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Live Chat vs Chatbots: How to Choose Which is Right for You

Live Chat vs Chatbots: How to Choose Which is Right for You

Consumers now demand 24/7 service for assistance in everything from banking to health and online retail. As a result, businesses are looking to develop better ways to give them the support they need when they need it. Live and automated chat are two options companies use to build stronger relationships. Working with an experienced internet marketing company like Smart WSI Marketing can help you decide which approach is best for you. Contact us to learn more.

Live Chat vs. Chatbots 

As businesses look to innovate how they interact with customers, they’re increasingly turning to live and AI-assisted chat to improve customer service. Both have distinct pros and cons, and while chatbots are making a huge impact in the customer service space, live chat is for the foreseeable future here to stay. 

Live chat lets customers connect with sales and support agents to get real-time support. It’s the method most consumers prefer and has the highest consumer satisfaction rate at over 90%. It handles complex conversations better than automated solutions and customers like simultaneously solving their problem while speaking to an agent. 

Chatbot benefits include 24-hour service, getting quick answers to simple questions, and getting an instant response. They’re also easily scalable so your business is always prepared for a sudden increase in call volume. 

Live or Bot: How to Choose 

As part of a digital marketing strategy, the faster response time of live chat helps your website generate more leads. It supports your online marketing efforts by helping agents overcome customer objections immediately. And it’s a highly personalized approach where agents can employ targeted messages based on a user’s search and previous buying behaviors. Chatbots, on the other hand, offer the benefit of high conversion rates via faster service.  

So, how do you choose which solution is right for your digital marketing strategy? Consider: 

  • Response time. Need to respond to customers within seconds? Chatbots might be the ideal choice. If you cater to customers who prefer a more human touch, live is obviously the way to go. 
  • Cost-effectiveness. Live chat can be a better choice if most of your support issues require detailed explanations. Chatbots allow you to automate business operations without hiring additional agents. 
  • Availability. If you lack the resources to support 24/7 live support, chatbots let you still deliver the round-the-clock availability customers want.  
  • Accuracy. While chatbots are great for simple queries, live chat offers something they can’t: empathy with a customer’s specific needs. An agent can ask more complex questions to get to the heart of a customer’s problem. 

A combination of live chat and chatbots is often the best solution. Many businesses use chatbots to handle repetitive or simple questions and then route more complex queries to live agents.  

Let’s Chat 

No matter what the industry, customers still like to talk to real humans. They also like to get answers quickly. The best chat solution for you is the one that marries the expediency, efficiency, and affordability of real humans and chatbots. A skilled internet marketing agency can help you choose the right solution. Live or bot, Smart WSI Marketing is an Edmonton digital marketing agency that helps you deliver the best of both worlds. Contact us today to learn more.

Lynne team member
Lynne Motkoski, Marketing Strategist
Specialty: Online Marketing Strategies
Education: MA Communications & Technology, BComm [U Alberta]
Author: The Online Marketing Handbook for Busy Entrepreneurs (coming soon)

Lynne is known for her strategic approach to marketing communications, technologies, and lead generation. She has a passion for education, keeping up with current marketing trends and practices, and helping clients keep ahead of their competition.

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