Chatbots — automated conversation systems — have become increasingly sophisticated. Should you design and deploy one that can interact with your customers? If you’re an executive making that decision right now, you may feel caught between A.I. hype on the one hand, and the fear that machines might not treat your customers right on the other.
Does Your Company Really Need a Chatbot?
Chatbots — automated conversation systems — have become increasingly sophisticated. Chatbots are a broad category that includes everything from Amazon Alexa smart speakers to automated text chat on a company’s customer service page. The most powerful chatbots — and the ones that can actually make an impact on customers’ experience and company bottom lines — are virtual agents. These are chatbots powered by an artificial intelligence that can understand and answer a wide variety of customer questions. Like all successful automation efforts, customers service chatbots can reduce costs, but their true value lies in the improvement they bring to the customer’s experience. Bots are available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, and often answer customers’ questions more quickly than human agents can. When considering implementation of a virtual agent, business leaders should consider what kind of companies are best served by chatbots, how to integrate them into their existing customer service system, and which distribution channels are most fruitful.