Chatbots need to raise their game?

Among the key findings, 47% of decision makers say basic/limited chatbot answers are preventing them from further improving customer experience, and 54% of customer service professionals agree that limited conversational capabilities, poor integration with other systems and an inability to hand chatbot conversations over to a human are barriers to better customer service. As a result, over half of (51%) of customer service reps say they receive customer complaints about chatbots on a weekly basis, and 12% get them every day.

The survey canvassed the experiences of 400 technology decision makers and customer service call handlers in UK organisations across a variety of industries, focusing on the impact of chatbot technology on customer service and employee experience. It revealed that the majority of organisations (82%) say chatbots enable them to provide a better customer experience, with almost all customer service reps (98%) sharing that viewpoint.

In addition, over half (54%) of customer service representatives say they have experienced more workplace stress over the past 12 months, with nearly two thirds (63%) saying that a heavier workload is the main cause. Almost every organisation using chatbots is also doing so to improve the employee experience, with 76% of employers claiming they have been successful in doing so. However, nearly two thirds (63%) of the call handlers who say their stress levels have increased in the past year believe that a heavier workload is the main reason for the increase in stress, while only 14% have seen any reduction in workplace stress during the same period.

“Chatbots are widely used by organisations for a range of important activities including improving customer service, and both leaders and customer service reps enthusiastically support their use,” commented James Matthews, UK & Ireland Country Manager at CM.com. “However, limited chat capabilities are preventing them from raising customer service standards, and it’s clear that decision makers and call handlers alike would welcome better, more capable chatbot technology to improve both service and employee experience.”

Despite the positive impact of chatbots in dealing with basic inquiries and processes, 84% of call handlers believe that more powerful and effective chatbots would not only help reduce their workplace stress, but further improve customer service. Of those organisations that don’t currently use chatbots, 65% plan to implement them within a year.