Talk to the Bot!
What if customer service did not have to involve being put on hold without an end in sight? Well, it does not have to anymore. A customer service chatbot can help!
Customer inquiries can be a challenge for larger companies because of the sheer number of inquiries that companies receive and the human resources required to handle and process them. Fortunately, chatbots are here to help.
Read here part I “Something with Bots” and learn about different types of chatbots and the gap between the desired and the actual state of chatbots in customer communciations
Chatbots Are Neither New Nor Dangerous
In my last article, I challenged companies to explore using messaging apps to better meet their customer service needs. As both a marketing expert and a customer, I advocated for fast and direct customer service that is always available when I need it and does not involve long, frustrating waiting times. A customer service chatbot is the answer!
Often, I come across statistics that try to make me believe that people, or at least German people, do not want to deal with chatbots. I think this is nonsense. These statistics distort reality because 90% of Germans do not really know what a chatbot is or does. When they hear ‘chatbot’, they associate the term with killer robots or the replacement of jobs instead of with a versatile, automatic and ever-ready service provider.
The use of machines to complete automated tasks and boost productivity is nothing new. Instead, it is a core aspect of industrialization and how we work in today’s world. Although they are machines, chatbots have a specific purpose and need to be used accordingly in order to maximize their effectiveness. They should not be used for random tasks like assembling cars on the assembly line, but rather to automate communication. This sentiment is nothing new, however. After all, every major service hotline today uses a tape recording to screen and answer the most common questions.
Customer Service Chatbot should Improve, Not Replace Customer Service
Thanks to the work of chatbots, our clients were able to process over 45 million customer inquiries last year. Chatbots are resources that every company can utilize and capitalize on in order to answer increasingly demanding customer inquiries and requests in a better, more service-oriented manner.
Chatbots: The Ideal First-Level Help Desk Support
Nowadays, using a relatively inexpensive chatbot is an ideal way to provide first-level help desk support that answers simple questions directly. While they are not necessarily meant to answer more complex questions, chatbots can help with screening them to figure out the type of help needed and subsequently assigning them to the right people.
If a question cannot be answered directly, the chatbot can refer the matter to the second level of support, the Customer Support team. There, a human employee addresses the matter and the chatbot “remembers” this answer in the event of similar questions in the future. Over time, this allows the chatbot to learn more and more answers, enabling it to handle an increasing number of questions.
The chatbots described here are also referred to as “hybrid chatbots”, and they can be expected to become more prevalent in the market in the medium-term.
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More Results with Less Effort
Programming chatbots to independently answer frequently asked questions is not rocket science. Some people may want you to believe that knowing about things like Artificial Intelligence or Machine Learning is a prerequisite to making chatbots work, but ultimately these topics are superfluous and not necessary for helping you to optimize your work productivity. For now, a chatbot is sufficient for fostering improved customer service because of its ability to answer specific questions and remember the ones it cannot answer. Subsequently, you can use this information to figure out what still needs to be programmed to further strengthen your chatbot’s effectiveness.
The Customer Service Benefits Are Obvious:
Chatbots…
- are always available and never off sick or on vacation
- are constantly learning and improving with new knowledge
- are not only very quick but also patient when dealing with impatien customers
- never forget – they remember frequently used data so you do not have to waste time
- are low maintenance because, ulike apps, they do not have to be constantl< updaed to work with new operating systems
Neither companies nor customers should fear the role of chatbots in assisting with customer service. In the future, chatbots will become the norm when it comes to supporting us with communication akin to the role of ATMs in supporting us with managing our bank accounts. Make sure to check back here next week as I lift the lid on how to use chatbots not only for customer service but also for marketing campaigns.
Learn more about chatbots: 8 Chatbot Projects You Will Love to Discover!
Have a great idea for customer service via messaging apps and want to talk about it? Message us!
