What Are Chatbots and How Are They Affecting Contact Centers

Posted February 26, 2018 by Jake Beyer

Chatbots in the Contact CenterWhen was the last time you had to check your phone’s voicemail? If you are like me, it has been awhile. When was the last time you checked your Facebook? For me, 2 minutes ago. Messaging applications such as Facebook messenger and Snapchat are being used more and more to communicate with family, friends and businesses. But how can businesses scale operations and not disappoint customers on chat? The answer is with chatbots! According to a study by Aspect Software Research, 44% of consumers said they would prefer to interact with a bot over a human customer service representative.

What are Chatbots?

Chatbots are computer programs that run automated tasks and can be designed to simulate conversation with human users. Chatbots, powered by artificial intelligence, are the combination of natural language processing and machine learning. These systems understand human language just as an agent in the contact center.

Check out the website: With the development of artificial intelligence, chatbots are more advanced and smarter than ever. This website doesn’t use meta data to describe the photo, but rather “reads” each pixel to determine what the photo is.

How are Chatbots Affecting Contact Centers?

Instant Response – Chatbots have a serious impact on customer service by the way they can instantly respond to questions. This could open the door for proactive service needs. For instance, prompting a conversation after noticing you’re clicking repetitively out of frustration.

Complex Questions – Clients are looking for the most direct line from their problem to the solution. Chatbots can answer complex questions faster than most agents.

Future Technology – Chatbots, while still relatively new, are holding their own against other traditional channels. In a couple of years, chatbots may even be the main point of contact in business. Times are changing. According to a study from Capgemini, 40% of consumers will use voice assistants instead of a company’s website. If you have not thought about adding bots to your contact center, it might be time.

Agent and Chat – Actual human interaction isn’t fully replaced by chatbots. If a bot doesn’t understand your questions, they can pass you along to an agent. Through an omnichannel experience, your full profile is passed from bot to agent. This helps create a seamless experience without having to backtrack.

Bots are not as technical as one might think. Chatbots are conversational and help provide solutions no matter what the issue or what device they’re on. Understand what interactions your audience is having with your brand so that you can create a chat interface that yields maximum impact. Looking to take the next step in your contact center with AI and bots? Email our customer care support team to learn what the best options are for you.