There is no such thing as a bad voicebot or chatbot – only inadequate implementation and lack of diligence in their development and maintenance. In recent years, more and more companies are turning to automated communication systems to improve their services and efficiency. While these automated systems hold great potential for the future, their ability to provide high quality customer
support depends on proper setup, the right choice of technology, and careful content development. Poorly designed or poorly developed voicebots and chatbots can fail to effectively communicate with customers, leading to negative experiences.
Customers want their needs addressed right away. They don’t have the time or willingness to wait for business hours or for a busy customer service centre to finally pick up the phone. In addition to the standard options—calling, visiting a branch, or sending an email—they need to be able to connect with companies online, whether through online ordering or chatting with an operator via Messenger, WhatsApp or a web interface. According to the Association of Small and Medium-sized Enterprises of the Slovak Republic, the average company has achieved only 40% of its digitalization goals. Slovak companies thus have great potential in digitisation, automation and robotisation.
Simpler requests can be handled by bots, allowing employees to focus on more complex tasks. However, their proper setup is crucial—if a customer becomes stuck in a loop with their request and the bot is unable to help effectively, the company’s efforts at modernization are wasted.
“It’s not necessary for a bot to be able to chat with a client about any topic. The customer comes with a specific problem that needs solving. For many companies, a chatbot that just offers a list of buttons with options for what the customer needs is more sufficient,” says Marcel Vejmelka, business consultant at Soitron.
When developing modern communication centres, it is essential to consider the most common needs of customers and tailor the tools accordingly. Customers want to be fully served on the channel they use to contact the company. “Redirecting to another channel should only be introduced when there is no other option. The bot must be proactive and offer solutions to the customer instead of placing the burden on them,” explains Marcel Vejmelka. For example, if a human operator is not available to handle a more complex request, the bot should ask the customer for their phone number and their preferred time for a callback. This not only ensures that the company legitimately acquires customer contact information, but also leads to a more positive customer experience.
Positive experiences also extend to the staff of communication centres. Integrated applications and the bots make operators’ work easier, leading to higher job satisfaction. In other words, a happy operator equals a happy customer. An empathetic operator is more helpful to the customer. Therefore, companies must also consider the needs of their employees and consider integrating necessary applications into one system. Another advantage is higher work efficiency. However, it is necessary to consider the scalability of such software, so that it can accommodate third-party applications and adapt to continuous progress.
A common concern among companies is the cost of modern tools. This concern often raises the question of whether such solutions are necessary and if they will pay off. The disadvantage of outdated contact centre approaches may not be immediately apparent: “Without fast communication or with poorly set up bots, companies lose customers, who become frustrated by the inability to resolve their requests and do not come back. And on top of that, they may leave negative reviews online,” clarifies Marcel Vejmelka. Conversational artificial intelligence is estimated to reduce operator costs in European communication centres by about 60 billion euros by 2026. None of the voicebots and chatbots are entirely bad. However, their quality and efficiency depend on the implementation, development, care, and maintenance they receive.
“The right strategy and diligent work on these systems can lead to successful deployment and improved customer experiences. Therefore, when deploying them, it is advisable to use the services of companies with extensive experience in various situations and fulfilling the needs of companies, be it in the field of
finance, insurance, transport or e-commerce management,” concludes Marcel Vejmelka.
We are in the process of finalizing. If you want to be redirected to our old version of web site, please click here.
