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Chatbots use are on the rise, so much so that Gartner reported that by 2020, more than ¾ of customer interactions will be handled without a human agent. Additionally, research have shown that the use of chatbots can be beneficial in terms of cost savings and work hours saved.
With the numerous advantages, it’s no wonder that companies are implementing chatbots for their companies. However, the process of implementing a chatbot isn’t as simple as turning on a printer, for example.
Planning for your chatbot before implementation is an important step, here are a number of chatbot best practices that you should consider:
Firstly, why are you considering the chatbot in the first place? Are you trying to cut costs in terms of customer service? Or perhaps the chatbot’s main aim is to help with your Marketing? Whatever the aim is, you need to figure out what it is.
This will not only help you figure out what your KPIs will be but also where you should implement your chatbot in the first place. Whether the chatbot will be on your website or on a messaging platform like Whatsapp or Line, figuring out what you’d like to achieve with the chatbot will help you in the long run.
The first step in the Design Thinking process is actually a good one to do, especially with regards to your chatbot. After all, your customers will be the chatbot’s users, so you first need to identify what exactly they want.
Having a deeper knowledge of your customer will also help you in building your chatbot. Knowing their wants and needs will make anticipating any questions and concerns that they may have easier for your company.
It may even help you decide if your customers even want a chatbot in the first place. Because implementing a chatbot that your customers don’t even use won’t help you in whatever aim you may have for your chatbot.
Sometimes clicking a button would be easier than to type something out.
If the chatbot’s question requires a short “yes” or “no”, then buttons would definitely speed up the process. And customers tend to prefer their questions to be answered and problems to be solved as quickly as possible. Additionally, typing out “yes” takes more effort than clicking a button.
Just be sure that it’s absolutely clear to the customer that they would need to click the button instead of typing out each of the “options” available for them.
There have been instances with other companies’ chatbots where it wasn’t clear what the customer was meant to do—in this case, click one of three options—and they ended up leaving the conversation when nothing happens.
Which brings us to the next chatbot best practices points.
Sometimes a customer will have multiple questions for your customer service department. Therefore, they would certainly have multiple questions to pose to the chatbot. You need to consider that your customer may wish to restart the conversation when one question has been answered.
Additionally, it may even be that the customer decided—mid-conversation—that they wish to ask a different question instead of their original question. Because of this, you need to plan on a way for the customer to restart the conversation. Or for any kind of disruption or interruption.
And, it may also be that there’s a pause in the conversation because of external disruptions. Instead of leaving the conversation blank while waiting for the customer’s input, the chatbot may be able to prompt response with a simple, “Are you still there?” message.
The last on our list of chatbot best practices is: what happens if the chatbot is unable to solve the customer’s issue? Or what happens if the customer decided that they would rather interact with a human?
You need to plan a way in which a human can take over the conversation. And, if the interaction is occurring after office hours, for the chatbot to convey to the customer that a representative will be in touch by email or by phone.
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