Customer service is at the core of every business venture, and knowing how chatbots benefit customers is the key to high conversion rates, sales, and repeat customers.
What is a Chatbot?
A chatbot is an advanced form of software engineering that uses Artificial Intelligence (AI) to communicate with users through a live chat interface.
It either pops up on a business’s website or appears on their app. It works based on a predefined scenario asking the question, “How may I help” or goes straight to offer tips or solutions based on the activities of the customer. With high AI programming, chatbots can answer deep and technical questions, deliver tips and answers, collect customer information or perform simple support actions like restoring a password or opening a ticket, etc.
Based on a report by Oracle, in 2020, 80% of businesses who are not already using chatbots plan to jump on the bandwagon, and back in 2017, Ubsiend predicted that more customers, about 35% would want businesses to adopt chatbots as a means of communication.
The question, therefore, becomes, what makes this system of online communication more effective than the traditional ways of communicating with customers? The answers to these questions lie in giving customers the best experience, and what this entails will be discussed next.
What Makes the Best Customer Service?
With online communication or chatbots for customer service, the goal is to leave every customer pleased with the outcome of their transactions and queries, which will transform to a higher conversion rate, sales, and repeat patronage.
To this end, what makes the best customer experience includes:
Effective and Free-Flowing Live Chats
With live communication or chatbots, customers get to have the same kind and quality of conversation they would get with customer service staff. The best part is there’s no manual or training course for a customer to learn how to use chatbots; it’s a simple click and ask technique.
Also, a chatbot is designed to scan keywords in a customer’s question and deliver the best-prepackaged answer. With AI, chatbots often go beyond the question asked to provide more tips and make the conversation more humane. It helps that the answers are not generic, but personalized, and tailored specifically to meet a person’s needs.
Another quality that enhances live chats with chatbots is the fact that it does not have a bad day or mood swings. So, even though a customer repeats a question severally, it answers in the same cordial manner, and it is always happy to help.
No Availability Limitation
Chatbots are available all day every day; it does not go on vacation except it is getting an upgrade, it does not call in sick, and certainly do not leave its “Desk.”
The point is, whenever a customer has a need or a burning question, the person gets an answer no matter the time of day because chatbots have no availability limitations. It is available in real-time with solutions, and it takes away the problem of waiting for the customer service staff to resume or reply to an email or leave a voicemail.
Effective Time Management with Less Stress
Every customer who has ever called a business helpline has experienced being on hold for a few seconds, sometimes minutes, while they wait for a customer service staff to become available. In the process, time gets wasted, and sometimes the customer gets tired of waiting.
Chatbots came as a solution to time-wasting. It manages the time of customers by providing quick and effective solutions. Also, by reducing the stress associated with calling a support staff, it makes the best customer experience and sends the message that there’s a value on the person’s time.
A Smooth Journey from Start to Finish
Take a moment to picture a person who is a first-time visitor to a website; he or she is interested in making a purchase but has doubts about the process involved or the authenticity of a product.
With chatbots, the person gets to ask questions in real-time, get prompt answers, and have assistance as it begins the purchase process from start to finish. Chatbots will also provide or clarify information on shipping, payment options, discount or coupon availability, product usage, and even go as far as offering suggestions for other products and services.
It helps a customer have a smooth journey from start to finish, and helps to get repeat patronage. People are always looking for easier and faster ways to do things, and chatbots deliver it to them.
Having the Best Customer Experience
A product might be the best in the market, but if customers have hard time getting information about it, or purchasing it, then it’s not useful to anyone.
Online communication or chatbots guarantee the above, and as a primary source of technical support, it will enhance marketing, sales, and retention. It is critical to business success, and as a virtual customer service agent, it brings business owners and customers closer and ensures the latter gets only the best experiences.
