In the time of stiff competition, companies are putting in extra effort to provide exceptional customer experience. Chat is considered as the best medium for sales and customer service, and hence become an obvious choice for organizations. Businesses should not just implement a chat solution to stay competitive and be in the race rather. They should have an in-depth understanding and then conclude to use either a live chat or a chatbot for their business.
A chatbot is a computer program powered by Artificial Intelligence that allows companies to interact with the customers through a chat interface just like a human. Chatbots interactively and proactively engage with humans, whereas live chat is not much proactive in reaching out to customers. Chatbots are relatively new in the game, whereas live chat has been in use for a long time in companies. In the chat, the interaction is carried by a human, and it enables agents to respond contextually after sensing the customers’ emotions. Whereas, in chatbots, the interaction is carried by a machine that swiftly translates customer questions and responds to any queries.
Chatbots can handle several chats if the solution is scalable and supported by AI mechanisms. Whereas in live chat human resources involved in the process, so there are limitations in handling multiple concurrent chats at a time. It observed that live chat is not capable of tracking customer information and so delivering personalized services becomes a challenge. Whereas, the latest chatbots are capable of pairing conversational data with the client’s profile. Thereby allowing companies to customize the entire customer experience.
Factors that will Help Business Choose Chatbots or Live Chat
Response Time –
Companies using chatbots will be able to respond within seconds as live chat has human limitations and is not as fast as a chatbot. Though chatbots are quick to provide answers but can answer only specific questions. Whereas through live chat companies can handle different types of queries of their customers.
Availability –
Chatbots have about 100% uptime and can work 24/7, 365 days a year. Therefore, businesses that serve their customers 24/7 will benefit from chatbots, as they can promptly offer customer support. A single chatbot can handle high volumes of requests without any delay. Whereas human agents through live chat can handle only a limited number of customers at a time.
Problem Solving Skills –
Chatbots are software programs that do not panic nor get stressed. However, the downside is that chatbots do not know to tackle sarcasm, humor, or complicated queries. In such circumstances chat considered a better tool, as far as handling complex issues and troubleshooting concerned.
Cost Efficiency –
Chatbots have a one-time installation cost, and researchers have predicted that by 2025, over 90% of the B2C interactions will be carried out by chatbots. It will cut the business’s operational costs by more than $8 billion per year in the next three years. Whereas for live chats businesses need to pay salaries to agents and its cost can be calculated by the number of chat requests raised. And the number of agents involved in solving the queries, this will help in finding the average price per chat.
Choose Wisely between Chatbots vs Live Chat
Businesses need to understand the pros and cons of chatbots. And live chat to determine which will be the ideal fit for their businesses. For the majority of the business use, chatbots can be an effective technology to handle huge volumes of requests single-handedly. In the time when automation has become the new normal, chatbots have become an ideal fit for businesses. However, if businesses have a budget for live chat agents, then they should use both the technologies to deliver a better customer service experience.
Also Read: 5 Significant Ways Chatbots Businesses Respond During a Pandemic
