The most common tasks of digital assistants are initial contact with customers, customer service, and product advice. (Photo: © Pop Nukoonrat/123RF.com)
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Digital Crafts - Theme specials
April 2023
Crafts 4.0: They are available around the clock, answer customer questions, and schedule appointments online. Chatbots on their own websites can relieve crafts businesses of a lot of work in terms of communication and service.
Our preview of Chatbots Craft businesses offer their customers customer service that is available at any time: Almost two-thirds of B2C companies in Europe already use chatbots on their websites. This is the result of the EOS Chatbot Study 2021, in which over 2.800 companies from 14 countries were surveyed. The most common tasks of digital assistants are Initial contact with customers (97 percent), the area Customer service (51 percent) and product consulting (39 percent).
But what exactly is a chatbot – and what tasks can it perform? The term itself is made up of the words "Chat" (talk) and "Robot" (robots) together. A chatbot is basically a virtual assistantwho is about Text or audio systems interact with users For example, many company websites allow users to enter questions in a chat field, whereupon the chatbot automatically requests further information to help the customer quickly. Answering questions, Make appointments or Connect customers to a suitable human service representativeThis saves your own employees a lot of time, because all important information is already retrieved, so they can start looking for a solution right away.
Simple chatbots have only a small repertoire of ready-made answers to the most common questions. More sophisticated chatbots, on the other hand, rely artificial intelligence (AI) to find individual solutions. In addition, chatbots are also digital message answering machinesthat can offer customers a callback or a response via email or messenger system.
The Use of chatbots is not only interesting for larger companies, but especially for small businesses. Especially small teams are noticeably relieved by the digital chat assistant and win valuable time for daily businessThe fundamental advantages of chatbots therefore apply to all company sizes: Routine tasks, such as answering customer questions, are automated and accelerated. Chatbots have been shown to be much faster at answering questions than their human colleagues. At the same time, job satisfaction increases for chatbots, as they are no longer subjected to the constant repetition of queries and can better concentrate on more complex questions. At the same time, customers perceive chatbots as a special service: While in many companies no questions are answered outside of business hours, Chatbots help around the clock. But of course, this also applies when all other colleagues are busy or unavailable.
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Quote"Chatbots have been shown to be much faster at answering questions than their human counterparts."
Feeding the chatbots with company-specific questions and corresponding answers Companies can usually take over themselves – without programming knowledge. With just a few clicks, you can often Create buttons with optional choicesso that customers can quickly find the best possible answer, the right product, or the desired service. Some chatbots also offer the option of to send documents upon request, such as catalogs, brochures or invoices.
The Costs the various chatbots vary greatly: Depending on the desired comfort and scope of services, there are free basic offers or very comprehensive packages, the four-digit amounts monthly In order to use a chatbot in a targeted manner and achieve the best price-performance ratio, companies should therefore carefully consider in advance which tasks the digital assistant should take on Depending on the trade and daily workflows, different areas of application are appropriate. Some providers also offer free trial periods, so the chatbots can be thoroughly tested in advance.
What tasks should the chatbot perform, e.g., in customer service, marketing, or sales? How can employees' workloads be reduced? Is multilingualism required for the chatbot?
Should other software products be connected to the chatbot, such as online appointment scheduling, invoice sending, catalogs, or online shops? If so, do the existing software products have interfaces for chatbots?
According to the provider, what software and hardware is required to use the chatbot in your company? What technical expertise should your employees have?
What one-time and monthly costs can be expected – including for additional hardware and software?
Which chatbot or provider can help you achieve your goals best and most cost-effectively?
Who will be responsible for the technical and content setup of the chatbot? Who is responsible for subsequent optimizations during ongoing operations?
Use statistical evaluations, tracking results, or your own analyses to assess the success of your chatbot and continuously improve its accuracy.
When engaging in online activities, always consider all legal requirements, such as the GDPR, copyright law and the Telemedia Act.
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