MultiChoice says its DStv WhatsApp self-service chatbot, DStv Assist, has strengthened the overall customer experience and helped improve customer retention for the pay-TV giant since it was introduced.
Developed by customer experience tech solutions firm Helm in 2019, the chatbot currently helps around 1.2 million DStv customers solve their account queries every month, having helped customers send and receive over 1.4 billion messages since inception, says MultiChoice.
The chatbot allows customers to perform everyday functions via WhatsApp, such as clear decoder errors through the intelligent assistant tool, manage and pay for accounts, and helps solve consumer issues that previously required a phone call or physical presence in-store.
These are clearing of errors, changing packages,reconnecting the service,managing holiday viewing, checking balanceand renting BoxOffice movies, among other functions, without the need for human intervention.
DStv’s WhatsApp self-service chatbot was built using Helm Engine, an artificial intelligence-powered conversational platform that is smart enough to understand and reply to customers using natural language understanding.
The global chatbot market was valued at $525.7 million in 2021 and is expected to expand at a compound annual growth rate of 25.7% from 2022 to 2030, according to research firm Grand View Research.
The market will be driven by the increasing adoption of customer service activities among enterprises, in order to reduce operating costs, enhance customer engagement and improve sales.
Saret Marais, executive head of group digital enablement at MultiChoice, says while some businesses are happy with call centres, service centres or auto-response e-mail addresses, DStv wanted to give its customers a top-tier self-service option, and provide a quick and affordable way to resolve customer queries.
The company then approached Helm, previously known as Praekelt Consulting, to help radically simplify its self-service offering.
“It’s amazing to see more and more of our customers using DStv Assist as their preferred channel. What we have achieved here builds on DStv’s already-strong self-service offering, and this is only the beginning.
“In the not-too-distant future, the bot will be able to proactively learn the behaviour of each unique user, such as the times of the year they tend to change packages.’
According to MultiChoice, the platform is also DStv’s best-performing self-service channel, having garnered 8.4 million unique users since launch.
Other benefits of the bot include cost savings, better analysis of customer data and convenience.
Last year, another bot was introduced across the DStv website, dubbed the Ultimate Master of Information (TUMI).
The enhanced call centre automation came after the pay-TV company realigned its customer service delivery model in 2019, which saw 2 194 of its customer care employees within the call centre and walk-in centres being retrenched.
At the time, MultiChoice said the realignment was in response to the changing behaviour of its customers, who are increasingly moving away from traditional voice calls and visits to walk-in centres, and adopting new self-service and digital technologies to engage with the company.
To date, Helm says it has helped its clients connect, converse with and convert over 500 million users across multiple markets, channels and languages. Clients also include MTN, Absa and Makro.
Helm CEO Dawood Patel explains: “A queue is a reality we’ve all had to face from time to time. While some companies remain focused on making queues shorter, our aim is to eliminate them altogether.
“With DStv’s understanding of their customers and our understanding of user behaviour, we’ve used our technology to radically simplify self-service for over a million people every month. Having gathered data and learnt language nuances from millions of unique users, DStv Assist can now complete tasks in a matter of seconds.”
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