Focusing Conversation Design On CX - Ben Hazel - Conversations That Matter - Episode #57

Our guest on this week’s episode of Conversations That Matter is a conversational connoisseur. He draws on his background in both customer service and conversation design to create experiences that put the customer first. He’s an upcoming speaker at the Conversational AI Summit in London in May. Welcome to the show, Senior Chatbot Conversational Designer at Admiral Group Plc, Ben Hazel! Ben joins host Randy Ksar for a discussion on building conversational AI teams, measuring metrics of success, and why the focus of your AI design needs to be on the customer, not the tech.

Takeaways:

• When hiring for a Conversation Designer, you don’t need someone with 6+ years of experience. By enriching employees from the contact center with the tools to learn, you get employees with a strong foundation in CX who are already familiar with the company
• Conversation Design is a new field, and getting started can feel daunting. For new designers looking for guidance, finding a strong community is key. Reach out to peers, and learn from them what they are willing to teach.
• Conversational AI offers a few key benefits in the insurance industry. Chatbots that can handle simple requests reduce customer wait time and frustration. As agents are then freed up from simple tasks, they can devote more time to the customers that need it.
• While conversational AI offers numerous benefits for customers, you don’t want to railroad them to a particular solution. The first option for service can be what you think is easiest for them, but you need to provide a second option to give them a choice.
• Conversational AI is more than designing chatbots, it’s about designing a customer journey. You need to think beyond just what the bot will say, and consider why the customer is there, where they want to go, and what they need assistance with.
• When building out a conversational AI team, a level of technical skill is necessary, but the core focus needs to be on the customer service. There is no amount of technological advancement that can outweigh poor service.
• While metrics for a successful chat bot vary based on design and purpose, a good benchmark is the percentage of fall back to human agents. Ideally, your fallback percentage should be less than 10%.

Quote of the Show:

• “We should be able to service the customer how they want to be serviced.” - Ben Hazel

Shoutouts:

• Jessica Pope: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jessica-pope-253798224/
• Hillary Black: https://www.linkedin.com/in/hillaryblack/
• Rebecca Evanhoe: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rebecca-evanhoe/
• Conversations with Things: https://rosenfeldmedia.com/books/conversations-with-things/

Links:

• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ben-hazel-7764aa214/
• Website: https://www.admiraljobs.co.uk/
• Conversational AI Summit: https://london-conv-ai.re-work.co/

Ways to Tune In:

• Apple Podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/conversations-that-matter-podcast-for-contact-center/id1525650658
• Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/6Xx9G8w6bntQayIpbkgxc5?si=cNeVuJicSHagsftlpL8-tg
• Google Podcast: https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly9jb252ZXJzYXRpb25zdGhhdG1hdHRlcnBvZGNhc3QubGlic3luLmNvbS9yc3M