Digital & messaging

No joke: Customers don’t like chatbots

Why are we talking about an infographic that sheds a very dim light on customer sentiment for chatbots? Because we know something most basic chatbot vendors don’t know… Why customers don’t like chatbots, and how contact centers can provide a chatbot that customers do love.

We have an enlightening infographic from Forrester Research to show you.

It’s titled “Customer Service Chatbots Fail Consumers Today”.

You may be wondering if this is an April Fool’s joke.

You may think we’re shooting ourselves in the foot.

Why talk about how customers hate chatbots? Isn’t Nuance in the “chatbot” business? Well, sort of. You see, we’re not just any ordinary chatbot company. We deliver technology and services that launch automated customer engagement way beyond the common perception of a chatbot.

Looking at the infographic, which is full of revealing data discovered by Forrester, we see that customers aren’t in love with chatbots.

  • Nearly 2/3 of US online adults did not use a chatbot on a website in the last 12 months.
  • 2 in 3 consumers are skeptical of chatbots and their ability to provide just as great an interaction as a live representative.

And here’s the kicker –

  • 54% of US online consumers expect interactions with customer service chatbots to negatively affect their quality of life.

With this kind of feedback, what’s left to live for in the chatbot world? Well, nothing much if you’re the basic chatbot about which this infographic was made. But if you’re what Nuance calls a virtual assistant, you’re a chatbot done right, and your future looks bright, indeed!

Forrester goes on to say that, “when done correctly, chatbots can move the needle in a big way.” You’ll have to look at the infographic yourself to learn just how big. It’s enough to convince you that there’s something to this chatbot thing, despite the poor expectations from consumers. Forrester also leaves you with some hope by giving recommendations on how to do chatbots right so that you can receive the intended benefits.

As producers of virtual assistants that go beyond the typical chatbot capability, we’d like to think we know a thing or two about why chatbots fail and how to fix them. So, to dive a bit deeper into the reasons behind the alarming findings of the infographic, take a look at our ebook: Chatbot fails: 11 reasons they break and how to fix them.

Not all chatbots are alike

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