Take These 3 Steps for Chatbot Success

Does your brand use chatbot technology — software that interacts with customers to answer questions and resolve issues — to provide a better customer experience?

If not, your organization should consider providing this customer support channel that’s quickly becoming the norm, according to a chatbot global analysis report from Grand View Research.

“The global chatbot market size was valued at USD 525.7 million in 2021 and is expected to expand at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 25.7% from 2022 to 2030,” says the report. “The market is expected to be driven by the increasing adoption of customer service activities among enterprises in order to reduce operating costs.”

Brands and organizations that implement chatbot technology gain an edge over competitors when it comes to providing an outstanding customer experience.

“Enterprises have no choice but to consider integrating [chatbot] technology into their operations in order to stay ahead of the competition,” according to “Six Steps for Conversational Bot Success: A Helpful Primer for Chatbot Implementation,” a report from customer experience software company TELUS International.

“Most importantly when launching bot applications, the entire project must be executed with one person in mind: The customer.”

Take these 3 steps toward chatbot success

The more effort and investment your company puts into your chatbots, the more you’ll receive in return. “Artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning are not ‘set it and forget its solutions,”  says the TELUS International report. “They take planning, care, and constant fine-tuning.

“With a clear strategy, adaptive technology and the right partner, you can make this next phase of your growth journey the most transformative to date.”

Here are three initial steps your company must take for chatbot success.

1. Convey chatbot value to employees

Many employees think that chatbots will replace them, but the opposite is true, according to the TELUS International report:

“Understanding the valuable role of people is key to getting large-scale buy-in for the project…The most powerful bot strategy aims to complement, not replace, the human agent, leading to more personalized, efficient and consistent interactions that increase customer satisfaction scores, brand value and customer loyalty.

“As an example of this perfect partnership, bots equipped with NLP (neuro-linguistic programming) have the ability to detect customer frustration and can automatically route the caller directly to the appropriate team member for seamless escalation.”

2. Prepare relevant departments

“One of the most common reasons why bot strategies don’t work is failure to prepare the company culture – IT feels overwhelmed and underappreciated, frontline staff naturally fear for their jobs, and the vast professional opportunities bots create are not communicated,” says the report.

“By first understanding, and then articulating, the opportunities this technology presents for the entire company, you’ll get buy-in and cultural alignment – a foundation upon which you can build a durable, scaling technology structure.”

3. Align chatbot services with customers’ perspectives

In addition to knowing what your business wants to achieve from its chatbot strategy, your company must also know customers’ perspectives on bot interactions. Maybe they prefer self-serve options like FAQs or the ability to change passwords and make purchases, for example.

“Knowing what customers want will determine the level of functionality and types of features the bot will need,” says the report. “How your bot behaves and interacts with users depends on a number of factors including the customer’s age, the kind of tasks it is there to help with and your own brand image.

“Ensure that your bot’s personality is aligned with all of these variables, but also closely monitor feedback and prepare to tweak and evolve as necessary.”