Customer support chatbot

5 mistakes to avoid when implementing a customer support chatbot.

If your business is getting ready to implement its first customer support chatbot, congratulations! You've probably already discovered that chatbots can be used for all sorts of functions and that they can reduce labor costs, boost agent efficiency, and increase customer satisfaction. And you probably also know that an improperly deployed customer support chatbot can make customer satisfaction head south. If you're a little nervous, that's appropriate. It's good to go into this with eyes wide open.

Doing your due diligence before implementation is the best way to ensure your customer support chatbot is a rousing success. It's good to know best practices as well as what not to do.

Here are 5 mistakes to avoid when implementing your customer support chatbot:

1. Don't skimp on use case development efforts

Customer support chatbots are most successful when they perform very clearly and narrowly defined tasks. This makes use case development really important. You need to sweat the details. Define, very specifically, what your chatbot is going to do and why. Chatbots are only as good as they are programmed to be and strong, detailed use cases will help ensure they are designed and programmed to be successful.

2. Don't pretend your customer support chatbot is a real person

If you do this, you're not going to fool anyone. Chatbots just aren't that smart yet. Your customers want to know who they are talking to. In fact, we found that 92% of consumers want to be informed immediately that they're interacting with a customer support chatbot. Have your chatbot introduce itself as something like "Eve, the support bot." But then don't make the bot's speech too robotic - give it some personality.

3. Don't skip the pilot

Your executives might be eager to put your shiny new customer support chatbot into full blown production, but you really should do a pilot first. Start conservatively - maybe have the chatbot just handle one or two simple contact types at first. Then measure results, tweak as necessary, and add a little more responsibility to your bot. This type of iterative approach will ensure the success of a broader rollout.

4. Don't give up

This is still emerging technology and it has some limitations, so there will likely be some fumbles. In the midst of a short-term failure, keep your eye on the big picture - customer support chatbots really can improve both labor efficiency and customer satisfaction. Regroup and refine and keep at it!

5. Don't avoid potentially tough conversations with your employees

Employees know that automation will impact their jobs. It could just mean that how they do things is a little different or, on the other end of the spectrum, their jobs could be at risk. Be honest with them and help them through the change. This will help you avoid a scenario where your customer support chatbot is performing well but your contact center is in turmoil.