According to a recent survey, 86% of consumers prefer to interact with a live customer support agent when they contact a business instead of an automated machine. From personal experience, I would state that when it comes to a Chatbot Vs. a Live Chat, 100% of the time I would rather speak to a live person than AI. AI chatbots are a well-known feature that most companies have on their online platforms. 

Chatbots are viewed as an easy way for businesses to engage with both potential and existing customers on-site while saving time and resources. But, are they actually helpful? In some cases, maybe, but by their very nature, bots lack the human interaction most people expect from customer service. 

Walking through the setup

I’m going to start off with a personal experience of mine with a chat support Bot. I’ll call him Larry the Chatbot. I was undertaking market analysis for on-call software. I was researching various offerings to learn about: 

1. Product features

2. How products work

3. Product USPs

But, above all, I learned how frustrating remote software setups are when there is no human interaction involved. I worked through the sign-up process with one provider and I found myself completing the transaction entirely online without any interaction from a support agent to guide me through the complex process.

70% of consumers prefer human agents to AI technologies. Frustrations may arise quicker when working with a Chatbot than with a representative.

The only available support was from Larry the Chatbot. I am no tech wizard; I work in the tech industry but stick to the Marketing side, not R&D. So I needed assistance and as it was only Larry the Chatbot on hand to support me through the process, I was lost.

I stumbled through the setup process, received a phone number, and was informed that I was fully set-up and ready to use my new software. Just a few main problems though – I did not know:

  1. How to make a call from this platform,
  2. How to receive inbound calls,
  3. Where to find messages/listen to recordings,
  4. If my calls were being answered by a person or IVR,
  5. How to check my account usage, billing information, etc.
Chatting with a human always feels more secure and trustworthy.

Human interaction: 1
Chatbot: 0

These are basic, vital questions a customer will have when setting up call software. I had no support or answers, so I turned to Larry the Chatbot, again. At first, Larry was helpful. He sent a few links to FAQ’s and was asked if it helped. When I said no, Larry sent me a few more links. Small problem, these were not the answers to my questions. Larry then asked me if I wanted to connect to Support. Finally! My dreams of human interaction were coming true!

Then, I found out that 55 people sat ahead of me in the webchat “queue.” So, I put myself in patience-mode and waited. After 25 minutes, I read “You are now chatting with a live person: Jeremy!” Oh, the relief. I could finally receive live assistance to answer my many questions. I started listing off the questions I had. Jeremy told me “The system is quite complicated and you need to be more specific with your issues.” Jeremy walked me through the system and correctly set me up with detailed explanations of the software.

Human connection matters

I gained the support I needed to feel confident with this new software.

From a business perspective, Live Chat works when engaging with potential and existing customers as it provides human connectivity while still saving business time and resources.

Chatbots, however, is not the correct answer for client engagement. Chatbots demolish the concept of customer service as they can be frustrating and finicky for customers, and they usually don’t respond exactly to clients’ needs. Chatbot Vs. a Live Chat: Live Chat wins most times.

So I hear you ask, what’s better than a Chatbot and Live Chat? A live answering service (not that I’m biased or anything!). A live answering service gives your customers a friendly voice 24/7. Having a human voice brings comfort and reassurance to leads searching for services. It keeps customer service and trust at the forefront of businesses.

Want to learn more? Call us today at 800-700-8888.

Quick takeaways.

  • 86% of consumers prefer to interact with a live customer support agent when they contact a business instead of an automated machine.
  • Bots lack the human interaction most people expect from customer service.
  • Live Chat works when engaging with potential and existing customers as it provides human connectivity.
  • Live chat saves business time and resources.