In the world of website chat, there are really only two ways to approach the problem. One is having Live Chat Agents working on your website chat systems, the other is to setup bots or Artificial Intelligence to try and assist visitors in the same way. There is a lot of contention around this issue (for us the best option is clear), but to be fair to the argument and help you see both sides of the coin, below are some pluses and minuses to each option, and afterwards are some final conclusions and suggestions for serving your customers.
Advantages of Live Chat Agents:
Personalized Assistance: Live chat agents can provide personalized assistance to website visitors, answering questions, resolving problems, and providing guidance in real-time. Live chat agents can get to know the person they are interacting with, which is so critical to matching them with an available unit. By understanding the needs of a prospect and providing unique and personalized service and communication, a prospect is much more likely to continue communication and continue into the leasing sales funnel.
Flexibility: Live chat agents can handle a wide range of inquiries and requests, answer unique questions, fulfill specialized needs, reach out to others to find the best information, and provide assistance and guidance on a wide range of topics. The flexibility element , providing support and assistance on a variety of topics. This can help improve the efficiency and effectiveness of the customer service process.
Human Connection: Live chat agents can provide a human touch to the customer service process, building relationships with customers and helping to create a sense of trust and loyalty. When prospects feel connected to a leasing agent and to a multifamily community, it is much more likely they are going to enjoy their experience and ultimately sign a lease. Connection goes beyond just personalization of service, it involves the nuance of understanding the mentality of a prospect and fulfilling their needs in a meaningful way and creating a sense of belonging.
Disadvantages of Live Chat Agents:
Cost: Hiring and training live chat agents can be more expensive than implementing an automated chatbot, especially for small businesses or those with limited budgets. However, cost is not as expensive as you might think, and if you have any questions about what the real-world cost might be, and the benefits it provides, please don’t hesitate to reach out to us.
Availability: Live chat agents may not be available 24/7, leading to delays in responses or unanswered inquiries during periods of high demand. For the record, we do offer 24/7365 service contacts, but it is usually only needed in certain circumstances. For the most part, live chat coverage from 6am to 11pm covers the vast majority of traffic in most markets and provides the best cost-to-result ratio. Additionally, we very carefully construct automated responses in those off hour times to continue with lead-capture and to inform prospects on the options for future contact.
Advantages of Automated Bots and AI:
Cost-effectiveness: Automated bots and AI-powered chat systems can be more cost-effective than hiring live chat agents, especially for small businesses or those with limited budgets. But keep in mind the results you seek and the ROI when you consider your investment.
Scalability: Automated bots and AI-powered chat systems can handle a large volume of inquiries and requests, providing support and assistance to many customers at once. This can help improve the efficiency when dealing with high volumes of prospects. But keep in mind the quality of experience those prospects are having, and the ways in which their experience could be improved.
24/7 Availability: Automated bots and AI-powered chat systems can provide support and assistance 24/7, ensuring that customers can receive help at any time. But keep in mind if that is truly needed or expected.
Disadvantages of Automated Bots and AI:
Lack of Personalization: Automated bots and AI-powered chat systems are getting better all the time but often are not able to provide the same level of personalized assistance as live chat agents. They won’t get to know your clients in the same way that a trained leasing agent can, and thus they can’t fulfill their needs in the same way.
Limited Problem-Solving Capabilities: Automated bots and AI-powered chat systems may be limited in their ability to solve complex problems or provide tailored guidance, potentially leading to frustration or dissatisfaction among customers.
Conclusions
Let me ask you one question in summation. When you are on a website and click the chat button to open a chat window, are you happy or disappointed when you find out it’s a bot interacting with you? Of course you are! And we are too!
HOW LEASING CHAT is the best of both worlds:
We are a Live Chat Agent service and offer expertly trained leasing agents to work specifically with your properties. They provide personalized and dedicated communication with the goal of bringing more qualified prospects into your leasing funnel. We offer this service by building a deep understanding of your properties and company needs, as well as catering to the specialized needs of your prospective tenants.
In this way we are vastly superior to an artificial intelligence service, but we do incorporate AI in small ways during off-hours. In off hours, when live agents are no longer on duty, we will incorporate AI chat bots in simple ways to assist with lead capture, and inform prospects of when they can expect to be contacted by us or your leasing office. In our opinion, this is the best use of AI, because no one truly wants to talk with a bot.
To find out more about our services and the way we can help your customers, reach out for a consultation.