AI & Automation - 11 min to read

Chatbots for Customer Feedback: Guide & Best Practices

Dmytro Panasiuk
Dmytro Panasiuk

Chatbots are transforming how businesses collect customer feedback. Here’s what you need to know:

  • Chatbots are AI tools that chat with customers to get opinions
  • They’re available 24/7, handle multiple customers at once, and make feedback easy
  • Chatbots can personalize product recommendations and save abandoned carts
  • The chatbot market is expected to reach $1.3 billion by 2024

Key benefits of using chatbots for feedback:

  • Faster feedback collection
  • Personalized surveys
  • Always available
  • Cost-effective

How to set up a feedback chatbot:

  1. Choose a platform (e.g., Tidio, Gorgias, Intercom)
  2. Set clear goals
  3. Create conversational flows
  4. Write good questions
  5. Use if-then logic for personalization
  6. Protect user privacy

Best practices:

  • Keep questions simple and specific
  • Mix question types (yes/no, multiple-choice, open-ended)
  • Connect chatbots with CRM and data analysis tools
  • Regularly test and update your chatbot
  • Balance automation with human touch
Metric What it measures Why it’s important
Self-service rate Chats solved without humans Shows bot independence
Response success rate Bot’s correct answer % Measures accuracy
User retention rate Return user % Indicates usefulness
Goal completion rate Users finishing intended action % Reveals effectiveness
Average handle time Issue resolution speed Compares to human agents

By implementing these strategies, you can harness the power of chatbots to collect valuable customer feedback and improve your business.

What are feedback chatbots?

Feedback chatbots are AI tools that chat with customers to get their opinions. Think of them as digital helpers that ask questions about your products or services.

These chatbots come in a few types:

  • AI chatbots: Use smart tech to understand and respond to customers
  • Menu-based chatbots: Give customers a list of options to pick from
  • Voice bots: Talk to customers to get their feedback

Types of feedback chatbots

Type What it does Best use
AI Chatbots Understands natural language Deep conversations, open feedback
Menu-based Offers preset choices Quick surveys, specific questions
Voice Bots Collects spoken feedback Phone calls, accessibility needs

How businesses use feedback chatbots

1. Get feedback fast

Chatbots can ask for opinions right after a customer buys something or talks to you. This quick feedback helps you improve fast.

2. Make surveys personal

Chatbots can use what they know about a customer to ask just the right questions.

3. Always on duty

Unlike humans, chatbots can collect feedback 24/7. You won’t miss any important insights.

4. Do more with less

Chatbots can handle many chats at once, saving time and money while still getting crucial feedback.

Here’s a real example:

"Our feedback chatbot boosted response rates by 300% compared to email surveys", says Sarah Chen, CTO of TechRetail. "People just liked chatting more than filling out forms."

How to set up a feedback chatbot

Want to make getting customer feedback easier? A chatbot might be your answer. Here’s how to set one up:

Pick your platform

First, you need to choose a chatbot platform. Here are some options:

Platform Good for Cool feature Cost
Tidio Small businesses Build without coding $0 – $499/month
Gorgias Online stores Works with Shopify $10 – $750/month
Intercom Customer support Chat-based surveys $0 – $139/month

Set your goals

What do you want your chatbot to do? Maybe you want to:

  • Get feedback after purchases
  • See how happy customers are
  • Find ways to make your product better

Create your conversations

Now, let’s make your chatbot talk:

1. Say hi

Start with a friendly greeting. Tell people why the chatbot’s there.

2. Keep it simple

Ask short, easy questions.

3. Be friendly

Make your chatbot sound like your brand.

4. Give options

Use buttons or multiple choice. It’s faster for users.

5. Let them talk

Sometimes, you need to let people write longer answers.

Sarah Chen from TechRetail says: "Our feedback chatbot got 300% more responses than email surveys. People just liked chatting more."

Tips for using chatbots to collect feedback

Chatbots can be great for gathering customer feedback. But you need to use them right. Here’s how:

Writing good questions

Good questions are key. Here’s how to write them:

  • Keep it simple
  • Be specific
  • Mix up question types
  • Start with easy questions
Question Type Example Why Use It
Yes/No "Did you find what you needed?" Quick check
Multiple-choice "Rate our service: Great/Good/OK/Bad" Easy to measure
Open-ended "How can we do better?" Get details

Using if-then logic

If-then logic makes chats feel personal. Here’s how it works:

1. Ask a broad question

"What did you buy?"

2. Use the answer

Ask follow-ups based on what they say.

3. Go deeper

Keep asking more specific questions.

For example, if they bought shoes, ask about fit. If they bought a phone, ask about battery life.

Keeping user data safe

Protect user privacy. It’s a must. Here’s how:

  • Tell users how you’ll use their info
  • Only ask for what you need
  • Use secure systems
  • Follow data laws

A study found that "80% of consumers would switch to a competitor after one bad interaction." This shows why getting (and using) feedback matters.

Connecting chatbots with other tools

Chatbots can do more than just collect feedback. By linking them to other systems, you can supercharge your data. Here’s how:

Working with CRM systems

Connecting your chatbot to your CRM? Smart move. It’s like giving your customer relationships a turbo boost.

Why it’s a game-changer:

  • No more manual data entry (yay!)
  • Smooth data flow between systems
  • Personalized chatbot responses using CRM data

Take Salesforce, for example. It’s the go-to CRM for many chatbot setups.

