According to the study Artificial Intelligence in Retail, 47% of retailers use Artificial Intelligence (AI) in some of their processes. According to the report, 56% of the use of this technology is in customer service with chatbots. At the same time, the Manager's Yearbook Report: CX Trends 2024, prepared by Octadesk in partnership with OpinionBox, revealed that only 20% of consumers claim to have had a good experience when interacting with chatbots.
In this scenario, Marcos Schütz, CEO of VendaComChat, A company specializing in WhatsApp automation services states that what tends to drive consumers away from automated support is an excessively formal or robotic tone; thus, it warns that the secret to maintaining the human touch involves strategy and conversation design. According to him, it is essential to make the chatbot's language sound natural and friendly. "Working on the bot's 'personality,' using language that reflects the company's values and communication style helps the customer feel a stronger connection to the brand. Additionally, investing in a more informal, inclusive, and empathetic tone can make the customer experience more humanized," explains the executive.
According to Marcos, creating customer service scripts that are more casual and colloquial is a challenge for most companies, but it can be solved simply. "One of the most effective methods is to automate a warm welcome message at the beginning of the interaction, personalize messages with the customer's name and specific data from their history, mentioning previous purchases, recommending products related to what they have already bought, or making suggestions based on recorded preferences, in addition to scheduling follow-up content after the interaction is completed, making the customer feel valued," he explains.
The CEO of VendaComChat also reveals that to create a pleasant and effective automated service experience, constant adjustments are essential. "Reviewing the dialogues and adding new service flows based on product changes or new customer needs is crucial to keep the interaction updated and accurate," explains Marcos.
According to the Octadesk report in partnership with OpinionBox, 51% of consumers state that for a robot's service to be good, it needs to connect with a human when necessary. In this regard, Marcos emphasizes that automation should handle simple tasks such as frequently asked questions, order status, and scheduling, so that when signs of doubt or dissatisfaction from the customer are detected, the conversation is automatically transferred to a human agent. "Adjusting where the bot interacts and where the human intervenes should be a recurring practice, ensuring that automation is always aligned with the desired experience. A straightforward solution that helps manage customer expectations is at the beginning of the conversation, where the chatbot briefly explains what it can or cannot do. This way, the consumer will know when they can get a direct response and when they need to speak with a human agent," he comments.
Marcos emphasizes that automation enables speed, agility, and accuracy in customer service, as well as providing detailed metrics such as response time and satisfaction. "When well implemented, technology can transform the user experience, offering speed, convenience, and personalization. The secret is to balance the efficiency of automation with the human touch, so that the consumer feels well served," he concludes.
