Forms vs Chatbots — How to Create the Best Customer Experience Possible

Customer experience is no longer something that companies can afford to ignore.

Today’s customers expect nothing short of the highest quality experiences when interacting with brands online. Companies that fail to deliver this will fall behind and be quickly overtaken by those who know what they’re doing.

This leaves most businesses grappling with a burning question: how do you improve customer experience?

Two common methods for interacting with customers and attending to their needs are forms and chatbots. Each method has its own pros and cons, and in this article we’ll compare the two.

First, let’s take a quick look at why customer experience is so important.

Why CX is important

If you’re undecided on the importance of customer experience, here are a few compelling reasons why it’s so essential to focus on:

• It will put you ahead of your competitors. Research shows that companies that lead in CX outperform those who don’t by nearly 80%.

• It will grow your company and make you money. Improving customer experience will delight your prospects and increase the chances of them becoming loyal paying customers.

• Customers expect it. 74% of consumers say they’re at least somewhat likely to buy based on experiences alone.

This is just the tip of the iceberg. The list of statistics in support of customer experience goes on and on. It’s a pretty clear-cut conclusion — your brand will benefit on multiple levels by prioritizing customer experience. Here are the methods for doing it.

Chatbots

In the last few years, chatbots have grown up a lot. They have evolved from being a funny gimmick to an essential part of most websites. They don’t just tell jokes and make endearing mistakes anymore — now they’re a powerful and versatile customer support channel and an effective sales tool.

Here are a few reasons why chatbots are so valuable:

• They offer immediate assistance and 24/7 support, and customers love it. In fact, 37% of customers say they would prefer to get immediate assistance from a chatbot over waiting just three minutes for a human.

• They save cost by allowing you to serve many more customers with fewer human staff

• They’re popular with younger customers. 60% of millennials already use chatbots to buy goods.

• They can be used to connect customers with real agents when the interaction can no longer be finished by a chatbot. Bots are great for dealing with common questions and surface-level interactions and sending users to a human for more complex issues.

• They can guide users through the sales process, giving them all they need to make a buying decision and become a happy customer of your brand

• Chatbots gather a lot of data, which can be used to help them respond to queries faster, make more personalized and helpful suggestions, and give your company the insights needed to improve products and serve customers better

Forms

Over the last few years, chatbots have been rapidly overtaking static forms, becoming many brands’ preferred way to interact with users online.

Some companies still believe in the power of forms. One of the main arguments in defense of forms is that people are used to them and expect to see them. For example, if a customer requested a demo on a website, for many years a form would be the next step where they would be asked to enter their information.

If forms are replaced by chatbots, some people think this could cause confusion and create friction in their experience.

We disagree. As the data above shows, people are generally very happy with chatbots and see no reason to go back to static forms. Forms are static, outdated, and poorly suited to interactions that require a lot of information and guidance.

What’s more, as chatbots become more widely used, customers will become more and more comfortable using them and accessing their many benefits. Any preference for forms based on familiarity will soon die out. On the other hand, by relying too much on forms you’re missing an opportunity to “train” your users to gain the advantages of chatbots in other areas.

Chatbots are dynamic, engaging, and conversational. They don’t just collect information — they also help build a relationship between the customer and your brand. They develop trust and guide customers through the sales process by giving them all the information and guidance they need, tailored to their individual situations, challenges, and goals.

At Whisbi, chatbots play a major role in how we help our clients engage with their customers, guide them through the buyers’ journey, and implement conversational marketing and sales across all levels of the customer experience.

To find out more about how we can help you and your customers get the most out of chatbots, get a demo.

Louis Moran

Louis is a copywriter and content strategist with several years of experience in tech and digital marketing. He uses content to communicate Whisbi's message and educate readers about how our products can make a difference.