From 1964 to 1966, Joseph Weizenbaum – an American-German computer scientist and professor at MIT – developed a revolutionary computer program that could communicate with humans in ‘natural’ language. The project entitled ELIZA could imitate human conversation through pattern matching; drawing from its programmed scripts, the machine could process the input from users and reply in likeness of a trained therapist. The idea was to create a companion-like program that could emulate real conversation.
Despite the program being advanced for the time, ELIZA had no real intelligence or understanding of the events; however, people involved in the project saw the potential for this type of technology for the future. ELIZA was, in fact, the forerunner to the first chatbot.
Bots have come a long way since then, taking on more responsibilities and intelligence for their various job roles. They have become the topic of many articles and scientific study, as people from all types of professional backgrounds try to determine their role within business models.
Understandably, chatbots for businesses are increasing in their popularity as they prove their effectiveness in many areas of operation. No longer are they the strange, stilted computer systems performing amusing functions but very useful tools in virtually every aspect of business. In particular, chatbots are making the lives of both customers and members of staff easier by streamlining the purchasing and query management processes.
Businesses have seen the tremendous benefits of using bots, with successful companies like Airbnb and Spotify incorporating chatbot technology into their Twitter profiles to provide around-the-clock assistance.
Chatbots not only thrive on social media and IM platforms but also when they are incorporated into other consumer-business channels like call centres, many of which have long needed to innovate in our digital age. The development of the call centre format away from phone-based models has seen many coin a new name for them, with ‘interaction centres’ or ‘contact centres’ being more apt.
With a host of benefits achievable by their integration, we review the key benefits for call centres when they adopt innovative chatbot systems into their operations:
Chatbots Offers Cost-Effective Scalability
Due to their current formats, call centres can be expensive to scale. For one, human agent can only deal with one customer at any given time. The more customers there are to serve, the larger the operation needs to become to cater to the demand or risk several, disgruntled customers waiting on phones.
Compare this to the chatbot agents which offers a more cost-effective way to expand your support services. A well-designed chatbot can assist many customers at once, helping your call centre attend to several callers at once regardless of how big your organisation grows. Take it from the call-centre dependent businesses who are adopting chatbots in droves.
Scalability does not just save on costs. It also frees customer service agents to focus on more complex customer queries, deal with customers face-to-face, consult electronically with those who want to speak to a representative or design new customer experiences altogether. Many managers see the potential in a hybrid contact centre, where chatbots can pick up the mundane inbound calls solved via automation and highly-trained staff members can add value by resolving complicated issues. Chatbots can also maximise efficiency by picking up any slack in human capacity or focus, while your customer service agents add the humanised element that will always be critical in the customer service experience.
Our bots use a configurable algorithm to decide when to involve a live person if the customer’s issue is too complex or they are unhappy with how the chatbot is handling the situation. This means that customers are not stuck interacting with our chatbot solutions if they need the help of a human being. Read about what we have to offer you for more information about our chatbots for businesses.
The need for a partnership between personal service and automated self-service is apparent in the new era of customer service to keep both customers and staff happy and fulfilled while creating higher value from your call centres.
Immediate and Automated Chatbots For Business
When instant gratification is expected, the idea of waiting on hold in this day and age is confounding. Working 24/7, chatbots are an instantaneous feature of your call centre that work to eliminate any calls waiting, alleviating any anger or abandonment stemming from a long wait.
Internally, bots can streamline and accelerate workflow by automating otherwise time-consuming tasks. Stripping automated, repetitive tasks from workers not only creates a happier employee but also adds a level of security that the work will be high-quality.
Customisation and Context
No one business case is the same as the next, and that is why there have been developments in how bots can be customised to meet business needs.
Chatbots are programmed to relay a host of relevant information to its users, and interact in a way that not only construct the most accurate reply but also to match your brand guidelines. From a customer service viewpoint, bots offer businesses a holistic way to tackle problems by sharing information and identifying appropriate solutions. However, the preference of bots is all about context, so offering a blended version of human and bots will always be the best solution.
Chatbots Help Your Business Remain Innovative
While Gartner predicts that 85% of all customer service communications will be managed via a chatbot by 2020, the truth is that chatbot integration is already happening at an accelerated rate. With more and more call centres relying on chatbot assistance, it’s imperative that you keep up with how your immediate competitors handle their enquiries; it’s only a matter of time before chatbots come into the picture if they haven’t already. Forward-thinking businesses who see the value in technology will be able to reap the benefits from its addition, those who do not will be left behind.
If you need to put this in perspective, consider how many businesses were wary of websites when they first came onto the market and how many companies now rely on them. Ignorance saw companies falter under the development of customer-business interactions.
Hostcomm’s call centre chatbot, for example, converse in a familiar, human-like style to help your clients receive the information they need. The customised chatbot responds in a way that is harmonious with your branding, helping to build connection and engagement with your company that ensures every customer feels valued. Time to resolve a problem will no longer be a concern for your call centre, especially as your phone system can be integrated into the chatbot to help during congested problems.
Revolutionise your call centre with the help of chatbot features to deliver the best business strategy. For more advice concerning purchasing a chatbot system, take a look at our detailed buyer’s guide here.
