Chatbot Customer Service Guide
They can be fronted by avatars and personal digital assistants such as Amazon Alexa or can be deployed with a more traditional frontend.
Is chatbot customer service effective?
- 47% found chatbots to be “very effective” and “effective”
- 43% found chatbots to be “somewhat effective”
Challenges chatbots face
Generational bias
The young like to use chatbots for customer service: Younger consumers thought that chatbots were more effective than older consumers with 22% of Generation Z and 15% of millennials rating them as “very effective.” Only 12% of boomers and the silent generation gave it the same rating.
- This is likely due to the positive attitude that digitally savvy Gen Z and millennial consumers have towards chatbots. The perception of Gen X on the “very effective” rating was like that of boomers and the silent generation.
Customer expectations
Consumers in the US are more demanding than in the UK: In the Chatbots.org-eGain survey, US consumers were harsher in their assessment of chatbots with 14% rating them as not effective versus only 5% in the case of UK consumers.
Education level of consumers
Educated customers expect better service from chatbots: Educated consumers rated chatbots only half effective as less educated consumers—13% of those with undergraduate or graduate degrees rated chatbots “not effective” versus 7% of those with high school diplomas or incomplete high school education.
- This could be because educated consumers challenge chatbots to resolve more complex service problems.
The biggest pain points in using chatbots for customer service
Silo | Solution that can’t scale | Not customer-centric knowledge
#1 PAIN POINT
When they transfer me to a human agent, that agent asks me to repeat all the information I had given to the virtual assistant already
59% of the surveyed find having to repeat information and context to a human agent in the event of escalation from chatbots as the biggest hassle. Not surprisingly, this is a result of chatbot deployments that are completely disconnected from agent-assisted touchpoints like email or chat or phone.
#2 PAIN POINT
The chat bots get stuck and don’t know what to do next
32% complained about chatbots running out of steam. This is a common problem that arises from a lack of focus on knowledge management to empower chatbots.
Know the 12 reasons why chatbots fail.
The Solution: Chatbots unified with other touchpoints through a customer engagement hub
Know the software: eGain Virtual Assistant™
The perfect chatbot customer service experience
Look at the delightful customer experience it’s possible to design with chatbots.
A customer service chatbot success story
A huge government tax agency implements a high-profile eGain chatbot
Fun fact: Use of digital services has reduced the agency’s paper consumption by 21%. As their print costs used to run to €96 million, this alone is a tremendous saving.
Offer | Get your own chatbot
To give you quick business value, we have launched a one-of-its-kind, free chatbot pilot offer. Give it a try.
