Customer Service Chatbot

A customer service chatbot is a virtual representative that provides customers with information and assistance via text or voice. While a chatbot isn’t able to replace a knowledgeable and dedicated customer service rep, it can help answer frequently asked questions, resolve issues and even provide more complex support. These bots can also reduce the number of support tickets and improve first contact resolution.

Despite the fact that human interaction is still critical, many queries are simple enough to be answered by a chatbot—which helps cut wait times for customers and frees up agents to assist on other channels. A good example is Amazon’s Chatbot for Customer service, which allows customers to launch a conversation and select from a list of common questions or more in-depth and unique ones. Then, the bot will provide the correct answers quickly and accurately.

For businesses with websites, a chatbot can be deployed to provide customer service around the clock. Customers can ask questions in a text-based chat or through a voice or video call. The chatbot can then direct the request to an available agent or, if it’s a complex issue, create a ticket and send it to a team member for immediate attention.

A great customer service chatbot can provide a personalized experience to customers and help keep costs down. Companies can even build a bot that learns as it interacts with customers and delivers more relevant responses over time. A customized, branded experience can increase customer satisfaction and drive loyalty.

What is a Customer Service Chatbot?

While some customers have reservations about customer service chatbots (research shows that 28% of consumers aren’t satisfied with them), younger generations have a different opinion and prefer using them to get their questions answered. For example, the majority of Generation Z and Millennials say that they think customer service chatbots make it faster and easier to get their issues resolved.

Whether you want to automate FAQs or provide more detailed information for specific questions, the best customer service chatbots use natural language processing and other advanced technologies to understand what a customer is saying so that they can answer their requests in a meaningful way. These bots can be built to mimic a human voice, which makes it easier for them to connect with customers and feel natural.

There are different types of chatbots, including rule-based and dialog-driven bots. Rule-based chatbots are essentially flowcharts that follow a sequence of events to guide the conversation. Dialog-driven chatbots, on the other hand, allow you to insert more flexible dialogue options that can vary depending on how a customer responds.

A good customer service chatbot can offer a personalized and consistent experience on any channel. Companies can also add a button to their website that allows users to escalate conversations with the bot to a live agent, which is ideal for complex issues or if they don’t see an answer to their question in the FAQs. This allows brands to provide the highest level of service, even when they can’t be available in-person.