries like e-commerce have a higher expectation of round-the-clock customer support because customers often shop outside traditional business hours and expect immediate assistance for issues such as order tracking, product availability, or payment problems. 

Follow these best practices to ensure you do it right: 

• Clearly communicate support hours: Make your availability easy to find on your website, social media pages, and order confirmation emails. If you serve customers across different time zones, consider listing multiple time slots
• Set response time expectations: Let customers know when to expect a reply during business hours. For example, provide estimated response times for emails or typical wait times for live chat
• Prioritize self-service: A well-structured FAQ page, knowledge base, and order-tracking tool can help customers resolve common issues on their own, reducing the need for direct support
• Use automated responses after hours: Set up auto-replies for emails and AI-powered chat to acknowledge messages received outside business hours. Include helpful links to self-service resources so customers can find answers while they wait
• Respond quickly when available: During business hours, ensure your team addresses inquiries promptly. Fast responses build trust and show customers that their concerns matter
• Extend support during peak periods: If you receive more inquiries during sales events or holiday seasons, consider temporarily extending support hours to manage demand efficiently

Accelerate response times and offer 24/7 support with Plivo CX 

Incorporating 24/7 customer service doesn’t have to mean constant human availability. It’s more about the strategies and tools you use.

Plivo CX can be the perfect support to help you provide seamless customer service, ensuring your customers receive timely assistance even when your team isn’t available. It is an AI-powered, omnichannel customer support platform perfect for small—to mid-sized e-commerce businesses. 

The platform's open AI-powered chatbots can proactively handle customer inquiries 24/7 across multiple communication channels.

Key features include:

• AI self-service chatbots: Offer quick, accurate answers to common inquiries while escalating complex issues with detailed summaries to human agents when necessary
• In-app customer service: Seamlessly exchange media and document exchange for quicker issue resolution and direct live chats to the best-suited agents 
• Omnichannel support: Manage customer interactions across email, SMS, WhatsApp, voice, and live chat from a unified platform, maintaining context and continuity across channels
• Unified agent desktop: Provide agents with a comprehensive view of customer data, allowing them to resolve issues faster and more effectively
• Detailed customer insights: Use AI to analyze conversations and identify opportunities for service improvements and business growth
• Agent training tools: Enhance agent performance with call recordings, real-time feedback, and discreet coaching.

Book a demo with us today!