When you need some help with any product or service, chances are you have spoken to a chatbot first.
Chatbots are now replacing human customer support agents to respond immediately to any inquiries. For companies, this is good because they can now pool their resources somewhere else aka save cost.
However, dealing with these bots can be very annoying for customers, especially if one needs a specific answer. Studies have shown that many customers leave a company because companies are no longer providing good customer service.
What exactly causes customers to hate chatbots? Here are some reasons why companies should reconsider using them:
Chatbots Ask Questions All the Time
When you talk to a normal customer service agent, you can explain to them the issue and they will answer your question directly.
Chatbots, meanwhile, cannot analyze a question and answer it directly. They will keep asking questions and even if you are not asking for it.
Chatbots Take Time to Use
Since a chatbot cannot analyze a question properly, they will take time to reach a solution. Sometimes, they will just keep asking you questions until you have had enough and ask for agent support.
Chatbots are a Sign Companies are More Focused on Costs
For many customers, chatbots are there to reduce costs for the company. Companies only need to buy the program, run it and let it answer client inquiries even if it cannot give a direct response. If they retained agents, they will have to pay them to be on-call 24/7. Not to mention, the training and hiring cost that comes with employees.
Search engines are better than Chatbots
Chatbots work like search engines. You ask it a question and it will try to give you a short response based from its customer service site. However, unlike search engines which users can get specific results, chatbots take a lot of time (and follow-up questions) before it gives you a somewhat acceptable answer.
Chatbots are not perfect
AI-technology like chatbots are a great innovation for business. However, it is still not perfect and lacks the human touch consumers are looking for. Chatbots also need to be taught by humans to improve. For customers, it feels like they have to be the ones to do everything for the company.
Companies should use the right tools, practices and people to deliver a good customer experience. Tools, such as website analytics, can help companies identify the issues their clients often experience.
When it comes to people, companies must take into consideration if they have the values necessary to assist clients and make them happy.
Finally, companies must be transparent and allow their staff to make fast decisions for their clients. They must also keep in touch with customers to know more about them and their needs.
Luxury brands have seen the benefits of good customer service and now investing on it. If you are running a company, review your customer service system program and revise it.
I feel that Chatbots are ok as a preliminary answer to client concerns. However, it is still different if there is a human touch to answers. So, find a balance and give your customers reasons to keep coming back to you.
To improve customer service in your company, you need to check these out:
Luxury Brand Does Not Equal To Customer Service
How to Resolve a Customer Service PR disaster
Let’s us all be a better customer
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I have to agree with you that chatbot responses seem to be too “canned” (formulaic and artificial.) But to cut these some slack, developers are working on improvements to these. The algorithms are being modified to provide more direct answers instead of throwing question after question. In addition, scriptwriters are drafting responses that are the right mix of casual and formal language.
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Thank you, Monch for your contribution! No matter how good the AI has become, I still prefer a human voice. And also, the better technology advance, the more likely it will take over jobs like customer service. 🙂
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Even if you get through to a human they might be following a script so rigidly that they are little better than a chat bot in getting your issue resolved.
I can understand that there is a benefit to using a chat bot to direct callers to the correct department and take down routine information so that the human you do eventually speak to can deal with your issue more swiftly.
Beyond all this, I want to speak to a human and I like to know my money pays that human’s wages. If I sense a lack of ‘human’ in a company when I have an issue that needs resolving, then I will consider taking my custom elsewhere.
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Ah good point, Brian. I’ve come across good customer service using just human. It all boils down to how much a company invest in training. For example, PayPal. When I called PayPal with a problem, the customer service is well trained enough to handle my problem without needing to transfer me anywhere else, he is also empowered to make a lot of decisions. I don’t need to repeat my story again and again. I love that he is able to solve my problems within a single phone call. I have called them a few times over many years and I’m never disappointed by their customer service.
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Me too
They are dehumanizing
But life goes on
God bless
Patrick
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Thank you, Patrick! Good to see your comment!
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Yes I also dislike them. No humanity.
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Totally, Dan. I hate to leave voice messages too!
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We are in a world less and less human Kally.
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I know and it’s sad.. we are taking away jobs by using bots because they are cheaper. Sigh!
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Cheaper but in the end it also kills jobs, so less consumers…they shoot themselves on the foot.
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Well, if all the banks are using them, we have no choice but to go with one of them.
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That’s the world today Kally. I am older than you and before the world was more human. Not profit at anyprice.
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If your customer service is to make me decide which button to push when under stress for answers to health or technical issues, vs a receptive human, I chose the latter – and am willing to pay up for the service.
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So am I! I rather talk to someone than to keep pressing buttons. Imagine having your wallet stolen and you need to call 5 different banks to report your lost credit cards, debit cards and bank cards… I’ll go mad hearing “Press 1 for English” 5 times!
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I quit using them as it seemed my questions were never understood, no less answered.
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Ah how true and how frustrating! Do you know by using one chatbot, it replaces 10 customer service jobs and more?
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I agree. I would never convict on a murder of a chatbot. We didn’t realize how low customer service can go.
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Your comment made me laugh out loud. So true! It’s sad isn’t it? To have bots replace humans.
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Kally, you have hit on one of my pet peeves. For me. the worst is either medical appointments or banks. At least give me the option of talking to a real person before you (the chatbot) waste 15 minutes of my time deciding that you can not answer my question after all. By that time my patience is.shot, my blood pressure is spiking and when I finally do get to talk to a real person, I have to force myself to talk to them in a polite and professional manner that they probably deserve.
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PS, since my only phone mode is my cell phone that either drops calls, suddenly decides to react to keys I’m sure I have not touched, or just decides to pop a new screen at all-this makes chatbot calls even more frustrating they might normally be.
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Oh yes! I’ve encountered that too! Especially if a bot puts me on hold for a human and the call is dropped and I have to go through the entire “Press 1 for English…”
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The worst for me are the banks and telcos. Too many buttons to press. Too much questions. I found a way around it though. Not sure if it will work for you. The banks and telcos have a special number for those who called from overseas, they don’t advertise the number but they will give it to you if you ask nicely or complain about the roaming charges you get while waiting on the line. The special number usually takes you directly to a human skipping the bot and waiting line.
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Interesting post
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Thank you!
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I think you summed it up with “Chatbots are a Sign Companies are More Focused on Costs”
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Or more focus on putting their money in their pockets! Thank you!
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