Technology
How to Level Up Customer Support Automation Today
One of the most powerful ways to modernize a support team is by optimizing support operations with AI automation.
When implemented thoughtfully, automation doesn’t replace human agents—it elevates them.
Less duplicated work‚ resolving issues faster‚ and providing a consistent experience on different channels․
Since there are many content formats in the current content environment‚ the most effective formats for guidelines are those that are structured‚ practical‚ and focused on “what you can actually do,”‚ as opposed to abstract theory․
This article follows that same intent‚ and seeks to document the journey to better customer support automation‚ without mentioning brand names or links․
1. Automate first‑contact triage with smart workflows
One of the common entry points into support automation is to respond to end customers’ requests as soon as they are received‚ rather than making them wait for a human agent to pick up a chat channel or email, as is customary․
This is done through clever workflows that ask a few questions‚ qualify and classify the issue, and recommend a next best action․
This can mean transferring to a human agent‚ directing the user to a specific help article‚ or beginning a guided self-service flow right within the chat․
It reduces the friction to get started and shows customers they are being heard from the first message․
It reduces the burden on agents because they only see tickets that require human judgement․
In the best implementations‚ the bot feels like a helpful assistant and not a hindrance to the customer reaching a resolution․
2. Route tickets with intelligence, not just speed
Responsiveness is still important‚ but smart routing is what takes automation from simple ticketing to responsive‚ scalable support․
Instead of shuffling tickets to the agent available‚ the system can route based on the subject‚ difficulty‚ language‚ or even expected resolution․
This way, billing problems are routed to billing experts‚ complaints about product setup are routed to technical experts‚ and routine status inquiries are routed to agents who can handle volume․
For example‚ clever routing could send high-touch or high-stakes tickets to a more senior agent or tickets that ask the same question repeatedly to agents specialized in a specific workflow․
It’s this kind of intelligence that allows teams to be faster and happier when they are thinking of routing-based automation beyond simple round robin distribution․
3. Turn FAQs into self‑service journeys
Another area the current content focuses on is changing the format of FAQs into more interactive self-service experiences that guide customers through flows‚ checklists, or conversational search‚ as opposed to serving them a long list of links‚ making it easier to discover a solution․
This reduces the need to create tickets in the first instance and reduces the support workload by focusing on more high-value ‚ complex interactions․
An organized help center can examine common patterns in failed searches and proactively suggest the most appropriate articles or troubleshooting steps․
It can also serve as the backbone for mini-chatbots that can guide the user through setup‚ configuration‚ or troubleshooting paths without opening a ticket․
When teams invest in AI automation to better support their operation‚ a self-service capability is often one of the first investments made․
4. Automate routine follow‑ups and escalations
In modern ticketing systems‚ the entire life cycle of the ticket from its creation can be automated․
Instead of relying on agents to remember to do a status update‚ a satisfaction survey‚ or an escalation‚ rules can be set up to automate these processes․
For example‚ if a ticket has been placed in the “pending customer reply” state for a specified period of time‚ a notification to the customer can be sent out to remind them‚ or if a complaint has not been resolved within any specified period‚ the ticket can be escalated to a manager․
The result is processes that are always followed‚ never missed SLAs‚ less manual work‚ and agents are freed up from the tedious tracking of time and sending reminders to focus on resolving problems․
A mix of automation and human intervention is often the optimal solution for a better experience for customers and agents alike․
5. Use AI to draft and summarize responses
AI-assisted writing has become the norm to scale support teams‚ with the tool helping staff draft an initial response‚ summarize long email threads‚ and suggest templated replies which agents personalize․
It is especially useful in high-volume or multi-language support environments‚ where replies to common questions must be timely and consistent․
This type of automation doesn’t replace agents‚ but acts as a force multiplier for them‚ ensuring that baseline questions are answered correctly and on-brand‚ while still enabling subtlety and empathy in less obvious situations․
Some teams use AI to translate or simplify support communications for different audiences‚ enabling them to support global customers without needing to hire additional staff․
6. Automate onboarding and welcome communications
Automation can also play an important role in onboarding‚ by providing an automated welcome sequence for new customers to help them get set up‚ implement best practices‚ and learn about key features and resources․
These sequences can incorporate email‚ in-app messages‚ and chat prompts to create a cross-channel experience․
