Chatbots vs Personal Customer Support [What’s right for you]

As customers, we are used to conversing with bots when we call/message the customer support of any brand. In fact, we expect to first come in contact with a bot.

As customers, I’m sure we have all also faced situations where we needed urgent support but got stuck playing merry-go-round with an automated system (call or chat). This can be an extremely frustrating situation to be in and often leads to a negative impression towards the brand.

So, are chatbots worth it? They drastically reduce pressure on the support team by providing a host of benefits (we talk about them a little later), but then there is the aforementioned issue of following robotic steps. Do the pros outweigh the cons or vice versa?

The right solution, is actually balancing automation (a chatbot) and personalization (human support). Neither one on its own is 100% perfect- Automation saves time and costs but can lead to unattached customers, while personalized support needs more money and effort.

Implementing both and tweaking the fallback from bot to human is the right solution.

How can a chatbot enhance customer support?

1. A chatbot is online 24/7 allowing your audience to connect with your brand without having to set up a 24/7 team. This also means you can remain online for global support, and you can collect leads irrespective of the time.
2. By using logical workflows, you can transport the user to the right support team and reduce time for resolution. This will greatly increase customer satisfaction.
3. A chatbot can be used to collect data at every step of the user interaction. This data can then be used to improve marketing content to foster sales.
4. A chatbot reduces workload on the support team and actually allows you to out in place a lean support staff. This greatly reduces costs and effort.

Then why need personalization at all?

Because –

• sometimes users need help with a problem the bot is not configured to provide (with machine learning, it can learn to provide this solution in the future).
• Sometimes users need urgent resolution and don’t have time to pass through each step the bot presents.
• Sometimes users find it hard to trust a bot with their problems.

And in these scenarios they want to talk to a customer support executive.

Balancing the two

There’s no secret formula to balance automation and personalization, it depends on the industry. Customers of some industries, say a car dealership, are in no hurry and have time to follow the steps of a bot. IN this case, human support can be left until the last step.

But in some industries, say in banking, there can be scenarios (like in the case of a lost debit card) where users need immediate assistance. The bank cannot anticipate urgent requests, so they must make it easy for customers to connect with a human easily and fast.

A question you can ask is , What is the worst case scenario my customer might face and will that customer need immediate human assistance for it. This will give you a sense of how easy you need to make it for them to reach human customer support.

Another way to improve the customer support process is by making the automation solution, like the chatbot, a short process. Just a few questions after which they can opt for human support. This lets you allow the bot to solve the problem and collect information without agitating the customer.

Implement your business chatbot

Are you looking to implement a smartbot for your business app or website? Getafix can help you get an AI enable chatbot online and serving customers in no time. Drop us a message for a quote.