{"id":31579,"date":"2017-08-25T00:00:00","date_gmt":"2017-08-25T00:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/hyken.com\/guest-blog-the-dos-and-donts-of-using-chatbots-for-customer-service\/"},"modified":"2024-01-22T11:16:37","modified_gmt":"2024-01-22T11:16:37","slug":"guest-blog-dos-dont-using-chatbots-customer-service","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/hyken.com\/customer-experience\/guest-blog-dos-dont-using-chatbots-customer-service\/","title":{"rendered":"Guest Blog: The Do’s and Dont’s of Using Chatbots for Customer Service"},"content":{"rendered":"This week we feature an article by Reuben Yonatan who writes about how using chatbots for customer service properly can be a powerful customer service tool. Chatbots can be great for handling basic customer support functions, communicating with customers when a rep isn\u2019t available and more. \u2013\u00a0Shep Hyken<\/a><\/em>\r\n\r\nMany small businesses are looking for ways to streamline communication. They know customers want fast, accurate information as soon as they need it. According to some reports<\/a>, 41% of customers expect a business to answer an email in just six hours. But, only 36% can respond that fast. Social media is even more demanding on businesses. Today’s consumer wants to find a business’s Twitter, Facebook, or Instagram page, type a question and receive a knowledgeable response nearly right away.\r\n\r\nIs your business able to pay someone to do this and keep up with the demand?\r\n

It’s a Challenge That Chatbots Aim to Take On<\/h2>\r\nA chatbot is an important tech tool available to most businesses. Its goal is to help speed up a company’s ability to provide important information to consumers. They work much like a messaging app in that a person types a question and the software goes to work to answer it. They use data from what the customer is saying to personalize the interaction. Because they can mine significant amounts of data in moments, chatbots can be very powerful.\r\n\r\nMore so, some reports indicate chatbots are money-saving tools companies can’t overlook. They could reduce your customer service costs by as much as 30%, according to some providers<\/a>.\r\n

Are Chatbots Really an Ideal Solution for Customer Service?<\/h2>\r\nA chatbot has limitations like all technology does. What’s most important in any customer service interaction is providing your customer with exactly what they need and providing personalized service. No matter what the situation, you need to foster a sense of support and caring to ensure your customer comes back to you.\r\n

Provide Quality Service First<\/h3>\r\nBots are not a solution to poor customer service. If your organization is struggling to provide quality service due to your policies, product, or service, putting a chatbot in place cannot resolve the problem. It could be part of the solution, though.\r\n

People Still Want and Expect Humans<\/h3>\r\nChatbots can be a good solution to most needs, but they cannot (and should not) replace the human that’s available when questions are complex or a consumer’s need is not met. Don’t forget the human component of your business.\r\n

Implement These Best Practices for Chatbot Use in Your Business<\/h2>\r\nChatbots offer benefits:\r\n