How are Chatbots changing Customer Service Online?
You may not know it, but when you open a chat box on a site online, you often find yourself communicating with a chatbot – not a human. This technology has been changing the way customer service is provided, everywhere around the world. The primary goal was to reduce the waiting time for customers. But how much of the whole process can a chatbot handle? Here is the answer.
How do Chatbots work?
When you start chatting with a chatbot, it will use a tree-like flow, in order to get to the final answer that you need. In other words, it will ask you various questions, in order to get to understand what you need. Once, it possesses this information, it can then look up for the answer in its database. That part does not necessarily necessitate the help of AI, as it is a simple process. However, the chatbot can take on a more human-like form in answering, when coupled with the power of AI. It can then use deep learning, machine learning and natural language processing, in order to serve the customer better.
Companies call upon a chatbot builder, when they need to have one created specifically for their needs. The tasks that it accomplishes are based on algorithms and triggers that are related to a given field, which means that the bot needs to know all there is to know, about this sector, and more. It specifically focuses on how the company interacts with its clients (products and services) and what kind of problems can happen, so that customers need help to resolve them. To learn, it accumulates information in the database. As cases pile up, it learns what the right solution is, for each given problem, by comparing the situation to others that happened in the past. Although it is most often in the shape of an online chat box, it can also be found as a voice answering system or inside a mobile app.
What are the Advantages of Chatbots in Customer Service?
The first advantage of a chatbot is that it answers customers requests right away. There is no more waiting in line, for the next agent to be available. The chatbot can respond to many users at once. Therefore, the moment a question is asked online, the process of resolving the issue is started immediately.
Although not all problems can be solved by a chatbot, many of the interactions with customers can be handled by them in its entirety. That reduces the need for many agents to be on stand by, in order to answer calls or respond to written questions manually. This is an important economic advantage for companies, as they can reduce the number of persons that they need for customer service purposes.
The chatbots handle things immediately, without needing a human to do the work. With them, there can be no more unsent messages to confirm reception of a request. Whenever a human action is necessary, the chatbot will send a message to the person in charge inside the company and it will continue to do so until the situation is classified as resolved (at least until the person indicates that it is so). Human errors are reduced to zero, as the machine simply accomplishes the tasks.
It is predictable that all customer service will one day be ran by chatbots. They will also become much more efficient than they already are, thanks to deep learning, machine learning and natural language processing. It will benefit companies, but the clear winners will be customers, whose problems will be treated efficiently, finding a response to all of their issues rapidly and in a courteous manner.
