Customer service automation with an easy FAQ Chatbot
- Steph Organ
- Archive
- August 25, 2020
- Updated:
Table of Contents
As part of our #GoSmarter webinar series, Mia Hatton, Data Science Apprentice for Nightingale HQ and founder of a small business, talks to us about the wonders that an FAQ Chatbot can do for business, approaching the topic from both points of view. Our GoSmarter project is aimed at SMEs to help them bounce back from the effects of COVID-19 by providing them with the 6 tools to get them automating and saving time.
When we talk about automation, we just mean using a system to automatically complete a task, usually repetitive or boring tasks, which frees up staff and allows them to focus on the things that humans are better at, enjoy more, or require a deeper thought process.
How does automation fit into a chatbot?
A chatbot is simply a computer program that simulates and processes human conversation, either spoken or written. It's almost certain that you will have interacted with a chatbot on the internet, and just as likely that you will have used a virtual assistant such as Siri or Google Assistant, which are conversational chatbots built into your phone that use AI to learn and find relevant answers. An FAQ chatbot, however, leans more towards automation than AI, as when it serves up answers, it is finding them in the predefined knowledge base document.
How does an FAQ chatbot fit into your business?
Firstly, it is really important to note that an FAQ chatbot is never going to replace human customer service, but it can amplify your customer service tenfold. Not only is going to help your team by filtering out the repetitive questions, but it's also going to make sure that someone is available to help your customers 24/7. That means you never miss out on an opportunity to engage someone who is curious about your offering.
- 64% of customers expect 24-hour service
- 80% of businesses are expected to have chatbot automation this year
- 40% of consumers don't have a preference for human or chatbot service
- 67% of global consumers used a chatbot for support in the last year
- Chatbots can cut operational costs by 30%
We've written up an additional resource with some tips for bringing an FAQ chatbot into your team to help your staff see the value and get the most out of the tool.
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Full webinar video
FAQs
Why does FAQ chatbots work particularly well for manufacturers?
Manufacturing customer service teams spend a large proportion of their time answering the same questions repeatedly: order status, delivery timing, certificate availability, product specifications, and stock availability. These queries are predictable, the answers are in the systems the business already has, and the customer typically needs a fast response rather than a complex consultation.
An FAQ chatbot addresses exactly this pattern. Trained on the questions that customers actually ask — not the questions you think they ask — and connected to the systems that hold the answers, it provides instant, accurate responses to routine queries around the clock. The customer service team is freed to focus on the queries that genuinely require human judgement, product knowledge, or relationship management.
Is the business case simple to calculate?
Every hour that a customer service agent spends answering routine FAQ queries is an hour they are not spending on the work that creates more value. If a chatbot handles 60% of incoming queries — a realistic figure for a well-configured system — the customer service team effectively has 60% more capacity for the complex work, without the cost of additional headcount.
For manufacturing businesses where the customer service team also handles technical queries, expediting, and account management, this capacity release is significant. The time freed by chatbot automation can be redirected to proactive customer management — not just responding to queries, but identifying and addressing potential issues before they become complaints.
How do I get started?
The simplest way to start with an FAQ chatbot is to analyse the queries your customer service team actually receives. Categorise them by type and volume — what proportion are status queries? What proportion are specification questions? What proportion require a human response? The categories that are high-volume and low-complexity are the ones where a chatbot will deliver immediate value.
GoSmarter’s tools include chatbot functionality as part of a broader suite, and our team can help you understand which customer service automation would deliver the most value for your specific customer base and query mix.
