In the opening paragraphs, let’s quickly answer some common questions about adding a ticket bot:
What is a ticket bot?
A ticket bot is an automated program that can help manage and respond to support tickets within a help desk system. It uses natural language processing (NLP) to understand ticket descriptions and conversations, and can then take actions like assigning tickets, requesting more information, or responding with common solutions.
Why would I want to use a ticket bot?
There are several benefits to using a ticket bot:
- It saves time by automatically handling common support tasks
- It provides quick responses to customer inquiries 24/7
- It frees up human agents to focus on more complex issues
- It helps ensure a consistent customer experience
Overall, a ticket bot improves efficiency and enhances customer satisfaction.
What ticket bot options are available?
There are a few popular ticket bot platforms available:
- Zendesk Answer Bot
- Freshdesk Freddy
- Intercom Smart Campaigns
- Gorgias
- Microsoft Power Virtual Agents
Each has different strengths and capabilities to consider when selecting one for your helpdesk.
How do I choose the right ticket bot?
Here are some key things to evaluate when selecting a ticket bot:
- Integration with your existing help desk platform – Needs to connect seamlessly
- Ease of setup and use – A simple UI for training the bot without coding
- NLP capabilities – Ability to understand complex ticket content
- Conversation management – Tools for tracking and improving conversations
- Customizability – Ability to tailor responses and workflows
- Scalability – Can handle increased workload as your business grows
- Analytics and reporting – Provides insights into performance and impact
Prioritize must-have capabilities based on your use cases. A free trial can help assess fit.
Now let’s dive into details on how to add a ticket bot:
The exact steps to add a ticket bot will vary depending on which provider you choose, but the general process follows this workflow:
1. Select a ticket bot provider
First, sign up for the ticket bot service you want to use. We’ll use Zendesk Answer Bot in this example. Choose a plan based on expected volume and use cases.
2. Connect the bot to your help desk system
The bot will need access to your help desk platform to manage tickets. In Zendesk, you can enable the Answer Bot integration from within your Zendesk Support account.
3. Configure the bot
Customize the bot’s capabilities and workflows based on your goals. In Zendesk Answer Bot, you can:
- Set up greetings and common responses
- Create answer conditions to route tickets intelligently
- EnableRequired ticket fields for automatic collection
- Configure notifications and assignments
- Set up reports and dashboards
4. Train the bot via NLP
Teach the bot how to handle different types of tickets and responses using example conversations and scenarios. The bot will use natural language processing to analyze these and learn from them.
5. Test and refine
Run through test cases to see how the bot performs. Examine conversations to identify areas for improvement. Refine scripts, add missing vocab, and retrain as needed.
6. Launch the bot
Once satisfied with performance in testing, launch the bot to start handling live customer tickets automatically.
7. Monitor and optimize
Track the bot’s impact with analytics. Look for trends in issues the bot can’t handle to identify areas for improvement. Continuous training will enhance accuracy over time.
Let’s explore a few real-world examples and use cases:
Here are some ways companies are leveraging ticket bots for support across different industries:
eCommerce Site – Order Status Requests
An eCommerce retailer configured their Zendesk Answer Bot to handle common “where is my order” inquiries. The bot can automatically pull details on shipment status from order records and respond to customers. This significantly reduces workload for agents.
Software Company – License Reset Requests
When customers forget login credentials, a software company’s Helpshift bot can collect identifying information and automatically reset licenses as warranted. This quickly resolves a frequent customer issue.
Financial Services – Account Balance Checks
For quick inquiries on checking account balances, a bank’s chatbot on Intercom can access customer profiles and provide balance information without an agent’s involvement.
Healthcare Provider – Appointment Rescheduling
Patients often need to reschedule appointments. A healthcare provider configured an Answer Bot that patients can interact with to easily reschedule visits within certain parameters.
What tips help ensure successful adoption of a ticket bot?
Here are some best practices to consider when implementing and managing a ticket bot:
- Set clearly defined use cases and objectives upfront
- Start with a limited scope and expand over time
- Involve agents and customers in testing before launch
- Provide ongoing NLP training with real customer conversations
- Give the bot a distinct, friendly persona
- Monitor performance and quickly address issues
- Have human agents review bot conversations periodically
- Let customers know they are speaking with a bot to set expectations
With the right approach, your ticket bot can deliver great benefits for customer experience and agent efficiency.
Conclusion
In summary, here are the key steps to add a ticket bot:
- Select a ticket bot platform like Zendesk or Intercom
- Integrate the bot with your help desk system
- Configure the bot’s capabilities and workflows
- Train the bot using example conversations
- Thoroughly test the bot before launch
- Monitor performance and optimize with ongoing training
Configure the bot to automatically handle common repetitive tickets. Provide ongoing NLP training. Setup dashboards to track performance. With the right use cases, a ticket bot can drive big gains in customer satisfaction and agent productivity.
