2020 has been quite a rollercoaster. We rang in the new decade full of hopes and aspirations, but for many of us, we've had to change course or put those dreams on hold.
While the year is far from over, one big thing about 2020 is how many people have turned to the internet to go about their daily lives. Did you know that in 2015 to 2019, there were 100 million new internet users in SEA--but 40 million people started using the internet in 2020 alone. That's almost half of five years' worth of new users!
As a result, there are so many people online who are totally new to the internet. This is an exciting time for everyone! With more and more people going online, more and more people can see our online businesses and buy from us.
Of course, the challenges there include making sure that we welcome these newcomers. They don't know exactly how things work, so they might need a little more help than our usual suki.
Here's three tips to make your business chatbot friendly to this new market.
Tip #1 - Target Responses Using Options
This is important especially if you're not using a natural language processor (NLP) that can help your chatbot understand what your customer is saying. Giving your customer a handy list of responses to what your chatbot is saying is great for a couple things:
- Narrow down what they tell your chatbot
- Gives hints to your customers what your chatbot can help them with
- Helps lazy typists by giving them a quick way to respond to your messages
Even if you have NLP enabled, it's still a good practice to have options available!
Tip #2 - When in Doubt, Deflect
If your chatbot doesn't know how to interpret what the customer is saying, don't just leave your customer hanging.
Don't leave your customers hanging.
Veteran internet denizens might get that they're talking to a chatbot and going back to an earlier message might help jump-start the conversation again, but 1) if they're disgruntled enough, they won't care, and 2) with so many newcomers online now, you need to think about how confusing all of this can be.
You can either be up front and ask them what they mean:
Let them know how to move forward.
Or try other ways of deflecting the conversation, like asking another question or lead them to one of your chatbot's most-used features like a search or menu.
Tip #3 - Redirect to Human Staff
If your chatbot is dealing with a really challenging customer, sometimes the best solution is to allow your human support staff handle the case. This doesn't mean that your chatbot failed; it just means that this customer case is part of the minority that needs a little more help than usual.
Always have the option to speak to human staff available to your customers. This makes sure that your customers get to the support they need, before they've become frustrated because they're not getting what they want.
Conclusion
These new people who are discovering the internet won't be disappearing even after the pandemic is over. They say about 90% will continue to be online after this all blows over, and that means more opportunity for all businesses to build relationships with customers.
And think about it. If you delight them now when everything is new and fresh to them, you might just possibly have a new loyal customer.