Before we start, take a look at the following customer support live chat scenarios below.

Scenario 1

Customer Support Rep: Good Morning. Hi, this is David. How may I help you?

Customer: I want to inquire about my smartphone, which I ordered 2 days ago. According to the tracking number, it should have reached my address 4 hours ago, but I guess something is wrong.

Customer Support Rep: Yes. There is a problem. There was a freak storm at the JFK this morning, and the flight schedule of most airlines was affected. But now everything seems to be normal, and you’ll get the order within 2 hours at most.

Customer: Thank you for the clarification and update.

Scenario 2

Customer Support Rep: Hello. Please choose an option:

Option 1: Order Status

Option 2: Order Complain

Option 3: Order History

Customer: I want to know what happened to my order that was placed a week ago. My order number is 1357.

Customer Support Rep: I am unable to find any information related to your order.

Customer: This is absurd. I mean, how can you have absolutely no information about it. Please check again as I am looking for this package for the past five days now.

Customer Support Rep: Do you have any other query that you would want me to help you with?

Customer: WTH?!

No need to tell you how this conversation might have ended!

You might be surprised to know both were chats happened between customers and chatbots.

Yes, you read it right!

Robots are now talking to us in the guise of customer support people and you thought a lovely young lady would be present on the other side of the chat window.

Businesses need to offer exemplary support to their customers, and scenario 2 is a nightmare for any business regardless of the time they’ve been in operation.

There was nothing about the conversation that would resemble a chat between two humans.

This is where AI and machine learning is helping chatbots to become more intelligent and tactful in handling disgruntled customers in the same way a real customer support rep would.

And this is not just for the example mentioned above. Following are 4 such reasons why companies need to think about coming up with a chatbot technology to interact with the current and potential customers for best results.

1. Casual or Formal Tone? It’s for You to Decide

Your tone and demeanor will decide if people would like to talk to you often or only in extreme situations.

This is where you need to think of your tone when anyone will be looking to reach to you and looking for some help here. Exactly what message will you want to connote here?

The “personality” of your chatbot is what will set it apart from all the other bots currently available in the market.

For financial services: banking or insurance, a formal tone is best suited as people looking for these services are mostly professionals. They look for answers or suggestions for before applying for loans, for example, and strictly a formal tone is what can be best suited here.

On the other hand, a person asking for some suggestions on a children apparel store can be engaged in a casual tone by asking him about the weather, what are the preferred colors he is looking for, etc.

Related reads: Here’s How to Create an Exceptional Chatbot Experience

2. Breaking Down the Conversational Structure

Long answers, even with details, need to be broken down for a precise answer. A long answer, which is comprised of several lines, may confuse a person looking for a quick and easy reply. For example, when a person looking for a confirmation of the order, “Your order is confirmed” and “Your package is on its way” are two of the most preferred replies here. Any other ambiguous reply can make a person confused about his order.

People look for confirmation either via calling the support call center or having a live chat. If a bot can answer their queries within seconds, then there is no need to the call center for support. For instance, if they give the tracking number and the bot can reply that your package will reach you within an hour, this is a precise reply. And it fulfills the for what a bot has been created.

3. Emotional Intelligence and Autonomous Reasoning

If you think EQ is not something that you can relate to a chatbot, then you’re wrong. Chatbots have to deal with customers who might be experiencing varying emotions at the time of the conversation. There can be a situation where a person has dialed 999 to report a loved one who’s been missing or to report a serious accident near Metro Station, Jumeirah Lake Towers.

Here a chatbot first needs to understand the caller’s emotional state. Coupled with this knowledge will enable the bot to choose the best approach to assist the caller in solving his problem cordially.

Today, chatbots also need to perform complex reasoning without any human supervision. Unsupervised operation is important because a chatbot must look into the history of interactions or analyze customer’s current situation and offer a solution in a way that’s both humane and smart.

4. Intelligence Powered by Proaction

One of the hallmarks of an intelligent person is his ability to foresee problems and prevent them.

Who’d be more deserving of ‘employee of the month’ title in a supermarket?

A salesman who knows what the customers are looking for or a newbie who’s clueless even when asked about where the loo is.

Take the examples of many chatbots which offer great support to their customers. One of them is Whole Foods’ chatbot on Facebook Messenger that offers personalized recipes and their complete walkthroughs to fans based on their responses.

Filters and options for different types of foods are offered by this bot, making it easy for the users to narrow down their search. And also subtly drive the users to the company’s website to purchase ingredients that are used in the recipe they’re reading at the time.

Related Reads: Why Digital Marketers Need Chatbots for their Business

Final Word

Technology-driven advancements are the catalyst in the way we interact with companies. Customer’s preferences for interactive experiences or live chats are dramatically evolving. Digital channels are now being redefined with the help of AI, as bots are not what they were used to be just 4-5 years ago. They are a lot smarter now, and they interact with customers in a tone and way that make them happy and truly satisfied.

I am sure that you would’ve learned something new from this post. If you want to ask anything that is bothering you here or want to add something, you are more than welcome. Please use the comments section below and enlighten me.