Chatbots, while revolutionary, often leave users frustrated with their lack of comprehension. Unravel the complexities of these digital assistants and discover strategies to harness their potential more effectively, reducing the frequency of hearing 'Sorry, I don't understand that'.
A two-way street
Just as it takes two hands to clap, it takes both chatbot and customer to create a satisfactory interaction
- To create constructive, meaningful engagement with a chatbot, the actions and reactions of the customer and a willingness to make it work are as important as its functionality
Three keys to success
Remember that a chatbot is not human
- Many chatbots can’t understand nuanced natural language
- Try not to use complex sentences or provide too much information at once
- If the chatbot doesn’t understand you the first time, give it a second chance
- Chatbots acquire new skills over time
Organizational Tips
Take a holistic view of your customer service systems when redesigning them
- Consider the changing role of customer service employees who need to work with chatbots
- Reimagine a customer service team
- Treat chatbots like a new employee
- Experiment to find the right timing
- Monitor the chat interactions
Understanding chatbots
There are six distinct types of human-chatbot interactions: socialising, collaborating, challenging, accommodating, committing, and redirecting
- Socialising interactions: conversations where the chatbot tries to entertain the customer
- Collaborating interactions: conversations where the bot and the customer work together on the customer’s needs
‘What’s the meaning of life?’
Accommodating interactions are ones where the customer is in the driver’s seat, helping the chatbot understand their needs by changing the way they phrase the question or statement, repeating their request or clarifying their intent.
- On the flip side, a committing interaction sees the bot more engaged than the customer, trying to provide an answer to a question or solve a customer’s problem. These two types of interactions often leave customers without the required information.
