Revolution in customer service at Videoland: smart chatbots using AI

Customer service should be fast, simple and accessible

Videoland is in the Netherlands the one-stop shop for the best home-grown entertainment, with live TV, concerts and sporting events. Watching can be done anywhere and anytime, with four screens simultaneously. With more than 1.2 million subscribers and a new load of content every week, customer service is hugely important. Service has to be fast, simple and accessible. Interactive chatbots on WhatsApp and smart AI are therefore an integral part of the service strategy. This is how Videoland offers their customers the best possible support.

Fast, simple and effective We spoke to Kimberly de Leeuw, Team Manager Quality & Support. With around 20 customer service staff, her team handles messages that come in through all kinds of channels; phone, email, and social media such as Facebook and X (formerly Twitter). For a year and a half they have been using WhatsApp, a few months ago they also implemented live chat.

Kimberly is excited about the addition of the channel:

“Especially during busy periods, it is very nice to have WhatsApp, as it is an easy-to-access channel for our customers. After only two months, we saw that WhatsApp became the most popular channel. And with the deployment of chatbots and AI, we can serve many more customers with the same effort.”

– Kimberly de Leeuw, Team Manager Quality & Support

Innovation with chatbots on WhatsApp

At Videoland, around 60% of traffic comes in through online channels. During peak times, the team sometimes receives up to a thousand messages a day. So they were keen to get more support! The team already had experience with chatbots, which were able to recognise customer questions and answer them through a programmed dialogue.

To make the chatbot on WhatsApp even more efficient, interactive buttons were added to the channel. These interactive buttons allow the customer to select the topic of their question from a multiple-choice menu, making communication much easier. Customers no longer have to type long messages, and the buttons guide the customer through the process quickly and effectively. “We find that we are capturing a lot of questions with the buttons,” says Kimberly. “The customers report being really helped. We are very happy with that!”

Better prepared for complex questions

The chatbot proves useful not only for frequently asked questions, but also for preparing for more complex ones. It quickly gathers the necessary information and thus helps customers and employees resolve a variety of issues, from technical problems to billing questions.

“All questions are handled or even completely resolved by the bot. For more complex questions, the chatbot supports our employees. Because the chatbot requests information, we receive a complete case. This saves a lot of time for employees, which they can spend on investigating more complex problems.”

The power of the Smart AI.gent – smart, fast and efficient

Implementing chatbots and interactive buttons on WhatsApp was only the first step. “We want to keep up with the times and be progressive,” Kimberly explains. Videoland was one of the first customers involved in testing a new feature: the Smart AI.gent. An advanced development in the field of chatbots, which uses artificial intelligence to answer open questions. This smart chatbot independently generates answers based on the content of a website or knowledge base, helping to help customers effortlessly and quickly.

“When we saw how it works and what you can do with it, we were sold. We started using it immediately. We now see that the Smart AI.gent handles almost half of the queries itself.”

You don’t have to build the Smart AI.gent. Complicated chatbot flows are a thing of the past. You enter the URLs and the chatbot generates answers independently. Of course, you can still adjust or enrich the bot afterwards to make the conversation with the customer logical. “We have noticed that the chatbot does need some training and attention. We can easily process those adjustments ourselves. This way, the bot still learns every day.“

Future extensions

As a first step, Videoland is implementing the Smart AI.gent on their help page via web chat. When the bot deals with common questions that are answered in the FAQ, it takes some pressure off of the employees. If the bot cannot figure it out, there is always the option to be effortlessly referred to an employee. This is important for more complex questions or personal issues where a bit of human reassurance is required, such as payment questions. The AI.gent chatbot acts as a quick and efficient support for both customers and employees. It reduces waiting time for customers and significantly increases team productivity. The aim is to extend the bot to WhatsApp and other channels.

A progressive answer to customer service

Videoland continues to evolve and strive for high-quality customer service, following the online-first principle. New technology has transformed customer service and significantly helped both customers and employees. In a world of constant technological progress, Videoland is a great example of how companies can embrace new developments to optimise their customer service and increase customer satisfaction. Spotler Engage and Videoland embrace innovation and remain forward-thinking to exceed customer expectations, providing the best possible experience.