Narayan AmmachchiThe vast majority of consumers avoid chatbots, even when nearly every CX firm provides the option, a recent study by Gartner has found.
Gartner polled 500 B2B and B2C customers earlier this year. Only 8% of respondents said they have utilized a chatbot during their most recent customer care interaction. Only 25% stated they would use the chatbot again in the future.
The study ventures that chatbots won’t be replacing human agents anytime soon. Most customers believe that chatbots generally fail to provide the same customer care experience as a human agent.
Some customers appear confused about what chatbots can and cannot accomplish. Their belief is that a human agent will be more in tune with their needs and solve their problems faster.
The main setback for chatbots is that consumers still perceive them as impersonal or robotic. As a result, customers may be less inclined to trust the machines or submit critical information to them, according to the survey.
Many customers use chatbots to cancel online purchases, but they prefer to interact with human employees when it comes to billing issues. According to the report, chatbots resolved 58% of cancellations but only 17% of billing issues.
“To improve chatbot adoption, the key is to focus on improving the chatbot’s ability to move customers’ issues forward,” stated Michael Rendelman, Senior Specialist, Research, in the Gartner Customer Service and Support practice.
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