A Complete Guide on How Chatbots Improve Customer Experience

For those who are not familiar, chatbots are software programs created to engage with humans through conversation. They are often employed to perform simple tasks such as searching for information, booking a reservation, directing users to the appropriate team for assistance, or handling basic customer service requests.

Chatbots can be deployed in various ways to streamline business operations, but their true value lies in their ability to enhance customer experiences. In this post, we will delve into various ways to explain how Chatbots improve customer experience, making their interaction with businesses more seamless and enjoyable. 

How Chatbots Improve Customer Experience 

Makes Customer Journey More Smoother 

Improving the customer experience (CX) involves enhancing interactions at various touchpoints throughout the customer journey. One effective way to achieve this is by implementing a chatbot, particularly during the awareness and evaluation stages of the purchase process.

During the awareness stage, a chatbot can act as a friendly assistant, providing basic information about the brand, products, and services. This saves the customer from the hassle of searching for answers themselves and enhances their overall experience.

During the evaluation stage, personalization and experience quality are crucial factors that influence purchasing decisions. By offering a seamless and frustration-free experience through the chatbot, customers are more likely to choose your brand over competitors, even if it means paying a higher price for greater convenience and a welcoming experience. 

24×7 Availability 

When your live chat customer support team is unavailable, a website or messaging app chatbot can provide support and help customers by identifying the type and urgency of their issue, directing it to the appropriate department or agent, prioritizing it based on urgency, or scheduling a chat or call during business hours. Although bot-human-assisted queries may take longer to resolve, studies show that customers are satisfied with the efficiency and appreciate not wasting time on hold. This emphasizes the importance of providing efficient customer service, even if the overall process may take slightly longer. 

Increases Convenience by Reducing Friction

A survey by Helpshift revealed that a majority of consumers have a negative perception of reaching out to customer support, citing outsourcing support calls to overseas operators and automated phone menus as causes of anxiety. However, the same survey found that consumers are open to using chatbots if they can resolve issues without having to call or email, reducing resolution time, or reducing the wait time to speak to a customer service representative. The 2019 State of Conversational Marketing report supports this trend, showing a decrease in preference for interacting with people and in concerns about chatbots making mistakes. Chatbots not only provide instant answers to basic queries but also efficiently classify and direct complex issues to appropriate agents or departments, reducing frustration and inefficiency. 

Improving Accuracy and Consistency 

Providing accurate and consistent answers to customers is just as important as speed and personalization in delivering great customer service. However, it is not a common occurrence, as 76% of customers report receiving conflicting answers from multiple agents, and 87% express frustration at having to repeat themselves to different agents. Chatbots can play a significant role in improving customer service by ensuring consistency across all channels, reducing errors, and improving customer interactions. The use of virtual agents alongside human agents can also increase consistency by quickly searching a knowledge base for up-to-date solutions and policies, instead of relying on human memory or manual searches. 

Give Your Brand a Personality 

Chatbots are flexible in nature and can get engaged with consumers at various levels. Apart from helping with resolving queries, you can also use Chatbots for providing technical support and guiding the sales process. Above all, the tool has the potential to convey your brand’s tone, mood, and personality.

Crafting a Chabot persona that embodies your brand value and story while reflecting the language, accent, and level of formality of your target audience can add a human touch to your brand and enhance its credibility. A Chatbot’s personality can range from witty and funny to polite and intellectual, but ultimately, it should resonate with your audience on a personal level and create an emotional connection beyond just transactional interactions. A recent survey revealed that 86% of consumers check authenticity as a major point when it comes to deciding on supporting a brand. 

Collect Feedback 

Gathering customer feedback is critical for any business, as it allows for insights into how customers perceive their products and services, as well as the quality of support they provide. However, traditional methods such as surveys and questionnaires can be time-consuming and may not generate much engagement.

In contrast, chatbots provide a solution that removes the tedious ‘fill-out-a-form’ process from the equation. They can seamlessly collect feedback during a customer’s shopping experience through ongoing conversations, making the experience more interactive and natural. Additionally, chatbots can personalize the survey based on customer responses, focusing on areas of friction and saving the customer time.

Verdict 

The use of chatbots has been steadily increasing, especially in light of the pandemic’s impact on the digitalization of business services and workflows. As seen through various use cases, when properly implemented, Chatbots can have a significant positive effect on both the quality of customer experience and a company’s bottom line.

In your opinion, what is the significance of chatbots in the evolution of customer experience? Are you all set to reap the benefits after learning how Chatbots improve customer experience?