What is a chatbot?

Chatbots are pieces of software that use artificial intelligence (AI) to act as an interface between a person and a computer. Chatbots get their name from mimicking chatting with a real person.

Demand for chatbots is fuelled by the demand for online service to be available instantly regardless of the time or day of the week. A virtual assistant guiding a customer through steps is proven to be an attractive alternative to more impersonal 24/7 self-service options.

How do chatbots improve customer experience?

Because of their accessibility in terms of price and setup, chatbots are improving customer experiences for businesses of all sizes, regardless of the depth of their technological sophistication.

Chatbots have the power to:

  • Increase customer satisfaction by making it easy to follow processes that were frustrating previously.
  • Give customers the answer to simple questions so the customer doesn’t have the hassle of navigating a vast website or system.
  • Eliminate the need for technical skills by providing help conversationally.
  • Guide customers to exactly where they need to be and doing it quickly.
  • Take information once and retain it, so customers don’t have to repeat themselves, a significant cause of customer irritation.
  • Hand off at the appropriate point to a human agent, passing on all the information that agents need to assist quickly.

Overall, chatbots provide assistance in a “human” way. The conversational touch creates a far greater sense of engagement with the customer than other forms of self-service.

This is true even when the customer knows they’re dealing with artificially intelligent software.

How Genesys’s chatbots maximise the “human” touch

Genesys reduces the risks of automating conversation by making chatbots easy to configure and deploy using pre-built microapps and directed dialog.

It’s possible to design your Genesys bot once and deploy it across the web, mobile, SMS, Facebook Messenger, Apple Business Chat and voice.

Behind the scenes, it’s possible to detect patterns and trends that can be incorporated into future iterations of the bot and other places where you can use the insights to deliver great customer experiences.

Genesys chatbots also incorporate:

  • Full-context handoffs to human agents.
  • Unified reporting — bringing together chatbot and live conversations.
  • Third-party chatbot platforms and Genesys omnichannel orchestration and routing.

For more about the benefits of chatbots and how to get started, take out the next steps →