With the growth of e-commerce in recent years, the use of chatbots has become necessary to facilitate customer service at all stages of the purchasing process. However, considering that 18.6 million people in Brazil have some form of disability, according to IBGE, it is essential to implement good practices to promote inclusion in this interaction.
Just as in physical spaces, online customer service needs to offer accessibility features. Understanding the target audience of an e-commerce business is necessary to adapt the chatbot to customers’ needs, paying attention to all forms of diversity so that information is widely accessible. Therefore, to have a more inclusive chatbot, audiences with different ages, genders, ethnicities, physical or mental disabilities, sexual orientations, and religions must be considered.
“The first step is to conduct an analysis within the company itself and its consumers; then, implement the necessary changes to ensure inclusive contact. Providing training to employees so they are prepared and attentive to any type of assistance, as well as maintaining personalized communication, are some examples,” explains Leidiane Jardim, Customer Director at NeoAssist.
To begin with, a simplified and intuitive interface ensures smoother and more objective navigation; projects using appropriate colors and contrasts facilitate reading for people with low vision or color blindness, for example, as well as customizing font and text size. Integrating audio description and transcription tools is also crucial for a truly inclusive relationship.
It is also worth training the chatbot’s AI with a wide variety of cultural data, from different social and linguistic contexts, which can ensure more appropriate responses.
“Another important factor is customer feedback. Encouraging it is necessary to identify what other changes need to be made. Based on this feedback, companies understand how to maintain the best relationship between consumers and the customer service team,” adds Leidiane.
