Support Bots

Members of the ISP-Marketing list discuss the pros and cons of replacing live technical help with software.

[December 5, 2001]

On the ISP-Marketing list in November, EA inquired,

"Any thoughts on using an online bot for tech support? It would work like an interactive FAQ; if it can't help, only then is the customer escalated to a human representative."

A number of respondents warned that automated tech support can alienate customers very quickly:

[PF laughed] "Let me get this straight: if a customer cannot log on, you want them to go to a website? Regardless, the idea that you can have a third party give out technical support more accurately than a hired employee is ludicrous. If you can't provide for your own customers' support needs, why on earth would you try and have a third part do it? Tech support is neither expensive nor hard to provide."

[TJ added] "SprintPCS uses a similar technology for some of their support. They call the bot Claire, and they use her for phone support too. It's impossible to get a real person on the phone now; you go through all the menus, then you get Claire. I would recommend staying away from this kind of system: it's very frustrating."

[JT agreed] "I have all sorts of nifty help pages for my users, but they hardly get visited. My customers call with the dumbest questions, but it gives me a chance to joke around with them and keep the bond tight between us."

Others noted that empowering your customers in the right way can be a good thing:

[DM offered] "Maybe you could distribute the program on a CD-ROM to your customers when they subscribe to your service? Then they'll be able to find answers to their questions on their own computer. Any time you can empower your customers, you are giving them more options and lowering your costs."

[MS agreed] "There are signup CDs that have automatic problem resolution tools built into them to eliminate calls from first time users."

[JF added] "Additional support tools add value to the customer. Not every person likes to call and talk to somebody to figure out a problem when they can figure out it for themselves. Why do many people book their flights and reservations online, when they could also call somebody?"

—End