The Advantages and Disadvantages of a Chatbot Integration

In as little as a few months, you could be looking back on your chatbot integration as the turning point in successfully reaching many of your organisation and website goals.

The rising tide of chatbots is sweeping across the internet, with 80% of brands looking to implement a chatbot by 2020. This is because chatbots can have such a powerful impact on customer experience and brand integrity.

As a result, website conversions can skyrocket providing a significant boost to your bottom line. In this article, I will help you decide if a chatbot integration is the right step for your business. 

A chatbot can help if... 

Your website is old and affected by legacy issues like outdated content and poor and confusing site architecture. It can also help with your customer's decision-making process and user journey. 

Consider a chatbot when:

• Your website is information-heavy 
• You rely on data capture or search forms
• Your industry or niche is complicated 
• Your site architecture makes navigation time consuming
• Your customer services are overloaded 
• Your customers need reassuring 
• Your services require a personal touch 

Advantages and disadvantages of a chatbot integration

A chatbot won’t work wonders for every website in every sector, as the success of your potential integration depends on a number of factors.

Consider these advantages and disadvantages before moving forward:

Advantages 

Convert more web traffic

Raise the AOV across your website

Reduce customer service workload

Increase brand integrity through helpful UX

Disadvantages 

50 per cent of people prefer human contact

70 per cent won’t use a chatbot after a bad experience

Customer frustration when misunderstood

Chatbots don’t understand the nuances of conversation

Start streamlining your user experience and boosting your brand’s reputation

As I’ve mentioned, a chatbot can streamline your user experience efforts. I think this point is worth restating along with some further explanation.

As we all know, online user experience is the sum of the combined interactions a user has with your website and service, and what these interactions make the users feel about your brand. Poor user experience can mean unconverted web traffic and frustrated customers, causing real financial costs from lost revenue and diminished customer loyalty.

On the other hand, the addition of a chatbot can totally streamline and transform your website user experience, with the goal of a shortened customer journey. This makes for happy and satisfied customers. A chatbot does this through a simple series of questions which can translate a user’s intent, and guide them through quick and painless steps to achieve their goal.

What happens when you make a customers life easier? It’s simple, your brand image is boosted and customer loyalty grows.

 Wait, is a chatbot right for my business?

Now, I’m not saying that a chatbot is right for all businesses, nor would I advocate that a chatbot is a panacea for every website’s user experience woes. Despite the obvious positive boost a chatbot can provide to a website’s functions, they won’t suit every business's short term goals, industry dynamics or customer base.  

A chatbot may not be the solution for your organisation if your target audience prefers to talk with a company representative when they’re looking for guidance, whether into your products and services, or when they’re simply searching for useful information to inform their choices.

A particularly time-sensitive or demanding audience may also experience frustration when they aren’t understood or are supplied unhelpful information.

Ask yourself

• Does a chatbot suit the online habits of my users?

Consider the limitations of your users. How do your users use the internet and what for? Are they digitally literate?

• Will our users see a chatbot as impersonal and cold?

Customers may prefer the human touch. 

• Have we got a clear strategy for chatbot implementation?

Think through the process of the implementation, how long will it take and is it a priority right now?

• How would we get the most out of a chatbot?

Do you want an AI chatbot that appears human?

• How much internal training and customer coaching is needed?

The adjustment period could be painful, are you ready for potential strains?

• What else is in your development pipeline?

Consider your short, medium and long term goals, where does a chatbot fall?

Final words

I would advise you to think carefully before deciding to go ahead with your integration. Yes, 80 per cent of online brands might well be looking to implement a chatbot before 2020, but consider first if it’s the right step for your business right now. Ask if your organisation is in the right shape for this major change and don’t lose sight of your current business objectives and goals.

Whatever the case a chatbot integration should be on your radar, if not very high up on your list of marketing priorities. 

For guidance on adding a chatbot to your company website, seek advice from the experts at Powered by Coffee, myself or one of our experienced team members, and we will be happy to help.