Today, much of the buzz around customer service methodology includes something called “conversational customer engagement.” At its core, it’s about messaging customers in a way that works best for them. Customers no longer want to wait on hold for an agent who might (or might not) be able to help them. Instead, customers are looking for easy asynchronous messaging that they can interact with when the time is right for them. This kind of messaging is achieved with smart chatbots.
“Not only do customers feel comfortable and engaged, but the efficiency gains for business are instant, and the cashflow impacts is significant,” according to Webio. “At a time when movement restrictions are causing customers to do more on digital platforms, there is an increasing desire for conversations that enable us to interact more naturally.”
Simple single purpose chatbots were a good idea, but they haven’t allowed companies to progress to more complex interactions. AI-powered chatbots add in natural language understanding and machine learning with smarter tools, allowing companies to do more within each customer interaction by collecting more information needed to move the conversation toward a positive outcome.
Dixa, a Danish startup company developing conversational customer engagement software, announced this week that it raised $105 million in a series C funding round. The company says the proceeds of the funding round will be put toward product development, new acquisitions following Dixa’s purchase of Melbourne, Australia-based Elevio in January of this year, and quadrupling Dixa’s engineering team by the end of 2022.
Dixa’s platform allows brands to unify channels in a single system, equipping agents with tools like cross-channel prioritization, routing capabilities, and integrations. It offers a phone system that runs in any web browser and it provides email workflows as well as support for chat apps including Facebook (News - Alert) Messenger and WhatsApp.
“The profitability and efficiency mindset that has been the industry standard for years simply helped brands keep up with customers,” said Mads Fosselilus, CEO of Dixa in a statement. “That was the omnichannel approach in technology, but its time has passed. In response to a major shift to value in consumer behavior, brands need a truly agile, productivity-enhancing tech stack that evolves with customers and doesn’t lag behind. This is how we shift from transactional, tickets-based customer service to value-added customer engagement.”