Chatbots are Not the Way to Go
Chatbots are often a hassle for visitors to deal with. They can be slow, and take time to get to the point which is answering a question. Instead, something like a FAQ-bot would be better in helping customers. They are able to search their questions and within seconds, get their answers.
We highlighted here 3 things to consider before adding one to your website.
https://getchipbot.com/blog/3-things-to-know-before-adding-live-chat-to-your-website
What are your thoughts about Chatbots? Are they just time wasters and are there better ways to make use of them?
Using bots in general is stupid. No one likes to interface with a bot. You have to find a more service oriented solution to improve customer experience.
They have done A|B testing to prove that using these automated bots to answer questions and give information like FAQ drops customer satisfaction and retention.
I'm okay dealing with a bot.
I have never forgot the situation when I had to wait for 1 hour 50 minutes to ask a pretty simple stupid question at some Internet's provider support.
The only problem I see is currently, chatbots are pretty stupid and can't really help. Any other applications like search, order, faq etc. in most cases can be done faster and easier with a good developed interface.
Hi @combition,
Where did you find those A/B tests?
More than likely it's because they take forever. No one really wants to talk a machine, they just want an answer as soon as possible. So replacing a chatbot with something like "Searching" and getting the answer through there is what I think to be more beneficial.
That way you don't spend 15 minutes trying to get to a point.
In general I don’t think a FAQ-style chatbot offers any improvement over your typical annoying chatbot widget. It’s all the same in the end.
Well think of it this way. When you talk to a bot, the conversation can take anywhere from 5-15 minutes. No one wants to spend that time doing that.
Think of it in a way when someone tells you to google something, find an answer in mere seconds.
So...a search box?
Basically. Something that's always ready and available in case the site's current design just doesn't offer the information you would require. Wouldn't you rather be able to get the information by typing a phrase, having that phrase matched, and being guided to right resource than to sit and wait with a chatbot?
Yes, that's why I have a search bar on my websites.
Hello! As far as I know, well-known companies, like Marriott, Coca-Cola, Sephora, Taco Bell, and Domino's Pizza have already integrated chatbots to improve customer service and staff productivity.
https://getchipbot.com/ Is one example.
I checked it and it seems to me it's not actually a bot. It's just a "bot-like" interface for a search system. You enter a question, it tries to find in their database. Which part here is "bot"?
"ChipBot is an experience bot, where the bot brings an experience to you, rather than trying to emulate human conversation.
It works similarly to Quroa or StackOverflow, where questions are crowdsourced from users. Except instead of FAQs being hosted on a different site, it's conveniently on your own website."
Is what I just picked up from the FAQ portion of the widget.
I tried it in action, and it's much more the search system than a bot. I asked something, it didn't find, returned the text "We couldn't find blabla". A real chatbot would at least keep asking. So, yeah, it's a search system that can be integrated into a web site.
I believe that chatbots are great virtual assistants. HubSpot says that 56% of people are more likely to message a company than to call while 53% of consumers prefer to shop with brands they can message. (https://apiumhub.com/tech-blog-barcelona/chatbots/)
Unlike humans, bots can process numerous inquiries simultaneously. They can instantly provide the requested information, answer questions, order goods, and book tickets while there is no need to build a custom solution.
For example, an organization can configure Dashly or another turnkey chatbot on its app or website. Dashly is among the main alternatives to Drift and Intercom, which are one of the leading solutions worldwide. However, some competitors are available at a lower cost while also having rich functionality.
https://www.dashly.io/blog/alternative-to-drift/
https://www.dashly.io/blog/10-intercom-alternatives/.
In fact, Dashly is an online conversational platform that has features like a chatbot, live chat, data analytics, A/B testing (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/A/B_testing), personalized messages, and phone support.
Using chatbots, per general, is stupid. I mean, there might be people who like it, but I definitely have not met any yet. I usually click on them while scrolling on an App, and it's so annoying. I don't even understand why some sites have them if they provide customer care. Why would someone want to talk to a robot when they can communicate with people if they have some issues. They even use chatbots for file messaging apps. It's frustrating tbh. I found this iOS secret messaging app, xHub, and I really hope they don't include bots in it.
Chatbots can be of real value to your business - if used right. A lot of chatbots are just horribly made and that's why a lot of people hate them.
My advice is to: