A customer service chatbot is a software program that allows conversation between the customer and the company. It utilizes instant messaging to send an inquiry and to respond as well. Artificial intelligence fuels this software. Customer service chatbot is often integrated into company websites and social media applications that feature messaging. However, there are still companies that hire humans to provide customer support. They have not heard of the countless benefits that a customer service chatbot brings to the company.
High customer satisfaction is one of the many goals of a company. It is a very important deciding factor to improve and manage the products or service of a business. Higher customer satisfaction results in customer loyalty and devotion. It is advantageous against competition. Many companies are offering the same products and services. Having a proof of customer satisfaction appeals to other potential customers.
How Customer Service Chatbot helps
Additionally, satisfied customers spread positive word of mouth to their friends and families. Customer satisfaction is not only about repurchases. It is also about acquiring new customers. According to research, 73% of customers say customers have satisfaction when the company values their time. Thus, customer satisfaction is all about providing efficient customer service. Companies are continuously improving and investing in customer service support. The latest trend in providing customer support today is a customer service chatbot.
Top benefits of a customer service chatbot
Saves money and human resources
Many companies are neglecting the idea of customer service chatbot. The main reason for this negligence is monetary. On the contrary, it is more cost-effective to use than human resources. There is no need to hire more employees to provide customer support. Since humans cannot work 24 hours a day, companies need two to three sets of staff. Three sets of employees mean higher operational costs for their needs.
Meanwhile, with the use of a customer service chatbot, there is no need to hire people to do night shifts. Employees, on the other hand, can increase productivity. The basic role like answering simple questions is now the job for the chatbot. So, it allows employees to focus on more important aspects of their job. This aid not only saves money but also increases job satisfaction of employees.
24/7 availability of customer support
Customers’ needs are unpredictable. Any time of the day or night, a customer can ask a question about the company’s services. Their needs may arise even after office hours. However, queries during this time should not be neglected. It can cause dissatisfaction on the part of the customer. Problems may also arise when their question or issue is not addressed immediately. That is why there should always be an available person to answer these questions. But, adding a support team working at the wee hours is costly for a company.
Luckily, a customer service chatbot is less costly and does not tire. It can work 24 hours a day without decreasing its efficiency. They can respond anytime of the day or night. There is no need for customers to wait for a long time to get their much-needed answers. As a result, they would feel that their time is valued by the company. Thus, making them loyal supporters and satisfied customers.
Provides instant responses
As problems may arise anytime, chatbots are ready to give quick solutions. Being on hold for a long time can cost the company its customers. People in the modern world get everything in an instant. That is why waiting time is not their favorite thing in the world. They want instant responses to their queries. Answers should not only be instant but relevant. A customer service chatbot may not provide a 100% relevant answer to a question. But, it can reduce frustration on the part of the customer.
While waiting for a human resource who can thoroughly answer the question, the chatbot can fill in for the mean time. An initial response of a chatbot is better than receiving nothing at all. It is better to give an instant solution that partly solves the problem than to make them wait. A chatbot can at least buy time for a human agent to focus on the more critical aspect of the solution to the customer’s problems.
Performs consistently and accurately
Since it is by artificial intelligence, a customer service chatbot gives efficient responses. It can perform repetitive tasks without reducing accuracy. Human agents may get to a point saturation on their job. Instances like this happen when there is nothing new on the job that they are doing. Answering frequently asked questions every day can put them in this state. Reaching this point may decrease their efficiency.
But, this cannot happen to a customer service chatbot. It does not need a break from all the workload. A chatbot also does not get saturated about its job even if it is repetitive. It performs all action at the same level of efficiency and accuracy even if it is repetitive. In fact, they are intentionally performing tasks like these.
Decreases customer frustration
Problems that may arise from the company’s services and products are often the same for one customer and another. But, customers have different versions of their problems. Thus, they demand a version of the solution personalized to their problem. Interactive voice response (IVR) systems during phone calls do not provide this kind of response. IVR systems are programs that give the same response and options that customers do not favor for.
Sometimes, customers do not know which department should their question be addressed to. Reaching a wrong department results in customer frustration. With the help of a chatbot, a customer need not be directed to a department. In cases they really want to talk to a person, they may do so. Customers will be connected to a department with the help of chatbot. Since a customer service chatbot can gather data accurately, it will also route a customer to the appropriate department. This way, time and resources are saved while customers are also receiving personalized responses.
Reduces customer anxiety
Faulty IVR systems are not the only cause of stress for a customer. There are customers who get anxious when talking to a human agent about their issue. Some customers are not confident enough talking to strangers about their concerns in the company’s services. A customer service chatbot is often preferred by people who experience anxiety.
Through chatbots, they need not be transferred from one department to another. The instant response and solution that the chatbot provides lessens their emotional stress. For these people, the issue they are raising is stressful enough already. A response that can cause them more stress is the last thing they want to get.
Improves self service
Some people are more comfortable solving their problems on their own. There are just customers who do not believe that a chatbot knows what is best for their issue. But, they still need a chatbot to provide them options. A customer service chatbot can instruct customers without the help of a human agent. After gathering information about the problem of the customer, relevant solutions are provided by the chatbot. This feature gives the customer an option to fix the issue by their own means. Chatbots are providing possible solutions but also give the customer a chance to do it on their own.
Versatile in terms of language
Customers of a global company vary in languages that they use. Inquiries and problems may arise from different parts of the world. Thus, it requires a globally renowned company to hire multilingual customer support staff. But, it is difficult and costly to do so. Luckily, a customer service chatbot can work with several languages. Since it is run by an AI, it will not take the chatbot years to learn a language. Also, chatbots can detect accurate intents of the customers. While it is not comparable to a person who is fluent in a foreign language, it can reduce the costs of the company on hiring more multilingual staff.
Gathers accurate data
Part of providing customer support is gathering data to improve services. Problems that the customers experience contributes to enhancing and developing new services and products. But, a human agent cannot recall an entire conversation thoroughly. Details from a problem and the provided solution may not be accurate if the only reference is the memory of a person. With no offense intended, a person’s memory is not entirely reliable. Some details may be left out or interpreted with bias.
Use Herobot now!
On the other hand, a customer service chatbot is more reliable. It records the data from the conversation accurately. There are also chatbots that are programmed to provide data analytics from the recorded conversations. This data is more accurate to rely on, especially during company decision making.
In today’s industry, artificial intelligence is a tool for an automated workflow. Companies invest in AIs to improve services. A customer service chatbot is a great investment for a company. Herobot is one of the many companies in the business world that creates customer service chatbot. Visit their page at https://powerpres.com/ to learn more about them.
