Not that long ago, if you had asked someone if they could fulfill almost all their customer service needs with a computer program, you probably would’ve been laughed out of a room; however, the future of customer support is here, and it’s run by AI chatbots. Chatbots facilitate a variety of customer needs, ranging from making returns easy to personalized shopping experiences, but the main service they provide for many e-commerce brands is the ability to severely reduce hold times and increase customer satisfaction. Keep reading to learn how chatbots spell happier customers.
No More Wait Times
How many times have all of us gotten on the phone only to wait over an hour for the next available customer service rep? Far too often, customer service simply cannot handle increased call volumes, especially during the busy holiday season. This can lead to increased wait times and unsatisfied customers. Chatbots allow customers to receive instantaneous support. In fact, chatbots can answer up to 80% of routine questions, streamlining the customer service experience and vastly reducing wait times.
24/7 Support
Let’s be honest; hiring customer service reps is expensive. Not only do you need to pay salaries, you also need to take the time and money to train each employee. Most e-commerce businesses cannot afford 24/7 customer support, leading those 3 am shoppers helpless and increasing wait times when staff is in the office. Chatbots never need to take a break or sleep; they’re working around the clock to fill customers’ needs (with 37% of people using chatbots for a quick answer).
Let Customers Feel Valued
Needing to wait over an hour to talk to a person or reschedule at a time when customer support agents are in can make customers feel like their business simply doesn’t matter. While some may argue that chatbots are an impersonal method of contacting people, 56% of people actually prefer messaging with customer support rather than calling in. Furthermore, most customers feel valued simply by getting their questions answered, whether it’s a person or a robot on the other side of the screen.
Reduce Your Costs
While we’re a long way from automation replacing all customer service agents, chatbots can help reduce your operating costs when used as a tool by your agents. For example, by removing the asking of rudimentary questions from agents, chatbots can help each agent significantly reduce their time on each call, allowing them to move through more customers quicker while delivering a better customer service experience.
Chatbots are quickly becoming a staple for many e-commerce businesses as they provide 24/7 support that can resolve most customer issues. Check out our pick for the best chatbot platform and take your customer service to the next level.
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