Chatbots in call centers – Part 2

Waiting in a queue, repeatedly getting the same information, losing valuable time waiting for an answer to a simple question: companies that still put their customers through this misery are at a great disadvantage. As intelligent partners, chatbots which can understand human language can greatly improve the customer experience. Read the introduction to chatbots in part 1 of our article. Here, in part 2, read about the real benefits and drawbacks of chatbots in call centers.

Chatbots perform communication tasks and enter into direct customer dialog. AI-based chatbots are capable of performing one or more tasks simultaneously. They use input voice data to continuously expand their vocabulary. Today, they understand natural language, i.e., human conversation. They come in many different forms and their use is beneficial to call centers, for both customer contact and internal employees.

Why chatbots?

Chatbots are not only able to answer questions. They can also help with many other communication and organizational tasks, e.g.:

• Sale of cinema or theater tickets
• Travel, flight, train or hotel reservations
• Providing up-to-the-minute information such as weather, news, traffic or stock market information

Many find this acceptable, but preferably the more convenient the better, so it would seem. Many companies are therefore asking themselves the justified question: How far do our chatbot options in contact centers go?

Chatbots in call centers: their benefits

Artificial intelligence at the push of a button, in the form of a chatbot, is just as beneficial to the employees in your call center as it is to your customers. Chatbots save time and energy and release resources for other tasks. They also effectively assist with corporate tasks such as:

• Improving support for your HR department: From “I have forgotten my password” to “What is the procedure for submitting receipts for the expense account?” Such questions are asked time and again. And not every Intranet provides an accurate and quick answer to questions asked. A chatbot is the answer — it assists and relieves the HR department. With predefined dialog flows for possible communication paths, precise responses can be configured in advance.
• New employees: Filling out forms, entering data, accessing tools — in onboarding, tasks are repeated like elsewhere in a company. Chatbots are able to control the various tools that are required and simultaneously save time.
• Daily tasks: Delegating simple, yet time-consuming tasks such as planning meetings including checking individual employee calendars or room reservations and holiday requests to chatbots can be extremely helpful. This gives employees more time to concentrate on other core tasks.
• Information sources: The GDPR is one of the most recent examples where employees are suddenly obliged to strictly adhere to a number of rules and regulations. The demand for information is very high. A chatbot, which obtains its knowledge from various available databases, is equally useful in a department that is subject to constant change, e.g., for controlling annually recurring new tax regulations, etc.

Chatbots as telephone operators: will they replace employees?

Today, chatbots are already capable of dealing with simple concerns conclusively. However, complex cases still need a human brain. If a customer only requests a new invoice, the chatbot can also create a new invoice and previously assess, identify and legitimize the concern. A complaint made by an upset customer calls for a completely different approach, which will always require human empathy and expertise — also in the future.

A chatbot for my call center: is it worthwhile?

Chatbots can be deployed for a variety of uses, the most appropriate of all being where fast reactions are of the essence, e.g., when customers have simple questions or concerns or when you want to draw constant attention to yourself and show that you can be contacted. Chatbots can also help with online shopping and organizational processes such as consulting services or bookings, because these are the kind of tasks chatbots can perform efficiently.

However, specific problems or individual questions will call for wide-reaching developments in the area of artificial intelligence in the future. Because here it is often a matter of the human-intuitive assessment of a concern or intellectual transfer capacity. Furthermore, the willingness of several target groups to communicate with a computer will be less than with others — even up to total rejection. As is often the case, it depends on the right questions that companies initially need to ask themselves before deciding for a chatbot solution in their call center.

Would you like more general information about chatbots in call centers? Read part 1 of our article: Chatbots in Call Centers — Part 1!