6 Common Invoice Questions AI Can Answer (So Customer Service Doesn't Have To)

Questions related to invoices and payments typically rank high on the list of reasons why customers contact support. At the same time, long customer service wait times often negatively impact customer ratings for their utility, broadband, telephony, and insurance providers, for example. Your company therefore has a lot to gain by streamlining the handling of invoice inquiries.

A survey among over 200 CFOs shows high expectations for AI tools to contribute precisely to this: 61% of participants state that efficiency improvements through digitalization and AI are a high priority for their operations going forward, while 54% state that they see potential to reduce the time spent on customer service inquiries with the help of AI and new technology.

6 Questions an AI Chatbot Can Handle – Directly on the Invoice

If you implement an AI chatbot for customer communication within your digital invoice and payment platform, what types of questions from your customers could it answer? Below, we list six examples that your customer service representatives likely recognize – and would gladly avoid.

1. "Has my payment arrived?"

This question often arises a few days after payment when the customer hasn't received a confirmation. This is especially true when the customer knows they've submitted their payment late and therefore wants to ensure they avoid a potential late fee.

The AI chatbot can check the payment status in real-time – or explain to the customer why it's not yet visible, for example, due to banking days or manual processes.

2. "I've already paid, why am I receiving a reminder?"

Depending on your company's invoice solution, a reminder might be sent out after the customer has already paid. Here too, the AI can explain the underlying reason and provide clear guidance on what the customer should do (or not do) in the meantime. If you wish, you can also have the chatbot offer proactive tips, such as suggesting the customer activate direct debit to avoid a similar situation from occurring again.

3. "Why is the amount higher than last time?"

For many services with recurring invoices, the amount can vary from month to month. The AI can compare the current invoice with previous ones and explain to the customer what the difference is due to – such as higher electricity consumption, ordered add-on services, or changed terms and conditions. Based on the information you have chosen to give the chatbot access to, and how you have instructed it, it can also give the customer helpful advice on what they can do to influence their future costs.

4. "Can I pay the invoice with Swish?"

Different people prefer different payment methods. The AI chatbot knows which options are available to your customers and can provide clear instructions on how to switch to a method that suits them.

5. "How do I activate direct debit?"

If your company offers customers the option to activate direct debit payment through self-service, the AI can explain how it works and guide the customer step-by-step through the process. If activation requires handling by an employee, the chatbot can of course refer to the correct form or contact channel.

6. "Can I get more days to pay?"

It is, of course, up to your company how you want to handle customers who wish to postpone a payment; an AI chatbot will respond based on the rules you set for it. But purely technically, if your policy allows, you can let the chatbot offer the customer a payment deferral – meaning the customer gets more time to pay. If you also use a solution with interactive invoices, you can even have the AI display this directly on the invoice, so the customer can see the change in real-time.

Discover the Next Step in AI Efficiency

Today's AI assistants can already do more than just chat with your customers. And development is progressing rapidly. Do you want to know more about which tasks related to customer invoice inquiries you can let AI perform? Don't miss the article where Carl Oscar Aaro, Generative AI Engineer at Billogram, talks about current and future functionality for those ready to turn AI from words into action.