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No customer support team likes answering the same questions over and again. It becomes monotonous after a while. In some cases, the repetition feels energy-sapping which can dent the morale as well.
Needless to say, answering the same types of queries daily can be a huge irritant for the customer support team.
Worse still, just imagine the quantum of repetition when your business grows. In that case, the sheer amount of these questions might overwhelm your support reps.
So, is there a way out? A solution?
Yes, the FAQ chatbot is the answer!
Using this chatbot, you can automate common queries and save your support team the sheer irritation of repeating themselves frequently, day in and day out.
More so, the use of an FAQ chatbot can save time for your support team and make them more energetic and motivated, which can add to the bottom line.
In this blog, we will discuss the FAQ chatbot in detail, and understand its types, benefits, user cases, examples, and everything we should know.
But first, let’s get started with understanding what exactly an FAQ chatbot is….
What is an FAQ Chatbot?
An FAQ chatbot (Frequently Asked Questions chatbot) is a type of conversational AI developed to answer commonly asked questions. These bots can understand natural language and give responses in a human-like manner.
The real utility of an FAQ chatbot is to answer common questions that the user may ask about a company’s products or services. These bots can be added, or deployed, on websites, ecommerce stores, or apps to ensure quick replies to questions.
FAQ chatbots are driven by artificial intelligence and natural language processing capabilities and operate on the question-answer format. They can automate and this ability proves very helpful for companies in saving time and effort on answering repeated questions.
Key Features of an FAQ Chatbot
FAQ chatbots are now indispensable to customer support tasks. Their ability to answer questions naturally and automate tasks makes them a great addition to a support team. These bots can comprehend natural language and have other useful features as well, including –
- FAQ bots use Natural Language Processing (NLP) algorithms to understand user queries asked in natural language.
- These bots can answer questions flawlessly without being bothered by specific syntax or keywords.
- They work on a pre-built repository of common questions and their corresponding answers.
- This type of chatbot will first interpret the user query and then its algorithm will search the knowledge base and generate an appropriate response.
- When FAQ chatbots are advanced, they can rely on machine learning techniques to continuously learn and improve their performance.
- To respond to users, a business can integrate these bots into various communication channels and platforms such as Facebook Messenger, WhatsApp, websites, mobile apps, etc.
- These bots can stay available 24×7 and handle multiple queries simultaneously.
Why Use FAQ Chatbots?
In recent years, FAQ chatbots have emerged as a powerful tool for customer support tasks. A growing number of businesses use them to deliver quality support and achieve efficiency. More so, 69% of customers prefer chatbots over human agents for getting quick responses.
Let’s look at some of the reasons to use FAQ chatbots –
- FAQ chatbots can be used to provide accurate answers to common questions.
- They can streamline customer interactions and minimize the time and effort required for resolving queries.
- The use of an AI chatbot can enhance the accessibility and convenience of support to customers by enabling assistance at any time of the day.
- These bots can be used to offer uninterrupted support even when there are multiple queries to handle simultaneously.
- A business can use powerful bots to efficiently manage fluctuations in user traffic and maintain the quality of service.
- Unlike humans, chatbots can give uniform responses to identical queries and this can prove very helpful in maintaining consistency in support.
- The use of an FAQ bot proves a good decision when the goal is to ensure a standardized experience for all users.
- A business can use these bots to take up routine and repetitive queries and free up human personnel to focus on more critical tasks at hand.
- These bots are very useful when the focus is to collect valuable data on customer interactions and gain insights into user preferences and behavior.
How Does an FAQ Chatbot Work?
FAQ chatbots are complex machines that work using several components and processes. They primarily employ NLP to understand user queries and provide appropriate responses. There are other different elements as well that help these bots work efficiently.
Let’s look at the way an FAQ chatbot works –
Step 1 – Understanding the user’s input
The chatbot’s NLP algorithm will analyze and understand the user’s input when there is a query in natural language. It’s the NLP that helps the bot decode the context, intent, and meaning behind the query.
Step 2 – Using the knowledge base to interpret the query
The chatbot is equipped with a pre-built knowledge base of commonly asked questions which the bot interprets by using the power of NLP to interpret the query and understand the real intent and meaning.
