The chatbot has come a long way from the days of only providing simple, generic answers to client questions. With the help of artificial intelligence, chatbots today can perform multiple tasks with a high level of personalization. Plus, clients can get answers to product questions 24/7 from anywhere. Even mobile chat is now commonplace. This is why so many B2B organizations have incorporated chatbots into their support infrastructure.
However, simply incorporating a chatbot isn’t enough. You have to make sure it’s programmed to provide the right kind of interactions. It’s important to note that each business will use their chatbots differently, but there are some general rules you should follow. Let’s go over some important characteristics of good chatbot functionality.
Only Provide Focused Support
Chatbots are meant to provide another channel of support and assist agents. They shouldn’t be used to handle every inquiry that comes in. In fact, your chatbot should be programmed to provide solutions to minor issues that can be easily addressed. This prevents your agents from being tied up with small inquires all day. Furthermore, things like payment issues or concerns about service level agreements should be handled by live representatives. The good news is, AI-powered chatbots can quickly transfer these types of issues to the right person. Think about the problems you want your chatbots to handle and leave the rest to your agents.
Provide Additional Resources
Yes, the main job of a chatbot is to interact with clients who need help. However, they should also provide other resources to aid the support process. This is another function artificial intelligence has made a reality. If you have a self-service portal, make sure your chatbots are programmed to provide relevant links to knowledge base content based on the context of the conversation. Your clients will appreciate it. In addition, when a chat session isn’t leading to a solution, an AI-powered chatbot should be able to transfer the client to an agent or department who specializes in the issue at hand. This functionality will lead to better resolution times and higher customer satisfaction.
The Less Robotic, The Better
When getting assistance from a chatbot, your clients know they’re interacting with a piece of technology. This doesn’t mean they should feel like they are. Chatbots have a reputation for lacking empathy, but this is changing with AI. Now, chatbots can provide customized service with a good deal of personalization. When interacting with your clients, make sure your chatbots use industry-standard terminology and transmit your brand persona. They should also use the data they collect to provide personalized service to each client. This goes a long way when trying to retain loyal customers.
Give Your Clients the Best Chatbot Service Possible
AI-powered chatbots are powerful assets for any B2B customer support operation. However, you need to ensure they’re effectively interacting with your clients. Use the tips above and provide an optimal chatbot experience to your client base.
PhaseWare can help you get started with customer support automation tools. Contact us today to learn more.