Resolve customer queries instantly with website chatbot

Introduction

With the increased use of internet for day-to-day activities, now customers prefer contacting businesses online rather than over the phone. A website chatbot can be one way to ensure that customers get their answer within seconds to reduce abandonment rate and improve customer satisfaction.

Websites with a live chat option have shown huge benefits — a staggering 97% said they decreased customer service costs, 76% of consumers who used live chat felt valued as a customer and 70% would rather contact a business through live chat than any other method.

Channel shift from traditional telephony to web provides new opportunities for brands to engage with prospects and customers on real time basis using website chatbots. In December 2017, more than half (55%) of small businesses were using some form of chatbot for customer support and many businesses plan to increase the level of their use in 2018.

Many companies have already realized the potential and benefits of website chatbots, such as:

1. Autodesk — Offers on-site chat on its home page enables visitors to get quick answers for questions about products, pricing, warranty etc.;

2. Livechatinc — It offers a highly effective support system that can be enhanced with a customized help bot on your website; 3. Apple — It has started using iMessage Chat service through which you can get all Apple related information; and

4. Tesla Motors — The brand uses website chatbot at both product purchase stage (in which you can ask about the features, technical specifications and price of a specific product) and service stage (in which you get help for queries such as “how much does it cost to clean this?” or “when is my next appointment?”).

Website chatbots offer multiple benefits:

1. Provide real-time support;

2. Enhance customer experience;

3. Reduce costs associated with handling enquiries (by 90%); and

4. Gather insights into customers’ requirements/preferences in order to personalize products and services over time leading to higher conversions and revenue growth.

5. Increase brand loyalty by meeting customers’ needs instantly leading to reduced abandonment rates on website or eCommerce store.)

These chatbots can be built using different platforms such as:

1. IBM Watson;

2. Microsoft Azure; and 3. Google Cloud Platform.

They can function on messaging services like:

1. Facebook Messenger; and

2. Skype for Business (formerly Microsoft Lync).

The most critical considerations for chatbots are:

1. Smooth user experience;

2. Personalization of the conversation; and

3. Accuracy of response generation.

More details on how to build a website chatbot with these platforms can be found here, here and here.