Are Chatbots The Future of Customer Support?
By: Mark Smith Evergreen
Tags: Chatbots, Customer Support

Technology advancements in the last ten or so years have shaped the world to fit better in the modern age. All the gadgets that we have now were unimaginable to exist in the 2000s or so.

For example, would you think that Joe from 2007 would believe that by 2020, we will have electric cars and e-scooters buzzing in the city? Probably not. Even though many people say that technology has more cons than pros, we disagree.

Sure, if you overuse technology, you might lose connection to the real world and spend more time in virtual reality but let’s face it, all the technology and the gadgets we have undoubtedly made our everyday lives more comfortable.

Companies are no different. To stay current and flexible in the competitive market, they had to implement various technologies in order to be ahead of their competition.

We’re talking about different systems, programs, software, and such. There probably isn’t a branch that doesn’t have some sort of technology advancement available.

One particular department of companies resisted technology changes for a while, but in the last couple of years, the use of tech is visible even there. And we think that this is fantastic. The department we’re talking about is Customer Support.

An interesting thing about customer support and it’s resistance to modern technology is the fact that humans can only do this job. To support potential clients, you need to have an employee who will listen to them, gather information, and based on that create a deductive solution.

The core of customer support is problem-solving, and five years ago, technology still didn’t advance to the state where it could behave the same as the human. In big companies, there was always a customer representative, and when he/she didn’t work, there wasn’t anyone who would replace him/her on its duties. But thanks to AI, machines can now do everything even humans do.

They can learn things, process information, and make conclusions. This might sound like a scenario for “Terminator”, but it really isn’t. AI gave birth to something called chatbots, a smart tool used for customer support almost everywhere in the world.

What Are Chatbots?

Chatbots are programs that are mostly used for customer support purposes. They are placed on your website (presumably you have one) and there, they respond to the questions potential clients have. These tools aren’t only made for communication with customers.

They have various other functionalities that can give you an insight into how your customers behave, what are the questions they ask, and where they click on the website. This is valuable information as thanks to it, you can adjust your website, create selling plans, answer questions faster, and a lot more.

Have you ever entered a site where a pop-up appeared with a woman saying: “Can we help you with anything”?. Yup, that’s a chatbot. A chatbot is not a real person but rather a program that is programmed to ask you different questions. Customers can talk to it like it’s a real person.

It’s programmed to listen and respond based on the content of the question. Chatbots are present 24/7 on your website, so it doesn’t matter if your business is closed or not. If someone interested in the products you sell enters the website, the chatbot will be there to aid him.

Chatbots are incredibly customizable. You can select the questions that the chatbot will ask, what information it will gather and you can even place different ads that will push to customers. There is so much you can do with this small tool and the best thing — it’s not even that expensive.

If your site is built on WordPress, all you need to do is to download a free chatbot add-on. It has most functionalities that are enough for an average business owner, and if you want even more from it, you can upgrade to the PRO version for several dollars.

Even if your site is not built on WordPress, creating a chatbot is pretty straightforward, and your programmer would probably need several hours to do it. Chatbots make every business alive and available 24/7, no matter the working hours. It will help your company respond fast to clients, give them the information they need, and commence interaction with them.

Should You Use Them?

Thanks to chatbots, every company can establish a deeper connection with their clients. Today, they are pretty widespread among many businesses — learn how those businesses use chatbots. They are a tool of every modern customer support, and if you wish to stay on par with the competitions, chatbots are a must-get.

They are easy to install, lightweight, and they often don’t cost a dime. Add on to that the fact that they can help you immensely and provide you with some valuable information, and we don’t really see why you shouldn’t get them. Chatbots are the future indeed.