It may surprise you to learn that chatbots are not a new technology. In fact, they were first developed way back in 1966. And the first-ever bot was named ELIZA. This bot was designed to mimic human conversation and answer very simple decision tree questions. It worked by passing the words that users entered into a computer and then pairing them to a list of possible scripted responses.
Chatbots have since exploded on social and business channels, thanks to messenger apps and voice assistance. But there still seems to be some mystery around how they work and how they act as helpful tools to aid businesses. We explain what they are, and how they work to assist with day to day tasks.
What are Chatbots?
Chatbots take care of the day to day online interactions. By handling customer queries, appointments, reminders, etc. They simulate human language and behaviour to provide a helpful experience that doesn’t confuse the customer and accomplishes the task.
Chatbots are fairly popular and are used by businesses because they are able to take care of the little tasks that can often otherwise take up a lot of time.
Their goal is to solve a problem, provide a service and give customers service in the quickest possible time. They don’t replace humans, but rather provide new ways to interact with customers. The better quality the chatbot, the more likely your business is to attract and keep your audience. Chatbots are fast, efficient and best of all, cost-effective.
In truth, chatbots are not meant to be very conversational. This is because customers are usually in search of something that gives quick answers to problems, connects them to a service or allows them to buy something in the simplest way possible.
Why use a chatbot?
- They have the ability to answer many customer queries in a short amount of time.
- They can answer multiple questions at the same time.
- All queries are responded to in a timely manner.
- They are available to your customers 24 hours a day.
This is very useful, especially since an increasing percentage of people would rather message a business than call customer service to solve a query.
Additionally, AI-based chatbots are able to learn from interactions and update independently. This helps to retain customers while maintaining a good brand image for your business. They can be easily integrated into your website, SMS or text, chat windows and social messaging services across platforms like Facebook and Twitter. And provide fast, automated answers to most questions that your customers might have.
Chatbots and humans working together
Chatbot technology and human touch, it turns out, makes a great team. They work together to help deliver seamless customer support. Allowing customers to solve common issues, and connect with a human agent when needed.
In instances where a chatbot is not able to identify user intent, a human can take over. Examples of this include:
- Handling complex queries that require comprehensive discussions.
- Canceling a subscription.
- Reporting a lost or stolen credit card.
- Registering a serious complaint.
- Sensitive topics (your customer might feel more comfortable explaining their situation to an agent).
Chatbots have transformed and continue to transform the way businesses communicate with their customers. They add a new dimension to customer service, sales, marketing, and engagement. And allow businesses to be better with lead generation, customer insights, onboarding, and customer support.
With so many chatbot benefits for businesses, it would be a mistake if your business decided not to integrate a bot.
