One of the messages I am constantly emphasizing is how essential it has become for eCommerce merchants to offer fast, responsive customer service. If there is any way a merchant can provide live 24/7 support, that is always the way to go. But I recognize that doing so is not always economically feasible.
Some companies see chatbots–those little pop-ups that offer automated “conversations”–as the best of both worlds. Others feel bots are killing customer service and driving consumers away. The reality is more likely somewhere in the middle.
Make no mistake: from the customer’s perspective, being able to talk to a real, live human being is almost always preferable to engaging with a computerized typist that has trouble understanding plain English. Even the best chatbots are a poor substitute for human interaction, but when properly deployed, bots can be a cost-effective way to supplement your customer service.
That’s the key, though: they have to be used the right way. In many cases they’re not, and that’s caused enough frustration that an increasing number of merchants just want to chuck the whole idea. I get that, but I think it may be too soon to throw out the proverbial baby with the bathwater.
What Are Chatbots?
Chatbots can seem sophisticated, but the basic concept it simple. In a nutshell, a bot is nothing more than a computer app designed to automate certain tasks and provide basic communication between human customers and merchants. Some experts touted chatbots as the future of customer service, and they certainly can serve a purpose. But depending on bots for all your customer service can be a turnoff, particularly in certain demographics. So where is that sweet spot between being useful (for the merchant) and being too annoying to use (for the customer)?
When Chatbots Work
In a typical deployment, a chatbot serves as the first interaction a customer has with a business. By automating several simple tasks, the merchant can gain multiple benefits:
- Quick initial response to every visitor
- Fast retrieval of basic information (order status, for example)
- Answers to simple customer queries in real time
- Capture of customer data
- Other indirect, long-term benefits (higher customer satisfaction, fewer chargebacks, etc.)
This is a good scenario, but it only happens when chatbots are properly deployed.
The Other Side of the Equation
Relying completely on automation is almost certain to push customers away. The point of automation is to remove friction from customer interactions, and to simplify and streamline the overall process. Chatbots are only useful if they achieve these ends…and that currently limits their role.
Research has shown that consumers–given a choice–will use a chatbot for simple, straightforward questions; even so, they still prefer a human agent: bots often need questions rephrased, and their answers are usually less detailed. When customers have a non-standard question or an issue that they don’t know how to explain, they prefer to bypass the bots altogether.
The Bottom-line on Bots
So after weighing the pros and cons of chatbots, where do we end up?
Undeniably, chatbots have their uses. They’re a good shortcut to providing at least some degree of customer service that is always on. At the same time, trying to use bots as a substitute for live aid may end up costing you customers down the road.
The capabilities of chatbots continue to improve, but a program that can be trusted with full, genuine autonomy is still many years away. And even when chatbots are implemented correctly, customers get frustrated easily, and want to have relatively easy access to live human-based customer service at every stage of their interaction.
In other words, develop and deploy chatbots, but have human agents on stand-by.
