Time is golden. Time is money. There’s never enough time… One can never stress the importance of time in business. Indeed, respect for the customer’s time is a hallmark of excellent service, and response times are the performance KPI that spell the difference between “okay” and “outstanding” CX.
At the height of the Covid-19 pandemic, following staff limitations due to lockdowns, many companies employed artificial intelligence to optimise their response times. Chatbots became one of the most helpful tools for companies to immediately communicate with customers and with automated support working 24/7, customer concerns could be addressed faster and easier.
Chatbots have become the standard for industries like telecommunications and banking, but other industries are still catching on. For companies to successfully implement chatbots as part of their customer service strategies, it is important to know the best uses for this application. A way to do this is to identify the different types of interactions that often happen between the business and its customers.
Initial interaction
How can I change my password? How can I apply for a home loan? Customers looking for fast answers to such FAQs can be best served by a frontline chatbot.
For this type of interaction, a chatbot should effectively answer simple customer questions and concerns. Bonus points if that chatbot converts the query into a lead.
OCBC chatbot Emma, was created to provide basic answers to customers who are interested in the bank’s home loan product. It became an effective tool for the bank to ease the load off its customer service representatives. A frontline chatbot can easily provide customers with links to the information they are looking for. With Emma, more customers were serviced simultaneously and consequently, it helped in doubling up leads for the home loan product.
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Resolution interaction
Customers looking for resolutions to their specific problems would naturally require interaction with a live customer service agent. But a chatbot can hasten the process by directing the customer to the live agent who could resolve the specific issue.
Inside the Deliveroo app, customers who need help with their orders are initially responded to by chatbots. Once the conversation reaches the point where a refund or a cancellation is required, the process would seamlessly involve a live agent on the chat. By this time, the customer is not required to provide details again, the chatbot has already done the preliminary steps of enquiry. Now it is up to the live agent to provide a final resolution for the customer.
Sensitive interaction
Sometimes a customer concern can only be resolved with immediate live conversation. Breached security, hacked accounts or settling a payment transaction may not be best resolved by chatbots. In fact, when used in situations like these, chatbots run the danger of being counter-productive. Imagine the heightened emotions of a customer with a compromised credit card. In times like these, hand-holding is just as important as a resolution of the issue.
“Automated customer service is useful, but it cannot stand alone,” asserts Ryan Steinberg, senior manager of customer support operations at Intercom.
Reinforcement, Not Replacement
To date, chatbots are still functioning like machines with pre-programmed dialogue. Experts believe that they are not going to replace live human interaction just yet. Infobip's chief customer officer, Adrian Grbavac says that customers would still want the option to communicate with a live person.
But no one can disregard the fact that many businesses have found success in implementing a strategy that allows a smooth transition from chatbot to live agent or instant customer satisfaction with always-on assistance.
Chatbots may have a long way to go to become human-like and simulate the nuances of live conversation. But AI is a constantly evolving technology. If we are to look at the many companies that have saved customers precious time with fast solutions to their concerns, we can truly say that chatbots will be able to deliver a whole new level of customer experience in no time.