What is Chatbot Automation? Features and Benefits

By Aayushi | July 12, 2024 8:02 am

Customer support is the backbone of any business. All the effort put in developing a product or service with amazing features and benefits goes to the drain if the target customers are not satisfied. It’s inevitable for customers to have queries, concerns, expectations as well as feedback - be it negative or positive, when they purchase a product or avail a service from a company and it should be a top priority for businesses to provide seamless customer support to enhance their experience. But how? The answer is through chatbot automation.

Automated chatbots can be built through chatbot building software like Appy Pie’s Chatbot Builder and used to completely transform the traditional customer service strategy and increase customer satisfaction. Let’s find out more about chatbot automation, its working, features and benefits.

Create Your Own Chatbot

What is Chatbot Automation?
The Process Behind Chatbot Automation
Key Features of Chatbot Automation
Top 5 Benefits of Chatbot Automation
Conclusion

What is Chatbot Automation?

Chatbot automation is the process of using a chatbot to automate tasks. It involves leveraging technologies like natural language processing, artificial intelligence and machine learning to equip the chatbot with the power of automation and allow it to carry out tasks that a human would traditionally do with greater effectiveness and efficiency. In a nutshell, chatbot automation is the process of using AI-driven chatbots to interact with users in a realistic manner through chat or voice assistance.

Automated chatbots can help streamline workflows in multiple areas like customer support, sales and marketing. It can handle multiple user queries at once, can generate research-based information and provide accurate responses in no time. With automated chat, customer experience can also be improved to a large extent which is extremely beneficial for the company in the long run in terms of good word of mouth, customer loyalty and retention.

It’s advisable to go for chatbot automation using customer support chatbots instead of going forward with the traditional system due to the multitude of features and benefits it provides. Before moving forward with those, let’s first understand how chatbot automation works and what process goes behind it.

The Process Behind Chatbot Automation

As discussed earlier, chatbot automation leverages the power of language models like natural language processing and machine learning to understand, comprehend and respond to user queries accurately. Here’s the process that goes behind it:

Receipt of User Input

The process of chatbot automation begins when a visitor interacts with a chatbot on a website, mobile application or a social media platform. User enters a query in the bot window and the chatbot receives this input.

Natural Language Processing

After receiving the user input, the NLP chatbot uses complex algorithms to understand the user’s query.

Intent Recognition

The bot recognises the user’s intent i.e what the user expects the bot to do and the intention behind typing the particular user input.

Data Extraction

The chatbot extracts information and retrieves data from external resources relevant to the user’s input to respond in an accurate and contextually correct manner.

Response Generation and Interaction

The bot responds to the user query and carries the conversation forward. The bot and user interact to reach a solution or a satisfactory answer to the user’s question.

Now that the basic overview and the process of chatbot automation is clear, let’s go on to the key features and benefits of chatbot automation.

Key Features of Chatbot Automation

Here are the most important features of chatbot automation that make it a great option to resort to:

24/7 Availability

AI chatbots are available throughout the day unlike human agents which make it easier for customers to avail support anytime they want and get their doubts and queries cleared in a prompt manner. Quick resolution of customer inquiries improves user experience and makes them feel heard and supported.

Task Automation

Chatbots facilitate task automation through their NLP and ML capabilities and automates routine tasks like answering user questions, booking appointments and providing important information. With the help of these artificially intelligent bots, workload on human agents reduces and the customer service process becomes faster.

User-Friendly

Automated chatbots are not only intelligent but also user-friendly. They understand, interpret and respond to queries in a user-friendly manner and carry a human-like conversational tone which makes users feel comfortable in expressing their concerns. These chatbots have a personality and make user interactions fun and engaging.

Multi-Channel Integration

A great feature that automated chatbots offer is multi-channel integration i.e the ability of chatbots to operate across different communication platforms like websites, social media platforms, email, mobile applications etc. and provide chat assistance simultaneously. This ensures that users have a consistent experience across different channels and can continue conversations from one channel in another where they are active without having to repeat any queries previously entered.

Personalization

Personalized chatbots created using Appy Pie’s Chatbot Builder which tailor conversations and responses according to different users’ needs, behaviors and interests. Personable chatbots allow for customization of conversation flow to enhance user experience and improve overall satisfaction.

Also Read: A Complete Guide to Personable Chatbots

Top 5 Benefits of Chatbot Automation

Chatbot automation can bring so much more to your company than you can imagine. Here are the top benefits it offers:

Higher Lead Generation

An automated chatbot can be used to collect user information like contact details, interests and needs easily which can eventually be used to interact with them and promote products and trending offers which are relevant to their interest. Using an omnichannel chatbot can also help generate leads more efficiently as users can be met where they are most active. Thus, chatbot automation facilitates higher lead generation as well as lead nurturing to qualify them as customers.

Time and Cost Efficiency

Chatbot automation basically carries out every task that a human agent would, but faster and more efficiently. They provide time utility as human agents are relieved from the routine tasks and can focus on more complex issues that need their attention. There is also the benefit of cost cutting associated with chatbot automation as the need for large customer support teams is eradicated.

Increased Customer Retention

Chatbot automation not only allows for higher lead generation but also higher customer retention. It provides a seamless experience to users by generating quick responses, giving chat and voice assistance, and providing all sorts of information to users in a prompt manner. Users tend to get satisfied with their bot interaction and feel comfortable approaching it to get their problems solved. This builds customer loyalty and eventually increases customer retention.

Scalability and Growth

Businesses can scale up their operations and focus on complex tasks as most of the routine tasks like answering FAQs, user queries, booking appointments and sending notifications and reminders etc. are solely handled by the chatbots through automation. Thus, with chatbot automation, growth opportunities also show up and businesses can think of expanding their product lines and operations for higher sales.

Reduced Risk of Error

Since chatbots are AI-powered computer programs, they have negligible chance of committing errors which might arise if a human agent does the work. If the chatbots are designed correctly and according to customer needs, businesses are saved from the problem of jeopardizing the customers’ experience due to faults in the chatbot structure. Thus, tasks are carried out in a more seamless manner through automation.

Conclusion

In summary, chatbot automation has revolutionized the way businesses interact with customers and has helped provide a seamless customer experience through automating routine tasks in a quick and efficient manner. It provides time and cost efficiency and opens endless growth avenues for the business!

Aayushi