AAA, a Top 25 Most-Trusted Brand, Hands Their Most Precious CX to AI
Success by the Numbers
CSAT out of 5.0
Decrease in Cost per Call
Reduction in Hold Times
Automated Calls/Month
Challenges
- Unpredictable weather resulted in call volume spikes that made staffing difficult
- Long queues and hold times for stranded motorists needing urgent help
Solutions
- AI-powered virtual agents trained to handle every incoming emergency roadside assistance request
- Omnichannel support enables stranded motorists to engage on the channel of their choice
Results
- Reduced operating expenses by 66%
- CSAT scores of 4.5 out of 5 equivalent to live agents
- Scalable virtual agents available 24/7 eliminated wait times
American Automobile Association (AAA) is a federation of regional auto clubs throughout North America that provides roadside assistance to its 55 million members.
Challenge
AAA, a top 25 most-trusted brand, was struggling to support their members with emergency roadside assistance. Stranded motorists desperate for help would call in only to put on hold while waiting in a long queue to speak with a live agent. Unpredictable weather made it a challenge to staff their contact center properly as winter storms would create a sudden spike in calls or chats from stranded motorists.
Since AAA clubs strive to maintain the highest customer satisfaction possible, they needed the very best self-service solution that could help members immediately across any channel while delivering the same high quality service their members had come accustomed to receiving from live agents. While it seemed like a stretch to hand over their most precious CX to AI, business continuity challenges put them on the search for the very best AI-powered experience in the marketplace.
Solution
Contrary to the high cost and ongoing expense of the traditional professional services model, SmartAction’s cloud-based “AI-brain” was purpose-built for the contact center, with templates that support every industry and pre-built components that service hundreds of use cases over voice and chat. After customizing SmartAction’s proprietary “AI-brain” to support AAA clubs’ specific needs, AAA was able to introduce AI automation sooner than expected. Since every SmartAction solution includes a suite of services and benefits as part of the per-minute-usage, AAA clubs now had a dedicated team of CX experts that provided ongoing customization, tuning, and enhancements to the application for improved process and containment over time.
While on the phone with ERS, SmartAction’s technology triggers an outbound SMS text message. The message contains a link that uses GPS to pinpoint a caller’s exact location.
Transformation
If members are having trouble identifying their location while on a mobile phone, SmartAction’s technology triggers an outbound SMS text message. The message contains a link that uses GPS to pinpoint their exact location—all while remaining on the ERS call. These capabilities allow clubs to provide end-to-end self-service for ERS calls, offering quick and intuitive service without the need for a live agent.
Results
As a result, SmartAction handles more than 550,000 ERS calls every month for AAA clubs, providing self-service without any initial hold times. More importantly, when bad weather hits, the automation scales to manage peak volumes.
“SmartAction has improved customer satisfaction and provided a valuable 24/7 member benefit resource that is alleviating contact center traffic to live agents.” – Colin Fritz, Manager of Operational Excellence, Alberta Motor Association
SmartAction’s conversational AI solution helps AAA/CAA members in their time of need with 24/7 emergency roadside assistance. SmartAction’s AI-powered virtual agent allows customers to choose self-service instead of waiting on hold to get help immediately. The virtual agent can mimic every aspect of the live agent experience by understanding the service they need, capturing the vehicle they are driving, leveraging GPS location services, finding and dispatching the nearest service or tow, and even following up with an ETA over voice or text for full end-to-end support.
With SmartAction’s conversational AI solution, AAA/CAA achieves a cost-per-call savings of 66% and a CSAT score of 4.5 out of 5, which is on par with their live agents. ERS applications can be configured and launched in eight weeks or less, providing immediate returns for new clubs.
