Finding a Chatbot That Actually Improves Customer Service for Your Venue

Chatbots are increasingly common in customer service. Most business websites funnel customer queries through a chatbot before passing them to a live service representative. It's easy to see why companies take this approach. Chatbots don't ask for a salary, and they can filter out simple requests, giving human reps time to work on more complicated issues.

But, there is a problem. Many chatbots aren't that good. One survey found that a majority of customers gave a 1 out of 5 satisfaction rating (the lowest possible) after interactions with a chatbot. Another showed that only 25% of customers would prefer chatbot interactions in the future.

Most of the frustration comes from the fact that today's bots, though advanced, are only effective when dealing with basic questions and common problems. They offer a very generic user experience. In other words, it's obvious to customers that they are talking to a computer that isn't able to offer any personalised insights or support.

Can Chatbots Get Customer Service Right?

AI chatbots like the Smeetz Atlas AI Support & Sales Agent are a prime example of the next generation of automated customer service applications. What do tools like this have that less effective chatbots don't?

Effective customer service chatbots have at least four important qualities.

• Industry-specific: Today's chatbots need to do more than answer generic customer service questions. Industry-specific programming can help with more advanced queries. For instance, Smeetz Atlas is designed with the leisure venues industry in mind.
• Integration: Chatbots need to be able to call up data from the customers and transactions. To do this, they have to be integrated with commerce platforms, making personalized interactions instantly possible. Smeetz Atlas fully integrates into our unified commerce platform.
• Customisable: Another way to overcome generic chatbot interactions is to customise branding and chat parameters. Advanced chat applications allow you to adjust the rules that guide automated conversations and add personal touches that fit with your brand and image.
• Multi-channel: Many chatbots are limited to websites. Sites are vital, but you should also ensure your bots work on mobile and will work on specific pages. Most importantly, it should be available during ticket booking and purchases for both consumers and business (B2B) customers.

Quality chatbots should also be scalable. Once you set your parameters and ensure full integrations, the chatbot should be able to handle a higher volume of queries or new subjects without a complete overhaul of parameters or programming. This trait will allow you to expand your business without having to completely revamp your chat application each time you add a new service or increase traffic.

The Benefits of the Right Chatbot

What advantages can you expect once you have an industry-specific, customisable, and integrated chatbot like Smeetz Atlas? Yes, you'll be able to answer more customer queries more quickly without involving human reps. But, the benefits go well beyond this. Your customers will be happier, but the applications can also help your staff and your overall business.

Benefits for Customers

With the right chatbot, customers won't have to deal with the frustration of interacting with a generic program that can't answer the simplest questions. This is a major positive, but high-end bots like Smeetz Atlas can bring more customers.

• 24/7 support: Your customers won't have to wait for regular working hours to get questions answered. They can get the insights they need and have booking support late at night or early in the morning.
• No waiting: As long as they are scalable, chatbots can handle interactions immediately. Customers don't have to wait for a staff member to become available or return their call or message. Also, if they need additional support, the application can route them to human staff quickly without forcing them to start a new interaction.
• Amend bookings autonomously: Customers can make their booking changes directly through the chatbot, without contacting customer support.
• Effective answers: Smeetz Atlas can handle 30% of all customer queries without any input from staff. Many customers can get the insights they need, whether they want general answers about holiday open hours or policies or need guidance when using your ticketing platform to book a group package for their business or school.

Customers also get personalised information, such as relevant promotions, discounts, or offers related to their previous purchases.

Positives for Customer Service Staff

Your customer service staff will also benefit from having an effective chatbot to help with interactions. All the concerns about AI taking over human jobs are far-fetched. Here is what will actually happen with an AI chatbot on the team.

• Less time spent on mundane tasks: Customer service team members won't spend time answering the same questions repeatedly. They can rely on the chatbot to handle queries about ticket prices and hours.
• Better performance: With these questions taken care of by the bot, staff can focus on higher-level tasks, such as guiding B2B clients through group ticket package selection or helping customers with specific needs.

Overall, chatbots can lead to lower stress levels and better morale, as staff focus on customer interactions and performance instead of having to answer endless queries and deal with the same questions time and again.

Advantages for Your Business

The impact of a good chatbot tailored for your industry goes beyond staff and customers. Your entire business can also benefit.

• Reduced operational costs: By automating up to 30% of customer inquiries, Smeetz Atlas reduces the need for extra staff, freeing up resources for your team to focus on more valuable interactions and lowering labor costs.
• More sales: Chatbots can guide customers through the booking process for tickets and offer packages and promotions that help boost overall revenue. On top of that, you can also charge additional fees for booking amendments.
• Satisfied customers: Personalised, streamlined, and efficient chatbot interactions, like those possible with Smeetz Atlas, can increase customer satisfaction. If customers get good service, they are likely to come to your venue again, increasing your revenue.

Chatbots can streamline your operation. You can use staff for face-to-face interactions and focus on higher-level service and marketing tasks, leaving the basics to your chatbots.

Find Out More about Smeetz Atlas

The esteemed industry publication Blooloop highlighted Atlas AI in an exciting feature. Dive into the full story here: Smeetz launches Atlas AI support and sales chat agent

If you would like to hear how Smeetz Atlas can streamline your customer service efforts and integrate with your commerce platform, reach out to us. We'll answer your questions and let you know how you can test-drive the best chatbot for the visitor attractions industry.

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