Why UK Customers Avoid Chatbots, and What You Can Do to Improve Their Experience

Wherever you look, companies are going all in on AI-powered applications. AI can now be found almost everywhere, from online tools to search engines to mobile phone assistants. They've also become extremely common in customer support, where AI chatbots supplement or replace human support agents.

But not everyone is eager to join the AI train. AI is still developing as a technology, and numerous criticisms and concerns about its readiness and accuracy exist. Answers given by AI bots are often factually inaccurate or nonsensical, which can lead to disastrous results.

This also extends to customer service, which is currently seeing a slump in customer satisfaction when it comes to chatbots. According to a recent survey by Service Now, 77% of respondents say they've looked up tips and "hacks" to avoid automated customer service conversations so they can talk directly to a human agent instead. On a related note, only 28% of consumers prefer chatbots when it comes to getting basic info, with 38% preferring human support for more complex issues and queries.

So, what's the reason for this downturn in customer satisfaction? Why are consumers turning their backs on chatbots? Moreover, what can business owners do about it?

Why UK Customers Avoid Chatbots

There are several reasons why UK customers have negative feelings about chatbots.

First and foremost, many customers don't enjoy talking to bots! Whether out of personal preference or being part of an older generation raised on more traditional communication methods, many customers prefer to get support via phone, email, or even live chat with a human agent, according to a recent survey by Capterra.

There's nothing wrong with this preference, and it's a valuable reminder for businesses to avoid offloading their entire support strategy to AI.

Many customers also feel chatbots can't solve complex queries well —or they've experienced this firsthand. More complicated queries are likely to flummox even the most sophisticated chatbot, which is why retaining human support staff to manage the more complex problems is essential.

Speaking of human support staff, many UK customers feel that chatbots don't pick up on the nuances of a human conversation, which can be subtle at times.

Some don't trust AI chatbots to provide accurate answers or keep their data safe, which is a valid concern. Technical errors or glitches will easily put a customer off, especially when it comes to technology like chatbots, automated voice response phone systems, and more. If a chatbot tells a customer their query is going to be routed to an agent, and that query is then "lost," the customer's trust in chatbots is justifiably likely to collapse.

Finally, some customers feel overwhelmed by digital technology and would rather pick up the phone and talk to someone as the fastest and most efficient way to solve issues.

How You Can Improve the Customer Chatbot Experience

While suspicion and hesitation about interacting with AI chatbots are likely to continue well into the future, there are some concrete steps business owners can take to help improve the customer chatbot experience and increase their utility.

For one, it might pay to survey your customers and learn their pain points regarding AI chatbots. Finding out what's stopping them from using chatbots is a necessary first step to fixing it.

If you haven't upgraded your AI chatbot software, now might be the time. A legacy chatbot won't have the features of a newer one. When choosing an engine for your chatbots, look for ease of integration, scalability, flexibility, and security.

Remember to customise the chatbot to account for UK English, colloquialism, and cultural nuance. This will make the customer feel recognised and more at home, which will increase trust.

Create or update self-service options so customers can quickly and easily find information and solve queries through tools like FAQs, knowledge bases, client portals, and AI chatbots.

It bears repeating that you shouldn't offload your customer support entirely to AI or self-service portals! Build a hybrid customer support model that allows customers to use AI and chatbots but also communicate with a human agent if they prefer.

Finally, don't forget to be transparent about how you use customer data. With data breaches on the rise, concerns about data security are more prevalent than ever, and rightfully so. Ensure you comply with GDPR regarding transparency.

No matter how good you make the customer experience, some users still won't be on board with AI, and that's to be expected. All you can do is make the chatbot experience the best it can be.