Chatbot Automation Causing Customer Frustration

The importance of customer service cannot be overstated. That said, companies of all sizes turned to chatbots when labor shortages struck, and this choice is haunting a number of these businesses.  

Unfortunately, this approach is not going as expected. ConsumerAffairs revealed customers are fed up with businesses relying solely on chatbots automated services for customer support. The research found 57% of 1-star reviews were directly related to poor customer service, usually as a result of poor chatbot performance. On the other hand, the majority of 5-star reviews highlight positive customer service, while mentioning human support as a highlight of the experience.

One review from ConsumerAffairs’ research highlighted the general feelings of frustrated customers:

“…anyone's who's dealt with their customer service knows that unless you have at least 5 minutes of silence in between each chat message and the patience of a saint, you're going to be in a bad mood by the time you even attempt to contact them (why even have chat, just use email if you can't actually chat at a reasonable speed.)"

It seems chatbots and automation are causing a paradoxical impact on customer relations. Limited functionality is backfiring on customer service departments, driving customers to frustration, and in some cases taking business elsewhere.

There’s nothing wrong with using chatbot services to support customers, especially for companies with limited alternatives.  But it’s absolutely critical to make sure customers aren’t spending excessive amounts of time using them for simple tasks, as one bad experience can keep a customer away for a lifetime.