PointSource has released a survey which looks to find common ground between consumers and artificial intelligence (AI), more specifically chatbots. And in the process, the company has found out some of the pet peeves or frustrations people are experiencing with chatbots.

To date, Chatbots have become the most popular AI application. But in the report, PointSource is quick to emphasize the interest in chatbots still hasn’t translated into the full understanding or adoption of the technology. It goes on to say finding out where chatbots are best used or suited will definitely assist businesses in deploying the technology.

For small businesses, it means being able to afford comprehensive 24/7 customer response systems and using chatbots to answer a wide range of queries about their company. And with PointSource reporting 80 percent of consumers are OK shopping with a company using chatbots and other AI capabilities, support doesn’t seem to be a problem for the vast majority of users.

In addressing the challenges, PointSource says in the report, “There are still hurdles to overcome in earning such benefits, but businesses should welcome these challenges as openings to develop experiences that are more valuable and enjoyable for all parties involved.  This kind of successful chatbot integration requires a deep understanding of consumers and a degree of organizational rigor to keep evolving. Chatbots may be a technology investment, but they’re a company-wide responsibility.”

What Makes a Chatbot Annoying

The first of the pet peeves is speed. Fifty-nine percent of respondents said they get more frustrated if chatbots they are using don’t offer a clear path to a resolution in five minutes.

The second pet peeve is friction due to chatbots not understanding what they are looking for. Fifty-one percent said this was a problem, which lays groundwork for the next biggest concern.

Problems with accuracy led 44 percent of the respondent to question if the information the chatbots provided was correct.

Besides the top three concerns, other concerns raised by respondents included privacy, personal data security and having an impersonal experience were also concerns.

The Future of Chatbots

The use of chatbots and other AI are important if small businesses are going to communicate effectively with customers. And as the technology improves and the chatbots get smarter (they will by the way) they will eventually coexist with consumers seamlessly.

For small businesses, the adoption of chatbots will deliver faster and more efficient customer service capabilities without the cost of a call center or similar expense. And the frustrations consumers feel can be solved with well-designed chatbots delivering accurate and up to date information.

The PointSource survey was carried out with the participation of 1,008 U.S. consumers online between Oct. 13-21, 2017.

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This article, “59 Percent of Online Customers say Chatbots are Slow in Resolving Their Problems” was first published on Small Business Trends