More and more companies are turning to chatbots. This is shown by the latest results of the Chatbot Study 2021 for Germany, Austria and Switzerland, which is hot off the press and was published by the Zurich University of Applied Sciences (ZHAW) in cooperation with the technology company swiss moonshot AG (aiaibot). As part of the study, around 1,000 people were questioned about chatbot use, as well as their experiences with and expectations of the digital helpers.
In the 2018 edition of the study, only 40 % of respondents had already interacted with a chatbot; barely three years later, the figure is now 63 % who have already gained experience with chatbots. Of the study participants who have not yet had any contact with the digital touchpoint, 44 % can very well imagine interacting with a chatbot in the future.
The Study includes a results section, an interpretation of the results, and recommendations for companies planning to implement a chatbot themselves. From the sum of the results - in addition to numerous other interesting insights - the following four remarkable insights can be extracted.
Insight #1: Customers value speed and all-around availability of bots
Customers simply want a quick solution. The «how» plays a subordinate role. When it comes to the benefits that respondents see in the use of chatbots, accessibility, neutrality and fast help occupy the top three places. Bots are usually used in the evening or at the weekend from home and mostly on websites. Respondents see numerous use cases for the use of a chatbot: Obtaining information, making appointments, checking delivery status, address changes, assistance in the purchasing process, and many more.
Insight #2: Customers are willing to trade data for better service
For a more personalized and better service, customers willingly share their data with the chatbot. Around 60 % of respondents trust that their data is secure when interacting with the bot, and three quarters of them would be willing to authenticate themselves in dialog with a bot. If the chatbot knows the user personally and can access the customer history, more than half of the respondents find this positive.
Insight No. 3: Chatbots are ahead of voicebots in the business context
Just 36 % of respondents say they have already interacted with a voicebot. Chatbots have already been used by them almost twice as often. When asked about the preferred form of communication with a bot (preferring to talk or write to it), written communication was also clearly preferred. Only 10 % of participants prefer to use voicebots. Chatbots are thus currently more widespread, and the probability of their use is also significantly higher.
Insight No. 4: Successful chatbots convince both functionally and emotionally
In the interpretation part of the study, the findings were examined with the help of an in-depth analysis focusing on the intention to use. This revealed that the probability of using a chatbot repeatedly in the future is highest when the chatbot optimally combines functional and emotional benefits.This knowledge is especially important when realizing a chatbot in order to consider both benefit components equally.
You can download the study free of charge hier.