The very first chatbot, named Eliza, was developed in 1966, but it took more than 50 years before chatbots began to play a key role in providing customer service. At that time, technological advances in machine learning and natural language processing led to the development of far more sophisticated forms of artificial intelligence (AI). Nowadays, more and more companies are relying on chatbots, and the trend is expected to keep growing as technology continues to improve.
How Does Automated Customer Service Benefit Businesses?
Chatbots have revolutionized the way businesses communicate with customers, leading to the following benefits (and see more from Nu Echo). For one thing, chatbots allow businesses to remain open and serve customers around the clock. Also, even though bots can’t resolve every problem, they can greatly reduce the burden on human staff by deflecting queries that don’t require a human response. When chatbots handle routine requests, humans have time to deal with more complex issues.
In addition, a chatbot can increase the amount of time that customers spend on a website. Not only do customers spend more time on a site when they engage in chat, but a chatbot can also refer customers to specific pages on the site where they can find the information they’re looking for. A chatbot is also an excellent data-gathering tool, collecting customer information that can lead to valuable insights.
How Does Automated Customer Support Benefit Customers?
Another reason why the chatbot trend is likely to keep growing is that customers like using them. They are popular among users of all ages, but Millennials, especially, prefer being able to get answers to questions or solve problems on their own, without having to wait for a human response. Thanks to improvements in technology and in practice, chatbots are gaining a good reputation. A growing number of customers are willing to use a virtual assistant to get information and support, place orders, and make reservations.
What Is The Future Of AI-Assisted Customer Service?
While chatbots have come a long way from the early days when they gave canned and often confusing responses, they do not yet seem human. Conversations can break down if the human participant goes off-script and the chatbot doesn’t have a helpful response. However, developers are constantly working to improve machine learning and language processing to create a more real-feeling virtual experience.
As their capabilities grow, chatbots will play an ever more significant role in providing customer service. More businesses will integrate chatbots into their websites and messaging apps, and more customers will become comfortable using the virtual customer support. Finally, voice bots will eventually dominate text chat because they are more personal and appealing to users.
Will Chatbots Make Human Workers Redundant?
Chatbots clearly have much to offer both businesses and customers. As they take on a greater role in addressing customer support issues, they help to streamline the work of human employees. Despite fears that AI will make human workers redundant, chatbots work best in collaboration with humans. For instance, during a live chat with a human customer service representative, chatbots can take over certain tasks that can easily be automated, while humans can respond to more complex issues.
Final Thoughts
As AI technology continues to improve, automated customer service tools will continue to have a big impact on how businesses communicate with their customers. Chatbots may never develop human consciousness, but they are becoming increasingly human-like in their ability to respond intelligently and helpfully to natural language.
