One of the most polarizing topics in customer experience and digital channel strategy is chatbots -- or, more recently, "conversational A.I." While undertaking our own journey with
Otto, the 8x8 Support Virtual Assistant, and engaging resources across across the tech industry, it's been hard to find people that have not taken up residence on either of the far ends of the
super excited vs
I'd rather eat glass spectrum. What is interesting is that most folks' opinions on chatbots -- what they can do, whether they're better than talking to a human, if they're more of a hassle than a help -- are born from the customer side of the experience. Those of us who are going or have gone through the implementation and admin hellfire, however, can tell you that it takes a LOT to make all that A.I. "magic" happen. And that's
before you get into having the bot actually automate process.
Do you have or are you considering deploying a chatbot for your business? If so, what is driving this part of your strategy? Has anything surprised or disappointed you? If you're not going the chatbot route, why not?
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Joel, 8x8 Global Customer Care
Minneapolis
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