Customers like automated support solutions, and they’re happy to use them to answer their own queries as long as the technology works well. That said, many companies are receiving failing grades from customers when it comes to the implementation and success of these technologies, including chatbots.
Automated customer experience company Cyara released a study this week that shows while most customers want to use chatbots for automated support, many businesses fail to deliver positive chatbot experiences even as they increasingly rely on them as primary methods of customer interactions online. Additionally, more than half of customers believe a positive or negative chatbot experience reflects the overall brand. In other words, a bad chatbot leads to poor opinions of the company using it.
The study, conducted by Forrester Consulting, polled 1,554 global consumers who have used sales and/or support chatbots in the last six months about their recent chatbot experiences and expectations. Overall, the consumers surveyed gave their chatbot experiences an average rating of 6.4/10 or 64 percent —equivalent to a D grade. When specifically asked about their chatbot interactions, 50 percent of customers said they often feel frustrated; nearly 40 percent of these interactions were said to be negative.
Specifically, respondents indicated that chatbots are often unable to provide accurate answers, with more than half of customers agreeing it is difficult to find a solution to their question or problem using a chatbot. Almost half of respondents said that chatbots have provided them with responses and/or solutions that didn’t make sense in the context of their question. Customers also struggle to find alternate resolutions to their problems with more than half of them reporting that they are often unable to connect with an agent even after exhausting the chatbot’s responses.
“Delivering positive chatbot experiences has a critical impact on customer satisfaction and sales, and sub-par chatbots will not cut it for consumers today,” said Dennis Reno, Chief Customer Officer of Cyara. “Organizations that invest in quality assurance testing and training chatbots can provide customers with better and more consistent chatbot experiences. Businesses that strive to meet customers’ chatbot expectations can increase customer loyalty, boost brand reputation, and lower contact center support costs since customers are less likely to seek out more expensive avenues of communication.”
Edited by
Greg Tavarez
