The Role of Chatbots and Virtual Assistants in the Increase of Customer Experince
The example of Vanda
Abstract
Nowadays, customer experience plays an increasingly important role in the selection of a service provider. The customer's experience at the different touchpoints of the customer journey determines their long-term relationship with the service provider and plays an important role in whether they become loyal to the company or not. The use of technologies driven by artificial intelligence can greatly contribute to a positive customer experience. These technologies are useful because they can save time, energy, and human resources on the company side, as well as provide a competitive advantage. On the customer side they can provide a unique experience, so, they can also play a prominent role in increasing customer satisfaction. On the other hand, of course, we are also aware of its disadvantages, for example the lack of trust on the part of customers, the issue of ethics and the problem of impersonality. In our study, through the example of Vanda, Telekom's virtual assistant, we seek answer to what challenges the introduction of AI poses for the company and the consumers as well.
The questionnaire survey revealed that the majority of respondents found communication with Vanda easy or very easy. At the same time, most of them felt that the administration time did not speed up at all; they consider the involvement of the virtual assistant as an extra step, which slows down the process. Regarding the satisfaction with Vanda, the divisive responses focused on her limited problem-solving ability and her impersonal communication. Her constant availability received positive feedback though, and the Hungarian language and short reaction time are attractive to customers.
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