To the support staff who deal with these customers‚ this reduces the number of “I don’t know where to start” help desk questions that pile up in the first few days after signing up․
Perhaps more considerably‚ walking users through the most important workflows has contributed to increased activation and retention rates․
One of the most visible ways to use AI automation in support is by transitioning from firefighting to empowering customers and agents with self-service and insights․
7. Trigger proactive support with behavior signals
An even more advanced form of automation involves proactively reaching out to customers before they reach out to you by identifying usage trends or risk signals based on the way they are using the product․
For example‚ when a user repeats the same action‚ fails to complete a key workflow‚ or is beginning to disengage‚ a system could send a personalized message or offer assistance before the customer churns․
These models may be based on behavioral analytics and artificial intelligence models‚ which have tracked tens of thousands of data points‚ events‚ and user behaviors to identify signals that can be used in a support flow to prevent and surface issues before they arise to improve customer satisfaction․
As well‚ proactive messaging must be finely tuned so as not to be perceived as spam‚ and teams iterate based on feedback and response rates․
8. Automate feedback collection and analysis
Many teams capture this feedback automatically as part of their improvement processes‚ for example‚ automatically sending out a customer satisfaction survey once a ticket is closed or analyzing customer messages to understand the sentiment․
This can also support testing‚ benchmarking‚ tracking performance versus targets‚ identifying trends and patterns to tackle, and prioritizing product or process changes․
For support leaders‚ this automation means raw interaction data is transformed into structured insights․
Instead of manually reviewing tickets‚ they view dashboards containing information about common problems‚ emerging topics‚ agent performance‚ etc․
Another effective way to improve efficiency in support is through AI automation․
Every interaction can be a learning and improvement opportunity․
9. Integrate omnichannel experiences
Omnichannel integration is a common thread in customer support automation workflows․
Customers do not care what channel they are in․
Customers expect the context to move with them as they continue the conversation via chat‚ email‚ phone‚ social media, or in an in-app message․
Automation across channels offers the advantage that each interaction builds on prior interactions‚ instead of beginning with a blank slate․
For example‚ if a customer starts a chat conversation and later sends an email‚ we want to show the chat conversation in the history view for the email conversation‚ and vice versa‚ so that the agent doesn’t have to ask the customer for context each time․
This is a feature that differentiates fragmented support experiences from single-threaded experiences‚ and is a common area of focus for teams modernizing their support workflows․
10. Build a feedback‑driven automation roadmap
The best customer support automation is not a single project․
Top teams start by identifying manual activities that take the most time or happen most often‚ and then determine which of those can be fully or partially automated․
They roll out gradual changes and analyze their effects in order to improve them based on real-world data․
This roadmap often includes:
- Pinpointing the top 20% of support scenarios that consume the most time.
- Designing workflows that combine bots, knowledge bases, and human agents.
- Continuously monitoring metrics like resolution time, satisfaction scores, and agent workload.
By combining this with a full focus on AI automating support operations‚ your support function can be scaled better․
There are options emerging like Ferndesk, which do seem to align with most of these points․
But the fundamental principle remains for any support teams the same: to automate support to be faster‚ smarter, and more human․
By Modupe Gbadeyanka
The Executive Vice Chairman of the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), Mr Aminu Maida, has reemphasised the need to protect the nation’s telecommunications infrastructure, especially fibre networks, noting that damage to fibre networks carries significant economic consequences.
Speaking virtually at the Association of Telecommunications Companies of Nigeria (ATCON) Critical Conversation Forum on Fibre-to-the-Home (FTTH) in Lagos recently, he described FTTH as a critical enabler of Nigeria’s digital future.
“FTTH is uniquely positioned to meet Nigerians' next phase of data demand. The quality of our broadband will increasingly shape the competitiveness of our businesses, the growth of our digital industry and the opportunities available to our citizens,” the NCC chief stated.
“We must uphold deployment standards. Nigeria needs fibre that is properly installed, properly documented, and properly protected,” Mr Maida further said at the event themed Fibre to the Home in Nigeria: Addressing Challenges, Strengthening Standards and Ensuring Sustainable Deployment.
During a panel discussion titled Policy, Governance and Regulatory Alignment, the Deputy Director of Strategic Business Initiatives at ipNX, Mr Segun Okuneye, highlighted the need for stronger collaboration across the telecommunications ecosystem to unlock the full potential of fibre broadband in Nigeria.
