Join our Waitlist for Expert Advice!

Why Chatbots are Good and No, They Won't Take Away Your Job Like machines, customer service robots assist workers-they will make jobs easier and advance industries

By Adam Zelcer

Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own.

You're reading Entrepreneur Asia Pacific, an international franchise of Entrepreneur Media.

Shutterstock

We all go online to find products and services, even outside of business hours and on public holidays, sometimes struggling to get the customer service we need.

"Your call is important to us! Current wait time is 20 minutes."

"You've called outside of our business hours! Our office hours are 9-5 Monday to Friday."

"Thanks for your email! Someone from our team will respond within 5 business days."

We've all experienced the above at some point, possibly leading you to forget about making your purchase altogether.

You go through several hurdles before deciding to hand money over to a business, like navigating through a website to find the right information and having a conversation with customer service when needed.

We're already getting instant service in-store from fast food chains and supermarkets in the form of self-service machines, so what about online?

When I was looking to provide 24/7 customer service for my company, I initially planned on outsourced live chat. After writing up the sales script and FAQ, I realized it could all be automated and developed a chatbot to provide automated instant service.

Chatbots are the technology you can talk to and they don't sleep, get sick or take leave—they are always on and ready to talk to you with instant responses and even suggested quick reply buttons you can tap to get to the answers you need faster. But this doesn't mean human jobs are not required. Like machines, customer service robots assist workers—they'll make jobs easier and advance industries. They can also provide different types of instant service.

Customer support

When asking a shoe retailer something like, "Do you deliver shoes to Melbourne?", a chatbot could pick up on keywords like "deliver", "shoes" and "Melbourne" and be able to reply with information about shipping that product to your location.

Personal shoppers

A handbag retailer's chatbot could offer product suggestions based on what information it learns from you like colour, style and brand.

Salespeople

An insurance chatbot could ask a series of qualifying questions that a salesperson would usually ask on first contact like your budget and the cover you are interested in and then direct you to the most suitable cover.

Wanted: Human workers

That's not what happens when automation enters the workforce. Look at companies using robot workers like Amazon. It has been expanding its robot workforce since 2012 and the rate at which it hires workers has not changed.

Robots help Amazon keep prices low, which means people buy more (cheap) stuff, so Amazon then needs more people to handle the work.

Chatbots can be a win for business, workforce and consumers. When a business is more profitable, wages can be increased or prices can be reduced. Money could also be reinvested to create an increased demand and lead to the need for more workers.

Adam Zelcer

Founder and CEO of Adboy.com

Adam Zelcer is the founder and CEO of Adboy.com, an advertising company based in Melbourne, Australia. 
Money & Finance

Customers Have a Favorite Payment Method — But 30% of Businesses Don't Accept It. Are You Driving Business Away?

This article examines the surprising gap between what consumers want in payment options and what small businesses currently offer. It also provides strategies for small business owners looking to adapt to these preferences and enhance customer loyalty.

Starting a Business

I Quit My Corporate Job to Start a Business. Here's How I Went From Having $35,000 Credit Card Debt to Making $4 Million.

Courtney Allen, founder and CEO of presentation design agency 16x9, "recklessly" left corporate life behind in 2015 to pursue entrepreneurship.

Leadership

Could We Have The First Native American Woman Governor? DEI Expert Weighs In On What Allyship Should Look Like If History Is Made.

We can all learn more about what it means to be a better ally for those who are the "firsts" in their space. Here are three strategies around allyship this DEI expert recommends to her diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) consultancy clients.

Business News

'Additional Human Touch': Starbucks Has a Turnaround Plan That Includes Buying 200,000 Sharpies. Here's Why.

Faced with declining sales, Starbucks has a comeback plan that involves several changes to stores and menus. Here's a look at the changes coming to your store.