In collaboration with the Zurich University of Applied Sciences (ZHAW), PIDAS AG has published a new benchmark study on customer service in the digital age. Of course, chatbots also play a major role here![vc_empty_space height=”42px”]But first the question:
Is the customer experience (CX) actually decisive for the success of a company?
Yes, the CX is enormously important for a company’s competitiveness. In many markets, the CX is almost the only differentiator when comparing suppliers of the same or similar products.
This is also shown by the results of the Benchmark Study 2020 – more than two thirds of those surveyed are convinced that those who put the customer at the center will be more successful in the future![vc_single_image image=”3617″ img_size=”full”][vc_empty_space height=”42px”]
Chatbots as part of the digital customer experience!
Like email, websites and social media, chatbots are a digital touchpoint that is becoming increasingly important, especially in times of globalization and automation. While chatbots played no role at all in the 2017 benchmark study, almost 10% of the companies surveyed now offer a chatbot.
What is astonishing here – especially for the generation of digital natives – is that 86% of the companies surveyed still offer fax as a communication channel.[vc_single_image image=”3618″ img_size=”full”][vc_empty_space height=”42px”]
More clickbots than AI bots in the customer journey
Artificial intelligence (AI) is on everyone’s lips, is almost considered a miracle cure in some cases and is very often associated with chatbots. When companies think of a chatbot, they usually have the image of an intelligent robot in mind that can answer all questions as if by itself. However, the reality is different. On the one hand, the technology is usually not yet advanced enough for bots to learn on their own or the necessary data is missing. On the other hand, the study results once again show very clearly that the majority of chatbots used today are still rule-based. These are also called clickbots and have nothing to do with AI.[vc_single_image image=”3620″ img_size=”full”][vc_empty_space height=”42px”]
Chatbots for searching for information
Even if not every company has a chatbot in use yet, the respondents are very much in agreement as to where chatbots can be used. The chatbot for information searches is seen as the favorite here. Followed by chatbots in customer service and sales. At this point, it is even questionable whether the information search does not partly overlap with customer service inquiries.[vc_single_image image=”3619″ img_size=”full”][vc_empty_space height=”42px”]
Higher first solution rate with chatbot than with live chat!
The following graphic is very interesting. It shows the first solution rate of chatbots. This is 47%, while the first solution rate of a live chat is 32%. What could be the reason for this? One speculation is that the live chat is perhaps not regularly maintained and therefore there are always unanswered live chat requests. A live chat must also be introduced in a well thought-out manner.[vc_single_image image=”3622″ img_size=”full”][vc_empty_space height=”42px”]
More potential in expectation management
Whether people are satisfied with a product or service often depends on the right expectation management. Expecting too much from the first chatbot project can therefore quickly lead to disillusionment. According to the benchmark study, there is still room for improvement here. So far, 42% say that the chatbot has met their expectations. The task now is to meet expectations even better by designing better chatbots and communicating expectations more precisely.[vc_single_image image=”3621″ img_size=”full”]I have taken most of the content for this article from the benchmark study by PIDAS AG. You can find the entire study here.[vc_empty_space height=”42px”]
And anyone interested in the results of my Chatbot Study 2020 DACH can enter their email address here and receive the results directly by email.
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