Which is better: chatbot or live chat?
We have used live chat for several years now, but it has many flaws. We want to try chatbots. What do you think?
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Jul 18, 2019
Hi Milita,
According to surveys, the majority of customers prefer live chat over chatbots. But I believe a mix of chatbot and live chat will be the most efficient approach. The chatbot will be your first line to get the initial details and info from the customer and if the concern is complicated that cannot be handled by the chatbot you turn it over to a live chat representative. This will reduce the workload and you will be able to maximize the workload of your live chat reps.
In case you are interested in getting live chat representatives, we offer that service at Digital Minds BPO Services Inc. We are a small BPO Company based in the Philippines and have been operating since 2010. We have experienced and competitive agents. We currently have more than 100 agents and still growing. Our facilities have a redundant power supply and up to 100 Mbps internet and we are operating 24/7.
I hope my answer was helpful to you.
Best Regards,
Charvel
Digital Minds BPO Services
https://digitalmindsbpo.com
skype: digitalmindsbpo
Jul 19, 2019
What is the audience that you are communicating?
If they don't expect a tailored service and have to find out basic answers, then chatbots might be useful.
On the contrary, if your customers would like to get any value beyond the basic FAQ, why not try to guide them to email? I like how Squarespace manages a stream of customers. First, extensive FAQ. Then they give clients a choice: leave a message to email for an answer in 24h, or open a live chat and get a reply as he queue goes.
I think that's the best practice.
Jul 12, 2019
If you're having issues with live chat response time, I think chatbot can be a good way to start a consumer interaction while you connect them with the proper live chat person, or it can be useful if you notice your consumers consistently asking the same questions. However, as a consumer I typically find live chat sessions to be more helpful since I can receive answers that are specifically tailored to my questions.
Jul 16, 2019
It's totally based on your business and service model.
First and foremost, you need to under what is Chatbot - Chatbot is nothing but the automated answering system. If your customer asks a regular question, it provides answers from the database. It's very useful for FAQ type questions. To know more about chatbot - https://www.pattronize.com/blog/how-chatbots-can-be-part-user-search-experience/
Live chat is nothing but, interaction with the customer on a real-time. It gives more attention to your customer.
If you are a startup, just go with a chatbot is the best option. Once your customer answering session will be increased to 50 to 100 chats per day. It's better you go with live chat.
I hope the answer will be helpful. Thanks!
Jul 19, 2019
Many business owners face the same dilemma: should I choose a chatbot for my business or would a live chat suffice and help me answer all questions instantly?
But you need to understand that it all depends on the needs of your business.
Chatbots help your business answer swiftly to problems faced by customers instantly. However, live chat helps you build a personal experience that prompts customers to return to your brand every time.
If you need an in-depth detail on what works best for you and your business, read a blog post here to understand what you should know before investing in either of the technologies.
https://www.proprofs.com/c/customer-support/live-chat-vs-chatbots/
Sep 5, 2019
Live chat is better than chatbot!
The reason, chatbot works as frequently asked question formula and a fixed set of answers while live chat gives an exact answer to understand and fulfill the requirement of the user as he wants.
The second thing is that users want accurate details without delay and some questions are based on different criteria a live chat can help better as compare the chatbot to resolve the same.
Live chat can also give impactful result because of it directly coordinate with two human being and capable of more productive then chatbots.
Chatbots are a computer program based on fixed answers and seem bored after just time during the chat.
Jul 11, 2019
Chatbot vs live chat:
According to studies, 73% of consumers say live chat is their most preferred method of communication. You've got two choices: chatbots or live chat representatives. Chatbots are computer-generated responses. They allow customers to receive answers to their questions via AI software.
Aug 6, 2019
Well, it is always more convenient for people to communicate with a real person. Just put yourself on your clients' place: would you like to have your question precisely answered? It also indicates the attention you give to your clients.
As for chatbots, it is can be used for FAQ.
What is your problem with the live chat system you're using right now? I guess there are two options: bad chat software or incompetent chat agent.
I would recommend Upwork to find the right person in the chat agent's position.
Good luck.
Jul 11, 2019
I use tidio on my website and so far it has been good. It has a chatbox which keeps the customer engaged before you get online.
Jul 16, 2019
Having a live chat is great especially if you have the resources to handle it. However, looking at the potential of chatbots powered by AI, the future of chatbots seems bright.
However, they are not here to replace human beings (at least not anytime soon) but to help us save money, time, and energy.
Jul 22, 2019
AI could be really helpful (in case of emergency, for instance, when you don't have enough managers available at the moment).
