If you’ve ever attempted to communicate with customer service over an automated chatbot, chances are you’ve been stuck in the maddening, Sisyphean loop of customer service hell rife in slow response times, vague answers to your questions, and desperate pleas to connect with a real human.
Chatbots are a key way many companies filter queries to customer service. But canned responses to frequently asked questions often fail to provide the personal, contextualized experience many consumers now expect. A 2019 study by Forrester shares the disastrous impact unsatisfactory customer experience chatbots can have on a business: 48% of customers who feel frustrated by customer service abandon the company; 35% of customers grow less engaged and less loyal.
Integrated live chat enabling companies to instantly connect with their customers is a critical way apps and multi-channel businesses ensure customer engagement and conversion.
Supporting Research
According to a study published in Harvard Business Review, researchers found that personalized (meaning, the customer knows the name of the service agent) and rapid responses rank among the best ways to handle customer service queries. Customers were even willing to pay more for products like phone plans and airline tickets from companies with such sterling customer service values.
Personalized responses “humanize [customer service representatives] and helps customers feel that the company, or at least someone within the company, is on their side,” said researchers. “Customers are also likely to feel more comfortable following up about an issue later if they have the name of the employee who helped them.”
Personalized User Communication
For Betabrand, a pioneering company that manufactures business attire out of athletic wear for ultimate comfort (think yoga pants masquerading as dress pants), chat is a fundamental way to connect with existing and potential customers. Betabrand regularly produces interactive live community shopping events with its core designers to launch new products, receive feedback from its passionate community of two million people, and answer product questions.
Integrating chat was key to connecting customers with representatives from Betabrand, lending to a more engaging, rich shopper experience and more profit for the clothing company.