According to him, sustainable fibre deployment extends beyond technology and investment to include policy consistency, stakeholder alignment, infrastructure protection, and shared responsibility.
“Achieving universal fibre connectivity requires more than deploying infrastructure; it requires sustained collaboration between operators, regulators, government agencies and host communities.
“When policies are aligned, deployment standards are consistently enforced, and critical infrastructure is protected, we create an environment where investment thrives and more Nigerians can enjoy reliable, high-speed broadband.
“At ipNX, we remain committed to working with all stakeholders to build resilient digital infrastructure that will support Nigeria’s economic growth for generations to come.”
Earlier in his welcome address, ATCON President, Mr Tony Emoekpere, underscored the strategic importance of FTTH in achieving the country’s broadband penetration targets while calling for greater public awareness around protecting communications infrastructure.
“This forum is critical because Fibre-to-the-Home is the technology that will enable the country to achieve full broadband penetration. We all depend on communication infrastructure, and it must be protected,” he declared.
Drawing a comparison with power infrastructure in the country, he added, “If somebody comes to your neighbourhood to tamper with your transformer or power cables, everybody will come out. The same thing needs to apply for communications infrastructure. When we see people damaging fibre cables, we should raise an alarm.”
By Modupe Gbadeyanka
Thursday, July 23, 2026, provided an opportunity for financial services professionals to converge on Landmark Event Centre, Lagos, to brainstorm on ways to meet the rising customers’ expectations.
The platform used for this purpose was Core by Interswitch. It is part of the company’s broader commitment to strengthening Africa’s digital payments ecosystem by fostering collaboration, knowledge sharing and operational excellence across the financial services value chain.
At the event, participants, numbering over 400, also highlighted the growing importance of operational excellence in sustaining resilient payment infrastructure.
As digital financial services continue to expand across Africa, closer collaboration among financial institutions, fintechs and payment service providers will be essential to improving responsiveness, resolving operational challenges more effectively and delivering consistently reliable customer experiences.
The Executive Vice President for Operations and Technology at Interswitch, Mr Babafemi Ogungbamila, said the forum reflects the company’s belief that exceptional customer experiences are built not only on innovative technology but also on the expertise, collaboration and commitment of the professionals who keep payment systems running every day.
“Every successful digital transaction is powered by professionals whose work often goes unseen but is fundamental to building trust in digital payments. Core by Interswitch was created to recognise their contribution, strengthen collaboration across the industry and create opportunities for shared learning that ultimately benefit financial institutions and the customers they serve.
“As digital payments continue to evolve, investing in the people and processes that power the technology is just as important as investing in the technology itself,” Mr Ogungbamila said.
Beyond recognising the professionals whose work often goes unnoticed, the programme underscored the value of creating stronger connections across the payments ecosystem.
By creating a dedicated platform for knowledge sharing, collaboration and professional development, Core by Interswitch aims to build a more connected community of payments operations professionals equipped to respond to the evolving demands of the digital economy.
By Aduragbemi Omiyale
WhatsApp has been updated with a web calling feature, allowing users to now make and receive audio and video calls, both one-on-one and group, directly from WhatsApp Web.
A notice from the Meta-owned messaging platform disclosed that this feature works without the need to download any app.
It was disclosed that this update was made to WhatsApp to make it easier for users to make calls wherever they are and on whatever device, phone or laptop.
Users will have access to features available on their other devices, including screen sharing, reactions, and a dedicated Calls tab with full call history and favourites, all from their browsers.
WhatsApp noted that calls from this feature are end-to-end encrypted, with no time limits and at no cost, as it is the same private experience they expect from the platform.
WhatsApp has also been embedded with easy call transfer, enabling the movement of an active group call from one device to another without hanging up. Users can seamlessly transfer calls to WhatsApp Web or Desktop when they arrive home to collaborate on a larger screen – or vice versa.
The platform further said it now has QuickHD, which allows for an improved video experience at the beginning of a call. With QuickHD, users can now enjoy high-definition video immediately in the very first few seconds of the call.
In addition, it has launched noise suppression to remove the background noise around callers so their voices come through clearly to the person on the other end, even in loud or busy environments. This can be managed at any time in in-call settings.
WhatsApp said these features are rolling out gradually and will be available to everyone soon, expressing its desire to make WhatsApp calling simpler to use.
