Live Web Chat Versus AI Chatbots

In order to find success in today’s competitive landscape, all businesses must be able to provide good customer service. Not being able to live up to your customer’s expectations will cost your business, as 95% of consumers indicate that good customer service drives them to stay loyal to a brand and business.

Today, there are easier and more efficient ways to interact and engage with your customers, namely: live web chat or AI chatbots. But while both can be used to provide quality customer service, there are instances where you might prefer one over the other. To help you decide which one fits your business the best, let’s go over how these two tools perform under different metrics.

Accuracy

On the surface, one would think that chatbots are more accurate than live agents, since computer-precision helps them retrieve any information from a database without trouble. However, it fails to do this with 100% accuracy due to a huge flaw: the inability to understand context. Despite developments in machine learning (ML) and natural language processing (NLP), most chatbots are unable to handle complex queries. But of course, chatbots are improving, considering that the aforementioned technologies allow bots to study predefined and predictive patterns. However, if your customers often have complex queries, it might be best to go with a live web agent who can extensively discuss and resolve your customers’ issues.

Availability

Providing 24/7 customer service is a necessity in today’s business landscape. Making your customers wait can be risky for business, and failing to service them on time might force them to support a competitor instead. In this aspect, chatbots are the best, as the technology allows you to deliver real-time support to your patrons — consequently satisfying your customers right away. Missing out on this chance to engage with your customers isn’t good for business. So, if your business tends to receive huge volumes of urgent (but simple) customer queries, chatbots are the better option. They should be able to answer inquiries concerning price, features, services offered, and the like.

Security and Compliance

When it comes to security, chatbots have some leverage over live agents. This is simply because, before being deployed, chatbot operators need to ensure that they comply with the Data Processing Act (DPA). On top of this, they must also follow related data processing principles like good faith, correctness, legality, proportionality, purpose limitation, transparency, and security. This commitment to the DPA and other privacy guidelines should be a core part of your organization and will need to be officially listed if your business is a limited liability company or corporation. Make sure that this is noted in the business plans, operating agreement, and articles of organization — all key steps when you incorporate as a limited liability company at the very start of your operations. It is essential to not miss any of these steps to avoid running into legal problems down the line. On the other hand, live agents and virtual human receptionists can still match the level of security chatbots provide — although this will take intensive training, which can be resource-heavy and time-consuming.

All in all, deciding whether to go with AI chatbots or live web chat agents for your business is dependent on your service and how your customers behave. However, using both or a combination of both for different types of queries is certainly the best option, as each has its own strengths and weaknesses. For more insights on how live web chat can help your virtual business achieve success, be sure to check our other posts on Davinci Virtual.

About Rhia Jodie

Rhia Jodie is a former startup owner and a part-time freelance writer. She is currently pursuing higher studies in management with the hopes of building her own business in the near future. She loves to spend her free time doing pottery and yoga.