In the process of customer service evolution, Chatbots and Live Chats have become the darlings of modern companies by communicating quickly, easily, and competently in identifying and resolving potential customer queries without reducing the quality and even increasing the performance of the services offered. This context can raise doubts about which virtual service is ideal for your business: Chatbots vs. Live Chats?
Therefore, both Chatbots and Live Chats have become present, safe, and efficient options for communication for any company that aims to offer quality service with quick solutions to any problem, increase business sales, and increase customers.
However, according to research from Harvard Business Review, if a customer is satisfied with online service, they will tell about 9 people about your company. However, if they leave the virtual conversation unsatisfied, be prepared because about 22 people will hear about the unpleasant experience.
Therefore, knowing which online service is ideal for your company is important. To answer your customers’ questions on this subject, we present below some information about Chatbots vs. Live Chats.
What are Chatbots?
Chatbots are software that operates 24 hours a day with the ability to decode messages written by users in digital media and respond based on pre-established knowledge bases using company data and learning from previous services.
In other words, a chatbot is an intelligent virtual assistant in constant evolution that, when configured with quality and with your company’s personality, guarantees quick service at any time of the day.
What about Live Chats? How are they different from Chatbots?
Live Chat, live webcam chat or live chat app, are names given to momentary online support provided by a human assistant. This company communication channel offers immediate conversations after sending a contact request.
Chatbot vs Live Chat
Some companies have Chatbots and are happy with their choice. Others have realized that their business results were achieved more effectively through Live Chats. But is it really necessary to choose just one? Some institutions believe otherwise and choose to have both assistants.
These different possibilities make business owners wonder which assistant to use to achieve success in online customer service. Therefore, we will explain in more detail what each of them can present as an advantage and disadvantage within their possible applications.
Advantages and disadvantages between Chatbot and Live Chat
At a time when the physical doors of businesses are constantly “opening and closing” due to local decrees to protect against Covid-19 back in 2020, how can sales continue to happen and even increase?
One option for this is Chatbots, since online shopping has become increasingly present in people’s daily lives. This software is always present, providing agility and intelligence in response time.
Chatbots offer lower cost and higher availability compared to Live Chats. A Chatbot is more suitable than Live Chat in terms of cost and availability. The same chatbot can perform different applications simultaneously, depending only on the content taught to the character.
By offering several services simultaneously, always available and with instant responses, Chatbots speed up qualified communication, reduce costs in relation to the number of hires, do not delay responses or leave customers waiting.
The price of purchasing and installing tools is considered low, and there are no significant differences between the two types of service. However, Live Chat requires hiring an employee at a salary cost.
There are customers who want to talk to humans, period.
Chatbots still appear in the background when it comes to familiarity with customer service, as they are a communication structure that is still expanding. This means that some customers seek human relationships when shopping or closing deals online, giving less credibility to non-human attendants.
Live Chat appeals to this audience but requires companies to have well-trained teams that know how to offer differentiated services based on the different interests of each customer.
The importance of knowing your brand’s audience determines whether your virtual communication strategy is through bots or humans. What time do your customers most access your interaction channels? From which locations are they seeking dialogue? Find out what they want to know most about your company.
Do Chatbots and Live Chat work together?
Chatbots are efficient assistants that make proactive invitations when someone accesses your company’s communication areas. These invitations can take your customer directly to Live Chat sessions, offering the advancement of technology with human attention quickly and efficiently.
Another way to develop this alliance is to offer Live Chats during business hours and let your Chatbots work when your human team is resting to recover energy and maintain advanced productivity standards.
One InBot model is ManyChat, an online customer service tool for customers who want to speak to a human attendant or to meet demands that the Chatbot has not yet been trained to handle. This combination provides the best assistant formats and a continuous experience to serve your customers.
The tip, therefore, is to find out whether your company needs all these resources because this partnership may seem like the most effective choice, but it is also the model that brings the most costs and demands the most training.
So, what is the ideal online support resource for your company?
Between Chatbots and Live Chats, no type of online service is better than the other. Some advantages and disadvantages need to be studied. The secret is knowing your brand’s audience and your company’s goals and implementing strategies with trusted Artificial Intelligence partners.
Regardless of your choice of assistant, customers always expect prompt, practical, and available service to leave them satisfied. By choosing the right representative, they will feel valued and have confidence in your brand.