Businesses Hail Chatbots as the Next Big Service Tool, but the Public Is Apprehensive

/EINPresswire.com/ -- LONDON, UNITED KINGDOM -- (Marketwired) -- 06/28/16 -- NewVoiceMedia, a leading global provider of cloud technology, which helps businesses sell more, serve better and grow faster, has found that while self-help options continue to advance, 68 percent of U.S. citizens would still prefer a live agent to handle their customer service queries.

Are businesses ready to replace agents with bots?

Recent media coverage has tunneled into the chatbot developments of companies such as Facebook, Microsoft, Google and Apple. Many are hailing AI as the future of customer service, and companies are quickly jumping on the bandwagon, eager to deploy their own smart communication solutions. However, NewVoiceMedia's poll of more than 1,000 U.S. citizens shows that customers may not be ready for a complete AI service overhaul.

• 68 percent of respondents claim they would prefer to interact with a live agent rather than automated self-help (FAQs/guided support, dial directories, chatbots, etc.) when dealing with customer service
• 9 percent prefer the self-help option and 24 percent feel they appreciate both options equally
• Below is a breakdown of customers' preferences for automated self-help or live agent help in different customer service situations:

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Type of service                                 Self-help     Live agent
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Technical support                                     13%     86%
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Financial reporting                                   22%     56%
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Returns/cancelations                                  28%     60%
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Appointment booking                                   41%     52%
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Purchase inquiries                                    24%     64%
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Complaints                                            13%     77%
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None (Do not prefer in any of the above               39%     4%
categories)
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• When asked in which areas customer service should improve, 63 percent of respondents indicated personalised service, 66 percent availability, 71 percent response time, 29 percent do-it-yourself options, 40 percent number of communication options and 3 percent none.

"It's not that technological advancements cannot improve the customer experience. They absolutely can. But companies must first have a foundation of good support built on fundamentals that include phone functionality and in-depth customer insights," comments Jonathan Gale, CEO of NewVoiceMedia. "Many companies have much to improve within their existing policies and procedures. Our survey shows the number one complaint in customer service continues to be response time, and that is a simple infrastructure issue."

For further information about NewVoiceMedia, visit www.newvoicemedia.com.

The data for this survey was collected using SurveyMonkey Audience and 1,019 respondents. Information on how respondents are recruited to SurveyMonkey is available here: www.surveymonkey.com/mp/audience

About NewVoiceMedia
NewVoiceMedia powers customer connections that transform businesses globally. The leading vendor's award-winning cloud customer contact platform revolutionises the way organisations connect with their customers worldwide, enabling them to deliver a personalised and unique customer service experience and drive a more effective sales team. With a true cloud environment and proven 99.999% platform availability, NewVoiceMedia ensures complete flexibility, scalability and reliability.

Spanning 128 countries and six continents, NewVoiceMedia's 600+ customers include PhotoBox, MobileIron, TNT, Lumesse, JustGiving, Canadian Cancer Society and Wowcher. For more information visit www.newvoicemedia.com or follow NewVoiceMedia on Twitter @NewVoiceMedia.

NewVoiceMedia PR contact
Nicola Brookes
Tel: +44 (0)7500 006 458
Email: Email Contact

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