Why you should choose Imagicle Virtual Agents to empower your bank.

The Future of Banking: Embracing Virtual Agents

Banks play a pivotal role in managing crucial and sensitive matters for their customers. With the increasing volume of customer service requests, it’s no wonder that many clients experience frustration when their issues aren’t resolved promptly. Common challenges include:

• Limited availability: Customers need assistance outside regular working hours.
• Misdirected queries: Inquiries often reach staff who lack the specific training required.
• High volume of requests: Banks struggle to provide timely responses.

These challenges, combined with the current customer service trends, surely call for an automation of customer service.

Why Customers Demand Automation and Omnichannel Services

Modern customers increasingly expect the ability to manage their needs independently at any time of the day or night. Specifically:

• Customers want to solve issues on their own, 24/7, through natural interactions. The classic call during office hours isn’t enough anymore.
• Customers want to use their preferred, often multiple, channels to communicate faster and easier. This especially concerns the youngest generation, which wants to avoid calling and interacting on platforms such as WhatsApp, Messenger, Telegram, etc.
• However, 65% of people still prefer phone calls to escalate to human interaction for the most valuable and critical issues.

So, how can your bank achieve top-quality customer service while introducing automation and omnichannel services? The answer is Imagicle Virtual Agents.

How Imagicle Virtual Agents Enhance Banking Customer Service

Imagicle Virtual Agents are AI-powered virtual assistants designed to automate conversations naturally. They are available 24/7 all year round. These AI virtual assistants come in two forms: the chatbot, called Imagicle Digital Virtual Agent, and the voice bot, known as Imagicle Voice Virtual Agent. They support human colleagues by handling repetitive tasks when the office is closed, staff are busy, or phone lines are overloaded.

AI Voicebots manage FAQ-based phone calls, escalating the contact for more complex issues, while AI Chatbots open up new communication channels on platforms such as WhatsApp, Telegram, and website chat. This makes it easier for customers to interact with the organization through the digital channels they use daily. For real-life virtual agents use cases, see here.

These virtual assistants offer a complete omnichannel banking solution, meeting the needs of any user. They provide the perfect balance between human and virtual: frequent requests are managed in real-time by a virtual agent via voicebot or chatbot through the user’s preferred channel, with the option to transfer to a live operator when necessary. An intuitive behind-the-scenes editor makes it easy to configure and manage interactions.

The use of solutions based on conversational AI technology is becoming increasingly common. According to Forbes, the need to improve digital services and employee experience leads to 2023 being “the year of Conversational AI” for banks precisely because it brings automation and omnichannel features.

But while automation might be a more intuitive theme to address because it’s easy to understand the benefits of having virtual assistants handle requests for you, what does omnichannel really mean?

The future of customer service is omnichannel.

As the name suggests, an omnichannel service offers multiple ways for customers to interact with you. This means that your bank will be able to assist customers on the classic phone, as well as via new digital channels like WhatsApp, social media, Telegram, and more. It gives people the freedom of choosing which channel to contact their bank on, allowing them to feel more comfortable and at ease with solving their issues, thus improving customer loyalty. On the other hand, while they have multiple ways to reach you, you’ll have all your requests centralized in a single interface.

In the new era, customers live a frenetic life and probably contact you while traveling, commuting, grocery shopping, and more. This means that they cannot always call you via phone but probably would like to send you a message using the tools they’re used to having open on their phones.

Another aspect we need to consider is the type of requests they have. If they need to know what time the bank opens or get in touch with low-value information from you, they are more likely to search on your website by sending a chat or getting in touch with you through the channels you provide. But let’s not forget that for more complex or important topics, they probably would like to speak with someone to better discuss some details, so it is appropriate that the system can switch to a live agent who will handle the call.

Thanks to Virtual Agents, you can offer a full omnichannel experience and enable your operators to manage all the requests coming from all these channels (phone calls, WhatsApp, Messenger, Telegram…) from a single interface without changing tools, saving time. And, of course, the automation part allows you to let chatbots and voice bots be the first point of contact, only escalating to human operators if and when needed.

Indeed, in case of an escalation, by adding Imagicle Attendant Console, you can take care of incoming phone calls with the added value of professional features like parking, queuing, and more, and at the same time, manage all the requests from the other channels that are addressed in a single chat integrated inside the console. A truly complete customer service solution, bringing together human and artificial intelligence, creating a win-win situation for both employees and customers.

Let’s go from theory to practice: use cases for automation and omnichannel customer service in banking:

• Credit & Debit Card Support: Virtual Agents revolutionize credit and debit card support by offering instant, round-the-clock assistance through both voice and digital channels. They provide real-time information on card status and transaction history, eliminating the need for long call queues and unavailable agents. By automating these processes, virtual agents powered by AI ensure quick, accurate resolutions and a seamless customer experience while also escalating complex cases to human agents with a comprehensive summary for more effective handling.
• Check Balance: Virtual Agents streamline the process of checking account balances by providing instant access. Customers can easily request real-time updates on their account balances, view recent transactions, and monitor available funds and interest rates.
• Appointment Scheduling: Virtual Agents can handle appointment scheduling for in-branch services, such as consultations with financial advisors or branch visits for complex transactions. They can check availability, book appointments, and send reminders to ensure customers receive timely service.

Experience the full potential of Imagicle Digital Virtual Agent with an interactive demo tailored to the bank sector

How Do Virtual Agents Work?

Setting up and managing Virtual Agents might seem daunting, but it’s easier than you think. The core of both Digital and Voice Agents lies in Imagicle Smartflows, an intuitive visual editor that offers a drag-and-drop, no-code interface. This means you can build and modify your conversational workflows effortlessly without needing any IT expertise or coding skills.

This seamless integration with your existing systems ensures that creating and adjusting your virtual agent’s conversational processes is as simple as a few clicks, allowing you to deploy sophisticated, human-like interactions without any technical hassle.

Conclusions.

Market trends and customer needs speak loudly: people are unwilling to wait to receive support or settle for poor customer service. They expect to be served 24/7, with precision, through their favorite channel. Virtual Agents help you make customers happy and remove stress from employees, all while cutting costs and improving productivity.

Don’t wait for the next complaint. Invest in AI Virtual Agents today.

Unlock the full capabilities of the Imagicle chatbot through an interactive demo specifically designed for the banking sector.