One of the areas where businesses need to take the greatest care of is customer service. Any business depends on the satisfaction of its customers, so they must ensure that their products and services offered meet their expectations. In this context, advances in new technologies have enabled the creation of methods, systems and tools to improve these processes. Therefore, businesses must continually find new solutions that allow them to adapt to these changes.
In this context, Artificial Intelligence has become for many companies a necessary element in their customer service, as it helps them to automate certain actions, preventing agents from being overwhelmed. Chatbots are undoubtedly one of the developments that most clearly help to do this. In addition, they offer personalised and quality attention to our users, taking their experience to the next level.
On the other hand, instant messaging applications such as WhatsApp or Telegram have become a preferred means of communication. The main feature of this channel, in addition to its ease of use by anyone, regardless of age or condition, is that they can give a quick response to the user thanks to automation.
The combination of both technologies is not only a competitive advantage for the company, but also an opportunity to differentiate and improve its customer service. In this post we tell you what a chatbot is and how you can use it to deal with WhatsApp messages in your company.
What is a chatbot?
In a simple way, we could say that it is a robot that has a conversation with users through messages. However, the more technical definition is somewhat more complex. It is a software that allows the integration with instant messaging applications in order to, through Artificial Intelligence systems, provide an answer to the questions posed to it just as a human person would.
One of the most remarkable features of these systems is that they can handle less qualified requests without human intervention. They will only, as we will see below, pass it on to an agent when they cannot find the answer. This way, it is possible to automate processes and save a great deal of time for agents, who can focus on more qualified tasks.
As with callbots, there exists more sophisticated chatbots that can respond to almost any type of interaction without the need for an agent to be involved. However, it is also true that there are many others that provide an answer only when the customer’s question contains one of the previously configured keywords. In these cases, when a variation occurs, what we will receive is: “sorry, I didn’t understand“.
How does a chatbot for WhatsApp work?
These tools work in the same way as a callbot. In fact, they use the same technology and have the same function. The only difference is the way in which they are used, as these systems are designed to handle interactions that occur primarily through instant messaging applications, while callbots are used to answer phone calls.
When the customer types a message in a WhatsApp conversation with the company, the chatbot will try to find out what language the user is using through the principle of natural language processing. It does this in order to identify every single word and correct possible errors to facilitate understanding. This is also the moment when the system recognises the user’s language.
After that, it will recognise exactly what is being asked, searching in its database for the information needed to elaborate the answer. If it is a simple question, it will then sort the collected data and transform it into an answer according to the situation and the client’s needs. If the request is more complex or if it does not find enough information, it will then pass it on to the agent to solve the request.
Advantages of using a chatbot for WhatsApp
Now that you know what it is and how it works, it is important that you know how it can help you when managing your company’s WhatsApp. The main benefits it can bring you are:
- Speed, efficiency and reduced waiting times: They are able to analyse a large amount of data in a short period of time, so they can answer questions quickly, either because they have found what the consumer needs or because they have passed the conversation to an agent. This way, the time that goes from the moment when the question is asked to the time it takes to receive an answer is much shorter, increasing efficiency.
- Improve the company’s image: the quality of the conversations that customers have with your company is very important, as it will influence the opinion they have. By combining chatbots and WhatsApp, you will not only differentiate your company from the competition, but also improve the user experience.
- They are available at any time: one of the most important advantages of these systems is that they will be able to deal with messages regardless of whether they arrive outside the company’s working hours. Customers are looking for quick solutions, and if they don’t get them, they will usually look for another company to do so. With a chatbot for WhatsApp, in addition to convenience, you are ensuring that they can get a response at any time of the day.
- Reduce business costs: these systems have the ability to learn from each conversation. They will analyse it for possible weaknesses and correct them in the future. Thus, we avoid the costs associated with these mistakes. Moreover, by freeing agents from repetitive tasks, they will be able to focus on those that have a greater added value for the company.
How can you use a chatbot for WhatsApp?
These systems can be customised to adapt them to the needs of our business. This way, it is possible to use them in operations ranging from accompanying the sales process to managing an incident through a means such as WhatsApp. Some examples of their use in companies are:
- To answer frequently asked questions: chatbots can answer the most common questions from users. With them we can transmit an image of closeness and generate a relationship of trust with the customer. In addition, we avoid agents answering the same type of questions all the time, increasing productivity.
- To send information about our company: we can send information and news about new products. This is possible thanks to the possibility of creating broadcasting groups in WhatsApp and the automation of chatbots.
- To assist the purchasing process: in any company that sells its products online, these systems are very useful for solving any questions that the consumer may have while completing their order. In addition, WhatsApp has a great advantage, which is that it allows photos and videos to be sent, so that at a certain moment it would even be possible for an agent to show the product.
- To book, change or cancel appointments with our company: these actions can be carried out quickly and easily, providing the customer with an immediate confirmation of their appointment.
- To report incidents: as we said before, instant messaging applications allow us to send photos, videos, files and even our location. In this way, in case an incident is produced, the consumer can report it to the company and the chatbot will be able to respond itself or, if it fails, pass it on to an agent.
A chatbot for WhatsApp integrated into your call center software
Just as customers are looking for a service that provides them with quick answers, companies must find solutions that allow them to do so, not only through WhatsApp, but also through other means. A good way to do so is opting for omnichannel strategies, so that we can manage all company communications from a single platform.
At Fonvirtual we know how important it is to have the latest technology so you can manage all your interactions effectively. That is why we offer you our call center software, which will allow you to connect tools such as WhatsApp API and automate conversations with customers through our Artificial Intelligence systems.
The combination of chatbots for WhatsApp with the personal treatment of agents can be the key to achieving a reactive and efficient service at all times. If you want to know how you can automate your customer service through these Artificial Intelligence systems, we invite you to contact us. Our team will be happy to accompany you and advise you on everything you need.
