Avon Poland launches customer service chatbot

Avon Poland has launched a Messenger chatbot to help speed up responses to enquiries and meet the ever-growing expectations of today’s consumers for immediate responses. This exciting local initiative to improve customer service is a great example of the widespread digitisation of the Avon business to improve interactions with its customers and beauty entrepreneurs.  Social media users worldwide expect an increasingly rapid response to their comments and queries and Avon Poland’s chatbot, can do just that. 

Since its launch in September the chatbot, which works through the Messenger platform, has effectively managed nearly 400,000 contacts. This not only means the customer gets an instant response but the customer service agents are free to focus on more complex or unusual enquiries.  
This technology can effectively respond to queries about becoming a Representative or questions about products.  The Avon Poland team discovered that 12% of their incoming queries were about becoming a Representative and this instant response allows Avon to harness the energy and enthusiasm of the potential Representative by providing the pathway to sign up immediately.  

It can also provide product recommendations and information.  From responding to a product query posted on social media to allowing virtual try-ons of lipstick, the bot allows instant engagement with products – satisfying the consumer’s desire for instant gratification.  The team have also used the technology to run competitions and games: in September, nearly 12,000 people engaged with a fragrance recommendation ‘game’ based on the user’s personality. 

The responses can be moderated by real agents and queries can be referred on if they can’t be handled adequately by the bot so no query is left unresolved.  Queries and responses are stored so the bank of responses and information grows with use – this ‘learning’ can lead the bot to become even more effective over time.

Avon Poland was recognised earlier this year with a Service Quality Star in recognition of receiving the highest consumer ratings in one of the principal public opinion polls on the quality of customer service in Poland.  The team who are dedicated to continually improving customer service are excited about the potential of technology like this chatbot.  They even have their new ambassadors Małgorzata Rozenek- Majdan and Radosław Majdan getting involved as they assist customers in choosing Christmas gifts using the Messenger bot.