Step 3 – Retrieval of Information
After interpreting the query, the bot’s algorithms will search the knowledge base for answers or solutions that best match the intent or context of the user’s query.
Step 4 – Response generation
Only after the chatbot has searched the knowledge base, it can generate a suitable response and then formulate the answer to offer the most suitable answer to the query.
Step 5 – Response delivery
The response that the chatbot delivers will be in a conversational format and a text form within a chat window.
Step 6 – Continuous learning and improvement over time
Together with generating responses, advanced chatbots can learn from user interactions and feedback and this can improve their responses and performance over time.
What to Look for When Choosing an FAQ Chatbot?
Not all FAQ chatbots are created equal. While some are advanced and capable of performing the intended task with great efficiency, others may not due to a lack of the right technology. That’s why it becomes important to consider some factors when choosing these bots.
Here are some key considerations when choosing an FAQ chatbot –
- Evaluate the bot’s NLP capabilities – A chatbot can understand user queries accurately when it possesses advanced NLP algorithms. Such bots can respond appropriately when they have features like context understanding and intent recognition.
- Choose the bot based on its customization flexibility – The more customization flexibility a chatbot offers, the better it will suit your business goals. Having said that, you should select a chatbot that enables customization to match your brand’s look, style, and tone, and also adapts to different question formats.
- Analyze the ease of updating the bot’s knowledge base – You should choose an FAQ chatbot that gives ease of adding, deleting, and editing common questions and ensuring smoothness in integration with the CMS.
- Check the bot’s compatibility with different platforms – A good chatbot is one that you can effortlessly deploy across multiple channels. That’s why you need to be sure about its compatibility with different platforms be it social channels, websites, messaging platforms, or mobile apps.
- Consider the scalability aspect – You would ideally want to have an FAQ chatbot that can scale as your business grows, support an increased quantity of calls, and manage peak loads without compromising on quality.
- Factor in the bot’s analytics and security – Make sure you choose a chatbot that has robust built-in analytics capabilities so that you can easily gain user insights. Similarly, the bot should comply with data protection regulations and offer robust security measures.
Types of FAQ Chatbot
Do you want to use an FAQ chatbot to bolster your customer support but are not sure which type to use? Well, first of all, you should know the business goals you want to achieve and then set out to choose the right type of bot.
There are three main types of chatbots –
- Rule-based chatbots
- Keyword-based chatbots
- Conversational AI
- Rule-based chatbots
These types of bots are quick to build and easy to maintain. They are beneficial for assisting customers with basic questions. As the name suggests, these bots use pre-defined rules to answer questions. They will have some limitations and can’t answer questions deviating from the knowledge base.
- Keyword-based chatbots
This type of chatbot works similarly to rule-based ones but can also have a more conversational approach. They can identify specific keywords as well. When users engage with a keyword-based chatbot, they can expect conversations to be free-flowy and not be bound by a linear path. They are more advanced than rule-based bots and can deliver excellent results if they identify keywords in queries.
- Conversational AI
These chatbots are the most advanced among the three and don’t rely on any pre-defined rules. Since they are based on conversational AI ( artificial intelligence) technology, they can lead conversations naturally and make the conversations feel human-like. They are powerful with the ability to decipher user intent and offer relevant responses.
Use Cases of FAQ Chatbots
FAQ chatbots are developed to efficiently address common questions and ensure prompt assistance. This capability is the reason why such chatbots find extensive usage across industries and sectors.
Let’s look at some of the key use cases of FAQ chatbots –
Customer support – These bots are created to handle customer queries, offer quick responses to common questions, and help users with various types of doubts related to a company’s products or services. All this makes FAQ bots a great addition to customer support teams across industry verticals.
E-commerce – Online stores can deploy these bots to help shoppers with various types of inquiries related to product info, product availability, shipping details, payment methods, and so on. In addition, they can offer personalized assistance based on user data and browsing behavior.
Healthcare – FAQ chatbots can be integrated into healthcare systems to offer health-related advice and also help patients with information on medication queries, symptoms, procedures, appointments, etc.
