How to Improve Customer Service with Chatbots 

One of the biggest pet peeves for many millennials and Gen Z is getting phone calls. And honestly, they have got the point—a call requires an immediate response, which might feel a bit intrusive. On the other hand, emails give people space, but modern customers expect quick service and do not have the patience to wait for a reply for hours.  

Artificial intelligence-powered (AI) chatbots are a viable solution for customers who want to quickly resolve issues without needing to talk to a real person immediately. Drawing from my experience as CTO at a global MarTech company, I would like to share how chatbots can elevate the customer experience to a new level. 

Prioritize Training of Your Chatbot 

Working in pharmaceutical marketing has shown that feeding AI algorithms with industry-specific data is crucial. Certain industries have unique terms and concepts, so your chatbot needs to understand them well to be on the same page with your audience.  

If you train your system with only 30 texts, the chances of getting contextually relevant chatbot responses are low. But you will see far more accurate and relevant results when that number increases to 3000. 

Rely on Data Analytics to Personalize Communication 

76% of customers say tailored communication plays a big role in their buying decisions.

McKinsey

Personalization is not just important for products; it is key in customer interactions, too. People want to feel valued and seen, so even when they chat with an AI virtual assistant (VA), they should still feel like real humans are behind their experience. 

It is vital to use data analytics to personalize messages based on customer preferences, previous interactions, and their history with your brand. While you should maintain a human touch when engaging with customers, do not try to make the virtual assistant seem like a natural person. The more transparent your communication, the more trust you will build with your audience. 

Ensure Smooth Handoff to Agents  

If a customer is using a chatbot, there is a good chance they are already facing a specific difficulty and might be getting frustrated. To turn that around, make their experience as smooth as possible.  

It is a good idea to include a button to reach out to a live support agent if customers decide they would rather talk to someone than keep chatting with the bot. Remember that nobody wants to repeat their concerns and drone on and on. Ensure your support team is fully briefed when they enter the conversation. 

Make a Chatbot Channel-Agnostic 

Customers frequently switch between channels and expect consistent brand support throughout their journey. Businesses should adopt an omnichannel approach to engage with chatbot users across various touchpoints. To do this effectively, it is crucial to understand customer preferences, ensure compliance, and use integration solutions to deploy a chatbot without hiccups. 

Benefit from Empathetic AI 

At first glance, empathetic AI may sound like an oxymoron, but a robotic experience can be surprisingly humane. Emotionally intelligent technology can recognize sentiments and offer responses that fit the situation. Doubt tinged with awkwardness, distress, and resentment, or confusion merged with concentration – the subtlest shades of a customer’s state do not go unnoticed. Empathetic chatbots help minimize customers’ tension, increase their confidence in problem-solving, and reinforce positive feelings like calmness, interest, or focus. 

Incorporate Reminders 

Chatbots can send customers reminders to buy refills, attend meetings, or make payments. In healthcare, these notifications are crucial to patient compliance and can positively impact clinical outcomes. With this feature, your customers can rest easy, knowing they will not have to worry about forgetting important events. Chatbots with reminders can merge with popular messaging platforms like WhatsApp or Facebook Messenger. 

Go the Extra Mile by Helping to Take Action 

Most AI chatbots turn frequently asked questions (FAQs) into conversations, which might be useful for fresh leads. However, common information is often available on your website or social media pages (if your copywriters and SMM specialists have done their job well). 

Going beyond answering customer queries can significantly improve your service quality. When it comes to handling more complex tasks—like what a support team specialist would do—your customer experience (CX) can truly stand out. For example, a healthcare chatbot could schedule an appointment with a healthcare provider in seconds. 

Add a Timer for Customer Wait Times 

When Uber introduced a live map showing the car’s movement, it substantially elevated customer service. Customers felt more in control of the situation as they knew when exactly their ride would arrive. 

Similarly, chatbot responses like We’ll get in touch with you soon can be frustrating because soon is often too vague. Adding a countdown timer until a live agent responds provides clarity and reassurance, letting customers know that help is coming. 

Spice Up Your Content with Video Messages 

Interacting with an AI chatbot does not have to be boring. Consider incorporating videos alongside text responses to make the experience more engaging and dynamic. Explainer videos from customer service representatives (CSR) can offer practical, step-by-step solutions in a fun and interactive way, encouraging your customers to return for more connection and entertainment. 

Many believe that video production is exorbitantly expensive, but AI avatar video solutions can offer a more budget-friendly option. For example, our content experience platform, eWizard, allows pharma companies to create videos with human-like avatars that speak over 40 languages in just several clicks. 

Optimize the Work of Your Employees 

How you organize your workflow can directly affect the quality of your customer service. AI chatbots can make a big difference in onboarding new employees, helping them get up to speed so they are better equipped to handle customer issues.  

Besides onboarding, chatbots can also act as a go-to knowledge base for your whole team. For instance, the eWizard chatbot lets employees quickly find the information they need without hunting through documents. The beauty of AI chatbots is that they provide support teams with accurate information quickly, making it easier to respond to customer questions in real-time. 

Don’t Forget to Update Your Chatbot 

Simply deploying an AI chatbot and calling it a day will not provide a top-notch service for your customers. To keep your chatbot useful, updating it regularly and ensuring its data remains current is essential. Neglecting these updates can lead to security vulnerabilities, poor performance, and inaccurate responses. 

Collect Data from the Chatbot 

Even if one customer gets the help they need, others might not use the chatbot and could abandon your service once challenged. Analyzing customer data carefully is important to understanding your audience’s fears, frustrations, and sources of inconvenience. 

Customers often reveal their main issues when interacting with chatbots, so it is pivotal to capture this data after the chat ends. By analyzing chatbot interactions, you can get a clearer picture of your audience’s pain points and tailor your solutions to meet their needs better.  

Final Words 

If you are not improving your customer service with chatbots, you might just be wasting money. AI chatbots are an excellent way to keep communication lines open with your customers.  

Yet, modern customers expect quick answers to their queries, tailored interactions, engagement across touchpoints, content diversity, a smooth user experience, and more. If you enrich your chatbots with these benefits, customers will likely reward you with greater engagement, loyalty, and revenue. 

©2024 DK New Media, LLC, All rights reserved | Disclosure

Originally Published on Martech Zone: How to Improve Customer Service with Chatbots