The Role of Chatbots in Live Chat Support

While AI-powered chatbots might seem like a novel invention, their history stretches back a long way. For instance, MIT computer scientists developed one of the earliest examples nearly fifty years ago in 1966 – a psychotherapist emulator called ELIZA. The bot’s abilities were limited, and its responses were wooden, but you could converse with it if it understood your inputs.

Now, chatbots are vastly more capable and functional across domains. As such, they are a valuable component of live chat support, a facility that enables users to converse with enterprises via a chat-based medium.

The growth in their power is being driven by several advanced technologies, which only now are coming to fruition. For instance, large datasets are enabling better natural language processing – machines’ ability to understand human syntax and phraseology. They are also making large language models (LLMs) possible. Vast reams of data and hundreds of billions of connections let machines parse complex texts, extract meaning and structure, and deliver insights to users. Conversation and communication style appears more bespoke and human-like.

This post explores the use of chatbots in live chat support by discussing their benefits and limitations. It also covers tips for businesses on how they can set up and optimise chatbots for operational effectiveness.

The Benefits Of Chatbots In Live Chat Support

Chatbots offer a host of benefits for any brand operating live chat support.

Enhanced Customer Experience

For instance, chatbots can provide a more personalised experience for customers. Solutions can analyse customer data and preferences and tailor their responses to meet each person’s needs.

This approach matters because users dislike having to repeat themselves. Chatbot can automatically create a “single source of truth” containing all information collected thus far on a user. Both human and machine agents can then use that data to streamline interactions and speed up resolution times.

Greater Cost Effectiveness

Chatbots can also help make live chat more cost-effective. Automating customer support lets businesses communicate with hundreds, if not thousands, of customers simultaneously without additional human resources.

For example, a report by Freshworks found that implementing conversational chatbots reduced business service costs by 30 per cent.

Faster Response Times

Chatbots also provide immediate responses to user queries, reducing wait times and enhancing the customer experience. The technology is particularly beneficial for customers looking for quick answers to their questions.
This feature is helpful given customers’ impatience. According to a Toister Solutions survey, companies aiming for “world-class” customer service should respond in 15 minutes or less. Firms waiting longer than this put themselves at risk of bleeding users to their rivals.

Around-The-Clock-Availability

A final benefit of chatbots in live chat support is their twenty-four-seven availability. Unlike human agents who work within specific hours, chatbots can handle customer inquiries and support requests at any time of day or night. This feature is particularly beneficial for businesses with a global audience, where customers may be chatting from different time zones.

Traditionally, chatbots placated users by promising to connect them to a human agent rapidly or by scheduling a call. Today, they can answer many questions directly, eliminating the need for additional delay.

Understanding The Limitations Of Chatbots

However, chatbots are not yet the perfect complement for live chat support.

Lack Of Empathy

While AI might have access to all of the world’s information, chatbots can find it difficult to empathise with customers, which may result in a less personal experience. Customers may feel frustrated or unheard if they perceive the chatbot as impersonal. Poorly designed scripts could lead to frustration and desperation to speak with a human agent.

Technical Limitations

Moreover, chatbots face programming limits. They may struggle to understand certain languages or dialects. Additionally, chatbots may be unable to handle more complex tasks, such as processing refunds or managing complaints.

With that said, firms are working on integrating chatbots with enterprise-level solutions. For instance, many now work with BI systems (Power BI, Oracle, SAP, etc.) to simplify data consumption and interaction.

Limited Understanding

Lastly, some chatbots have limited understanding. Hence, they may struggle with more complex requests.

However, these limitations are also receding. The combination of deep learning technologies, such as large language models (LLMs) and natural language processing (NLP) are making chatbots more capable in the messy world of human interactions.

Tips For Setting Up And Optimising Chatbots

Ultimately, the quality of your customers’ chatbot experience comes down to how well you set it up. Here are some tips outlining what to do to curate a compelling experience.

Understand Your Customers

The first step is to understand your customers' needs and preferences. By analysing customer data and feedback, you can create a chatbot tailored to your audience's specific needs.

Offer A Clear Set Of Instructions

Next, you should provide clear instructions on how to access and use the chatbot. For instance, you could create a dedicated page on the website or include a pop-up message that directs customers to your AI conversational services.

You can also offer instructions within the chatbot window itself. Structuring conversations like a tree with branches helps direct users to the best outcome or information.

Choose A Great Platform

The next step is to choose a platform that offers online support chat for website owners. Click4Assistance has a drag-and-drop Bot Builder which lets you fully customise your IBM-powered chatbot to deliver a more seamless experience to users, giving you more control over brand interactions.

Train Your Chatbot

Lastly, you should train your chatbot to ensure it can handle customer enquiries and respond to various requests. You can do this by providing a database of questions and answers and regularly reviewing and updating the chatbot's responses.

Conclusion

In summary, the role of chatbots is changing considerably. Many can now handle customer queries and prevent escalation to human reps, saving time and enhancing the service end-users receive.