Though, as a customer, I prefer to speak to a real person, and if you have a phone line available, I'd prefer to call you, which kind of ruins the whole concept. As in customer service, I feel it's very unprofessional to have a bot working an algorithm to figure out my problems.
- Josh
Apr 8, 2020
Chatbots are a great way to anger and alienate customers. Currently chatbots are great for answering simple questions like FAQs, which can be served by an FAQ page. However most customers choose chat because there is a question not answered by a website.
Even for simple tasks, such as changing account parameters, chatbots are not given the authority to make changes. This makes them relatively useless.
If a customer cannot quickly be connected to a real person in the right department, then you have wasted their time. Disrespecting a customer's time is a sure fire way to have fewer customers.
Oct 8, 2020
Let me start with answer based on our real world experience. “There is not silver bullet”
What I mean is you need combination of both chatbot & live chat.
Live chat you have human who can provide more detailed & in-depth response to customer, customer satisfaction is quite high.
Chatbot are great to provide 24/7 response to most commonly asked questions and if you configure with right information it can start addressing lots of queries. When your operation grows & you cannot keep 24x7 live chat support this acts as first level of response.
Key challenge of configuration of Chatbot: There are lots of technology & platforms available. Major task for business is to create flow of customer interactions & prepare list of FAQ’s and questions which chatbot should respond. You have to decide how many products / services you want to enable and what level of detailing you intend to provide.
Second step is if user are going to seek more dynamic data or information which will query you system you need some development & help of developers to enable that integration. I suggest you keep this in second phase of your project.
Idea scenario: Here people should interact with chatbot and point where you don’t have automated response or if user wish to speak to live person he / she should be able to switch to live chat immediately. Your support person should see the response already provide and continue smart conversation thereafter.
We achieved this solution and its live ins our business. Here are component’s used to put everything together.
1. Live chat – Zoho Sales IQ - Basic Account
2. Chatbot – Google Dialougflow ( Free Account)
3. Setup & Configuration – Approx 2 months of efforts to make is stable, smart & responsive.
Zoho Sales IQ connects with Dialougeflow Bot and puts in front, Also they have Mobile SDK which integrates with our Android & IOS Application.
If you want to see live implementation & strength of chatbot configuration visit https://picsy.in
Do connect with me for more information.
Dec 10, 2019
My thoughts:
Live chat is great, especially if you have the resources to properly utilize it. But, gazing into the future, it certainly looks bright for AI-powered chatbots.
At any rate, chatbots aren’t here to completely replace humans in customer service (not for the moment at least) but rather to act as a tool to help us save money, time, and energy. A role in which they excel.
Sep 25, 2020
Live chat allows two or more people to communicate in real time over the internet. Along with text chat, several applications also support file sharing, voice calls, video chat, and screen sharing.
Jul 12, 2019
I will go for a live chat but you have to be active at all times to connect visitors...
Jul 12, 2019
Have you heard about https://replain.cc/?
It connects with Facebook messenger and there is no need to be in the program all the time. Seems like it could be convenient.
Dec 10, 2019
If you are using Wordpress, then you can find the best plugin for a live chat but don't forget to activate and integrate first at your email address. While on the other hand, if you are using any framework like Larawel and Codeigneitor then chat with us by Zendex is a better option than a chatbot.
Apr 1, 2020
Hello Milita!
At the moment, chatbots are becoming a hot trend. In 2019-2020, chatbots are implemented by large e-commerce corporations, for example, Etsy.
The online marketplace has implemented a chatbot that provides customers with 24/7support to solve multiple issues, including:
1) Problems with accounts;
2) Issues with payment/order delays;
3) Problems with orders;
4) Issues with items description.
Still, much depends on your business, and you can win combining two approaches, for example.
If you want to find more about trends of web development, you can check the article: https://www.codica.com/blog/top-10-ecommerce-marketplace-development-trends-2019-2020/
Would be glad to hear from you!
Apr 2, 2020
Live chat will be the better option for now. Chatbots still have some improving to do. Since it sounds like you have the resources to operate live chat I'd say implement both.
I do think a chatbot is useful to initially qualify the lead and direct them to the correct department. Once you get the workflow optimized it can for sure help with productivity. Just let them know in the beginning that you want to get them to the right department so they are aware they will get the help they need from a real person.
I hope this helps.
Steven J Wilson
Digital Marketing Consultant
Apr 6, 2020
Live chat is still a better choice. But nowadays there're wide range of different software and programming tools that creating a custom chat bot is not an issue anymore. Of course, it'll take a lot of efforts and time but such "investments" will pay off in the future
Are you saying 27% of consumers actually say they'd rather talk to a bot than a human?