“Are You Human?” Customer Support Best Practices – Live Chat vs. Chatbots

⏱ Reading Time: 6 minutes

Artificial Intelligence (AI) is expected to transform customer service by changing the way businesses engage and interact with prospective clients. We already see the improvements brought about by the use of chatbots in various industries. According to Gartner, an average individual would likely interact with an AI-powered bot more times than ever before by the year 2020.

🚀Read Chatbot: What Is It and How to Build One 🚀

Live chat, on the other hand, has left more customers satisfied than any other channel, according to statistics. As more companies continue to implement bot technology in their customer support solutions, it would soon become the principal mode of communication for business-related inquiries. And we will discuss that further through these customer support best practices. Because if you are dealing with several repetitive queries, finding effective ways to reduce the volume while enhancing user experience is key to gaining repeat customers.

Live Chat vs. Chatbots

Before diving into customer support best practices, we would take a look at the ways live chat and chatbots are changing B2B (Business to Business) and B2C (Business to Customer) interactions.

Multitasking With Chatbots

Imagine a single customer service person having to answer questions from hundreds of clients about a new product. The agent might get tired after a while and choose to go on a break. Customers that have been waiting in line could eventually become frustrated and give up on the product or switch to a different brand.

With chatbots, you only need to perform a simple installation and let it handle the rest.  These bots are capable of attending to multiple customers simultaneously. And ensuring they get speedy resolutions to their inquiries and remain satisfied.

Picture 1. Chatbot multitasking

Chatbots Resolve Issues Without Human Supervision

Chatbots are adept at interacting and engaging with customers without human interference. You get to save precious time, energy, and resources, which can be channeled to improving other aspects of your business. These bots are programmed to give accurate answers promptly, regardless of how many times a question is asked.

Chatbots Are Cost-Effective and Always Available

A single customer support agent can only handle so many inquiries before they get exhausted and need rest. You would have to hire several agents who would run shifts to keep your customers satisfied. Imagine the amount of money and time that would be spent on training them or paying wages.

It is different for chatbots, which cost much less and are capable of handling several inquiries 24/7. You get to handle customer complaints promptly, regardless of their location or time zone. Even if it is midnight in your region, customers in other parts of the world get to receive an instant response whenever they require support.

Picture 2. Chatbot availability

The Human Touch With Complex Troubleshooting

Although chatbots are fast and efficient, they can only process pre-programmed information. This limitation implies that they can only answer straightforward questions. Even after several hours of programming. Knowing when the live chat agent should come in will ensure that customers do not get frustrated when chatbots are unable to provide the desired assistance.

Read How to Make Your Chatbot More Human?

With bots capable of handling basic troubleshooting, complex issues should be transferred to a well-trained agent who can understand the problem and proffer a solution. Offering an option to communicate with a human agent will ensure customers are not left frustrated with questions the bot does not recognize.

For instance, a student who needs to write a term paper or dissertation often has to work with online service providers that use bots to review and edit completed work. These bots often have gaps in what they can recognize. Providers like Online Writers Rating include a human touch to ensure an optimum experience.

Upselling and Customer Win-Backs 

A human customer support agent can quickly identify potential buyers and offer them products that can satisfy their needs. They get to use their discretion to solve specific problems, unlike bots that respond to customer requests based on their programming.

Sometimes customers can keep rephrasing a question to see if chatbots can come up with a helpful response, but they will eventually get frustrated and give up. They might want to click away unless a trained agent comes along to empathize and talk them out of it. And one of the most asked questions is “are you human” or “is there a human here”.

Read Customer Service: A Guide for Successful Business Growth.

Even as bots are now designed to be very persuasive, specialized responses would have to be triggered by the customer first.

Customer Support Best Practices

Your customer support solution must be top-notch to ensure client satisfaction. Here are some vital customer support best practices to help you provide exceptional service and stay ahead of your competition.

Be Proactive 

Emails or calls supplied a means to interact with customers and respond to their queries for several years. Technology evolved, and chats became popular as people now wanted a prompt response that was unattainable through other traditional channels.

Chats made it possible for customer support agents to initiate conversations, helping them provide proactive assistance. When you visit several sites offering unique services, you are immediately greeted by agents willing to help you via chat. According to an eMarketer survey, 63% of customers who engaged in a live chat session were more likely to revisit the website.

Although customers expect consistency and world-class services from every business, they will quickly become disillusioned if you make promises that you cannot keep. Try to be honest in your dealings as you work towards making significant improvements. Your efforts will eventually pay off!

Work on Creating a Lasting Impression 

Your customers want to feel heard, regardless of the complexity of their requests. Your ability to empathize with them increases their satisfaction with your service, even if the problem cannot be resolved. Today’s chatbots have been designed to satisfy the complexity of human communication in their interactions with customers. Some of them now display empathy and even an appreciation for humor, which significantly enhances the overall impression.

Although some consider chat pop-ups intrusive, they have proved to be beneficial to those seeking relevant information on the site. While trying to make your chat window accessible to all website visitors, you should ensure it does not cause any disruptions. Remember that first impressions matter, as you try to engage with customers proactively. Building relationships with customers on a sound footing is crucial to building trust and loyalty.

Record Customer Interactions 

You can’t make relevant changes unless you know which areas need improvement. Clients can help you identify specific issues you weren’t even aware of. Their feedback can be used to evaluate your progress in terms of services rendered.

Customer demands can sometimes prove to be demanding, and meeting them will require extra effort. Your Customer Relationship Management (CRM) strategy should be aimed at identifying, collecting, and analyzing essential data to provide a personalized client experience that drives growth.

Picture 3. Customer relationship management strategy

Chat conversations can be analyzed to help you understand certain behaviors as you work towards, as you work towards improving your customer service experience. The data should be made available across all channels, increasing the possibility of tracking customer preferences in order to make them feel heard.

Read our article about Customer Interaction!

Effective Implementation Is Key to Customer Satisfaction

It’s safe to say that both live chat and chatbots offer numerous benefits if used properly. Although chatbots have been useful in cutting down the response time of customer support, they may not be ready to fully replace human interactions.  You can use just bots to handle simple requests, with the live chat agent only coming in for sensitive tasks. These customer support best practices are to help you improve your customer service as you lay a solid foundation for your business.

–

Tiffany Porter has been working as a Chief Writer at Online Writers Rating reviewing a variety of writing services websites. She is a professional writing expert on such topics as digital marketing, blogging, design. She also likes traveling and speaks German and French.