Financial Services – Banking services can be greatly improved with the help of AI chatbots by addressing queries regarding account details, loans, transaction history, and so on. Similarly, insurance firms and financial institutions can also use chatbots to assist customers at various stages of their journey and ease their decision-making.
Benefits of FAQ Chatbots
More businesses now use FAQ chatbots to enhance customer interactions and improve operations. These bots add great value to customer support tasks. After all, 90% of businesses have credited chatbots for large improvements in the speed of issue resolution.
Let’s look at the key benefits of FAQ chatbots –
- Chatbots can automate customer support functions by handling a large volume of queries on a simultaneous basis. This frees up resources for the business and ensures cost efficiency.
- AI-powered chatbots can stay available all the time and neutralize the impacts of time zones and business hours. They can cater to user’s needs anytime and this can improve the level of customer satisfaction.
- FAQ chatbots are developed to scale up to increased volumes of traffic and allow scalability together with maintaining quality of service.
- Bots are advanced and can offer personalized experiences to users, and this can boost the level of customer engagement.
- A business can leverage the data collection feature of chatbots and gain deep customer insights. This can help in refining their offerings and improving customer experience with the brand.
How to Build an FAQ Chatbot?
Building a chatbot has become simple these days. You don’t even need much technical knowledge for that. A bot can be built without writing a line of code.
Let’s look at the steps involved in building an FAQ chatbot –
Step 1 – Define the scope and purpose of the chatbot
The first step is when you decide the primary goal you want the bot to achieve. In this step, you need to note down the FAQs and queries you want the bot to handle.
Step 2 – Select a chatbot-building platform
To build an FAQ bot, you will have two options: frameworks and platforms. When you go with a framework, you will need a programmer to do the things for you. However, the chatbot platform is based on the DIY model where a visual builder will guide you through the steps and you will also have pre-built templates to choose from for the chatbot.
Step 3 – Prepare a list of FAQs
In this step, you need to create a comprehensive list of common questions often asked by customers together with their answers. You will need to put the information in a structured format so that the bot can access it and understand it easily.
Step 4 – Design the conversational flow
Once the FAQs are compiled, the next step is to visualize and plan the conversational flow of the bot. This flow is designed keeping in mind the ways users might ask queries. You need to create flowcharts or dialogue trees with potential queries and responses.
Step 5 – Create the bot
Now you have reached the stage where you can create the bot. For that, you can use the platform and insert the queries and answers into it.
Step 6- Train the bot
Training is not needed when the chatbot is simple and rule-based. However, advanced bots with AI capabilities need training. When you train the bot, you enhance its familiarity with the inputted FAQs, answers, search preferences, and previous user search queries. A trained bot becomes more conversational and can handle complex queries and conversations effortlessly.
Step 7 – Integrate with your preferred channel
Now you reach the stage of integrating the bot with your preferred channel. You can deploy it with a website, messaging platform, social channel, or mobile app.
Step 8 – Test and refine
Once the chatbot is integrated with a channel, you need to test it thoroughly to check whether it offers relevant responses to user queries.
FAQ Chatbot Examples
More companies now realize the huge value that an FAQ chatbot can bring to their customer service effort. That’s why we can see how more of them deploy the bot to answer queries faster and redefine the service experience for customers.
Let’s look at some FAQ chatbot examples from across industries –
Capital One
Capital One is a good example of how to use an FAQ chatbot to help users/customers with various aspects of their queries. Its chatbot, UNO, can assist customers with account inquiries, transaction history, and credit card information.
KLM Royal Dutch Airlines
The KML is another good example of how to use an AI-powered chatbot to help users with their different types of inquiries. Its chatbot is very helpful in handling flight bookings, updates, and customer inquiries.
HDFC Eva
The EVA chatbot by HDFC is a good example of how to elevate customer service with the use of technology. The bot can answer queries related to virtually everything, be it account information, credit card information, loan details, etc.
Final Thoughts
FAQ chatbots have truly transformed the way customer support is delivered. They have added a new meaning to the way customer queries are answered.
We, at REVE Chat, understand the huge value these powerful bots can add to any business. With us, you can sign up and check a variety of tools, including our AI-powered chatbots, for customer service.
You can use our tools and give a huge boost to your customer support efforts.
