Related resources
Here are some blogs to help you understand chatbots and what they can do for your business.
FAQs on chatbot software
How will a chatbot improve my customer service response times?
As chatbots are computer programs, they don't get tired or take a break and can be deployed 24/7. Unlike human agents who cannot handle more than 3-4 chats simultaneously, chatbots can handle all incoming inquiries instantly and simultaneously. Adding chatbots as the first line of customer communication helps businesses improve customer service response times. They can attend to queries instantly, making the first response time almost 0 seconds. As it can answer and sometimes resolve queries, it even decreases the total time taken for resolution.
Can chatbots handle multiple customer queries at once?
Yes, thanks to the supporting architecture, chatbots can handle multiple customer queries at once. The architecture is called concurrency, which is the ability to handle multiple tasks at the same time, and Parallel processing, which is the ability to process multiple tasks simultaneously. Also, chatbots can run multiple threads in a single process to handle requests from various customers.
Can chatbots support multiple languages for the global audience?
Chatbots can support multiple languages. For instance, Zoho SalesIQ's chatbots support more than 35 languages. It enables businesses, especially those that cater to a global audience, to create a personalized experience for their visitors as the bot can speak to them in their language of choice, making it easy for them to understand and reply. It enhances their overall experience with your business.
Can the chatbot operate 24/7 and provide support outside business hours?
If you're a business operating worldwide or catering to global customers, your visitors expect you to be there all the time, even outside your operating hours. When configured, chatbots will work on behalf of your customer-facing teams 24/7.
You can learn more about how a chatbot works here.
Will this reduce the workload of my live agents and free them up for more complex tasks?
Yes, chatbots will definitely reduce the workload of live agents. As chatbots can be integrated with your knowledge base resources, FAQ articles, and website information, anyone interacting with the bot will get the answers without interrupting the live agents. For example, SalesIQ's support team has deployed SalesIQ's Answer Bot to handle customer queries. Almost 40% of the incoming queries are attended to and resolved by the bot, which frees the agents to focus more on complex tasks. Only when the bot can't provide a resolution will it be taken to the live agents.
Do chatbots offer proactive engagement (i.e., initiating conversations based on user behavior)?
Initiating conversations automatically based on user behavior is called triggers, and with chatbot triggers, businesses can provide proactive chat engagement. They can be set up based on multiple custom criteria. For example, chatbots can be configured to engage proactively with those accessing your website from a specific country, going through the website for more than 10 minutes, or spending their time on your main web pages. Using triggers nudges the passive visitors to engage with your business and increases their chance of getting converted to paying customers.
Does it use AI and machine learning to improve responses over time?
There are many types of chatbots based on how they're built and the purpose they serve. The primary categories are:
- Traditional rule-based chatbots
- FAQ chatbots
- Hybrid chatbots that combine the functionality of rule-based and FAQ bots
AI and ML can be incorporated with FAQ chatbots or hybrid chatbots to improve their conversational skills and enhance their generative capabilities. So, yes, AI and machine learning help chatbots refine their interactions with visitors, pull information from resources, present it, and improve their responses over time.
Can chatbots escalate conversations to live agents when needed?
As intelligent as they are, chatbots do have limitations when answering customer queries. If the information is available in the resources, it'll be able to read through them and share the answers. In cases where customers are facing technical issues that would need the assistance of live agents, chatbots can be configured either automatically or manually to escalate the conversation to any available live agent to look into it.
Can chatbots be deployed across multiple channels like WhatsApp, Facebook Messenger, and my website?
Businesses have moved away from the website-only model, as channels-only models are popping up all around us and doing well. Similar to adding a chatbot to a website, it can be deployed across channels like WhatsApp, Facebook Messenger, and others based on your needs. Zoho SalesIQ, the best chatbot solution, can be integrated with all the popular channels worldwide, such as WhatsApp, Instagram, Telegram, Facebook Messenger, and Line. By integrating chatbots with channels, businesses can instantly respond to channel queries.










