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Sameer Raje, General Manager and Head, India & SAARC Region, Zoom Video Communications, Inc.
A Morning Consult study found that 67 percent of consumers have used chatbots at least once in the past year and 42% are comfortable using them. The relative ease of use and widespread adoption of virtual assistants and agents make a customer support AI chatbot platform for websites beneficial and cost-effective to meet today’s customers’ expectations.
What is a customer support chatbot?
A customer support chatbot uses artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning to answer customers’ questions. AI chatbots are valuable customer service tools, adding a self-service option that allows customers to skip the wait and find the information they need without assistance from an agent.
From a customer’s perspective, a customer support AI chatbot platform for websites is similar to a live chat tool. However, AI chatbots feature advanced automation so human agents don’t have to take time to respond—the AI chatbot software does.
The advantages of using a customer support AI chatbot platform for websites
In an era of labor shortages, rising costs, and more customers opting to engage digitally, businesses of all sizes are looking for new solutions for customer support. Call centers that require customers to wait on hold for an agent won’t meet expectations for speed, convenience, and self-service options.
Also, adding an AI chatbot to your website allows customers to type their questions in natural language and get an immediate response. Furthermore, because a customer support AI chatbot platform for websites uses information from your knowledge base or help center documentation, all information the chatbot provides is up-to-date, accurate, and on-brand.
A customer support AI chatbot platform for websites also allows small businesses to level up their service, helping them compete more effectively with bigger companies with more customer support resources.
6 ways to improve customer support with an AI chatbot platform for websites
Once you have selected the platform, remember these tips to optimize user experiences with the customer support AI chatbot platform for websites.
Add personality
The best customer experiences with AI chatbot platforms come from interactions that incorporate elements of human conversation. Build friendly greetings, thank them for using your website, and use a conversational tone that puts customers at ease. Giving your chatbot a “personality” that complements your brand can improve customer satisfaction.
Expand integrations, if possible
A chatbot integrated with your knowledge base or help center is valuable. But one that’s integrated with your customer service management, customer relationships management, or ticketing software can deliver even more value to your customers and customer service team. Plan conversation flows and connect customers with the resources they need to create the best experiences possible.
Plan fallbacks and escalation to human agents
The last thing you want is to trap a customer in a loop that doesn’t give them the information they need. The best AI chatbots include fallbacks that give customers an out, whether directing them to another resource or connecting them with customer service agents. Chatbots that allow integration with critical business apps and backend systems like CRMs and service desks can streamline customer engagement and minimize app switching. This provides a seamless escalation to human agents when necessary and facilitates inter-departmental support, breaking down organizational silos, while improving agent productivity. Such integrations significantly improve the customer experience by offering quicker, more accurate responses, thereby increasing customer satisfaction and reducing response times. When researching AI chatbot platform options, ask, “What if…?” and see how the chatbot responds.
Test and update
A customer support AI chatbot platform for websites will only provide responses based on the information you give it. Involve your customer service team to determine the best way to respond to customer queries and how to orchestrate customer engagements.
Your customer service team is also probably best qualified to test the chatbot and help keep it updated, enabling it to provide the best possible responses.
Analytics
Even if your evaluation of your chatbot is positive and it appears to work during tests, monitoring its performance in the real world is still necessary. Keep track of the most common customer queries and whether your chatbot gives answers that lead to customer satisfaction.
Also, establish key performance indicators (KPIs) that will help you gauge chatbot performance, such as how often it responds correctly the first time and how often it needs to escalate requests to agents. If the chatbot isn’t achieving its objectives or performance declines, it’s time for an update or adjustment.
Customer surveys
A quick way to gauge chatbot performance is to ask your customers. Ask customers to provide a quick rating or a brief comment at the end of each interaction to gather information that can help you measure customer satisfaction and identify potential areas of improvement.