“Bot? Sure, but not too human, please!” – The fine line between acceptance and annoyance when using chatbots & voicebots
AI-based chatbots have become an integral part of modern customer service. Nevertheless, many end users are still reluctant to use them, as dealing with AI is still alienating. Some companies are therefore focusing on making their own chatbots and voicebots sound as human as possible. A good strategy? According to recent findings presented in Manager Magazin, probably not: In “Chatbots im Kundenservice: “Nicht als Mitarbeiter tarnen” (english: “Chatbots in customer service: ‘Don’t disguise yourself as an employee‘”), a clear warning is issued.
Between technology hurdles and false expectations
Chatbots are rightly regarded as an efficient solution for frequently asked questions in customer service. The more human the chatbot is, the easier it is to start the conversation. So far, so good. However, many consumers notice sooner or later that they are talking to a chatbot, e.g. due to repetitive text passages or a lack of understanding of complex issues. According to the report, the more human the chatbot was beforehand, the more disappointed and angry consumers react to unresolved issues.
Conversely, more machine-like chatbots were more forgiven.
Customer service is therefore faced with a small dilemma: should the hurdle for efficient interaction with the chatbot be low, or should the annoyance caused by technical inadequacies be kept to a minimum?
As is so often the case, the answer lies somewhere in the middle. Neither a full focus on a human appearance nor a completely machine-like appearance of the chatbot are ideal.
Keep entry simple, set realistic expectations
Doing without easy access to the voicebot is not a good solution, as this would mean a loss of efficiency. Better: Make the voicebot sound as human as possible at the beginning, but point out in the second answer, for example, that it is a voicebot. This is the first step without raising expectations unnecessarily high.
Preserving the human element – only differently!
The human component is, of course, indispensable. Statistically, a percentage of customers will never engage with chatbots, no matter how machine-like or human they appear. This group should not be excluded in the future, as it continues to generate important income.
In addition, even very well-trained chatbots reach their limits, especially with complex queries, where only a human can provide qualitative assistance. In order not to leave customers alone, a connection to telephony is recommended: With virtualQ, you can offer your customers an immediate callback with a time announcement or a callback appointment in the event of chatbot deadlocks. This helps everyone before frustration can even arise.