Want to connect them? Here’s the quick version:

  1. Pick a CRM-friendly chatbot
  2. Use Zapier to bridge the gap
  3. Set up triggers and actions

Here’s what that might look like:

Trigger Action
New chat starts Create new lead in CRM
Customer completes survey Update customer record
Chatbot spots an issue Create support ticket

Using data analysis tools

Got feedback? Great. Now let’s make sense of it.

Data analysis tools can:

  • Spot trends
  • Group similar comments
  • Show what customers REALLY care about

Idiomatic is one such tool. It’s like a feedback detective, automatically categorizing and revealing insights.

Don’t just take our word for it. The Pinterest Customer Support Team said: "Idiomatic helps us identify and quantify tickets, shaping our strategy to boost customer experience."

Linking to customer service systems

Want to turn feedback into action FAST? Link your chatbot to your customer service system.

Here’s the flow:

  1. Chatbot collects feedback
  2. System flags urgent issues
  3. Creates tickets automatically
  4. Assigns to the right person

No more lost customer problems. It’s like having a 24/7 customer service ninja.

Take the OMQ Chatbot. It plays nice with live chat services like Userlike and Zendesk.

EMP, a company using OMQ, saw more chat use AND less work for their support team. Win-win.

The bottom line? Create a smooth info flow. Use feedback to level up your product or service, FAST.

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Making chatbots work better

To get the most out of your feedback chatbot, you need to fine-tune it. Here’s how:

Testing chatbot usability

Put your chatbot through its paces:

  • A/B test design and functionality
  • Try different conversation flows
  • Check how it handles various user inputs

Keep testing regularly to maintain high standards.

Reviewing chatbot conversations

Dig into your chatbot’s chat logs. Look for:

  • Common user questions
  • Sticking points
  • Successful interactions

Use analytics tools to crunch the numbers.

Updating your chatbot

Use what you’ve learned to make your chatbot smarter:

1. Improve Natural Language Processing (NLP)

Train your chatbot to understand user inputs better:

  • Add new keywords and phrases
  • Tweak context interpretation
  • Fix misunderstandings

2. Expand the knowledge base

Keep your chatbot up-to-date:

  • Add new product details
  • Update company policies
  • Include recent customer feedback

3. Refine conversation flows

Make chats smoother:

  • Shorten responses
  • Add smart buttons or quick replies
  • Create better escalation paths to human agents

Here’s what to focus on:

Area What to do
Language Simple and on-brand
Responses Short and clear
Navigation Buttons and quick replies
Handoff Smooth transition to humans

4. Act on feedback

Set up a system to collect and use feedback:

  • Get input from users and support agents
  • Use tools to quickly update help articles
  • Test changes to ensure they help

Solving common chatbot problems

Chatbots can boost customer feedback collection, but they’re not without issues. Here’s how to tackle some common problems:

Dealing with different languages

For businesses serving multilingual customers:

  • Use chatbots with built-in language detection
  • Create separate flows for major languages
  • Offer language selection upfront

H&M’s website chatbot switches languages, letting customers pick their preferred support language.

Handling detailed feedback

Chatbots often struggle with complex responses. To manage this:

  • Limit open-ended questions
  • Use multiple-choice for detailed feedback
  • Set up human handoffs for complex issues
Feedback Type Chatbot Approach Human Approach
Simple rating Handle directly Not needed
Multiple choice Process and categorize Review categories
Open-ended Capture and flag Analyze and respond

Balancing automation and human touch

Mix chatbots and human interaction effectively:

1. Set clear expectations

Tell users they’re talking to a bot and how to reach a human.

2. Use smart routing

Program your bot to spot complex queries and transfer to humans.

3. Provide seamless handoffs

Pass all context when transferring to avoid repetition.

Nordea, a Norwegian bank, does this well. Their chatbot "Nova" handles 90% of queries across 2,300 topics. For complex issues, customers can easily access human advisors.

The goal? Use chatbots to boost, not replace, human service. As Declan Ivory from Intercom says:

"If you are not thinking about how to apply AI in your business, it’s a huge missed opportunity."

Measuring chatbot success

Want to know if your feedback chatbot is pulling its weight? Let’s dive into the numbers that matter.

Key metrics to track

Here are the big ones:

Metric What it means Why it’s important
Self-service rate Chats solved without humans Shows bot independence
Response success rate Bot’s correct answer % Measures accuracy
User retention rate Return user % Indicates usefulness
Goal completion rate Users finishing intended action % Reveals effectiveness
Average handle time Issue resolution speed Compares to human agents

Checking feedback quality

Numbers aren’t everything. Make sure the feedback is actually useful:

  • Read chat logs regularly
  • Look at common questions
  • Watch how often the bot gets confused

Impact on customer satisfaction

Happy customers are the end game. Here’s how to tell if your bot’s helping:

  • Compare satisfaction scores: bot vs. human
  • Check if bot users buy more
  • See if support tickets drop

Fun fact: Thompson Rivers University‘s chatbot now handles 83% of chats. That’s a lot of free time for their human agents!

Future of chatbot feedback collection

Chatbots are getting smarter. They’re about to change how we collect feedback. Here’s what’s coming:

Better language skills

Chatbots are learning to talk more like us. This means:

  • They’ll get what we’re saying
  • Chats will feel more natural
  • We’ll get better feedback

Google’s BERT now understands search queries 10% better. This tech is coming to chatbots too.

Feeling our feelings

Chatbots are starting to pick up on emotions. This helps them:

  • Respond with more heart
  • Spot unhappy customers quickly
  • Get honest feedback

Take Woebot, for example. It’s a mental health chatbot that uses therapy techniques to help users manage their thoughts.

Guessing what we want

Smart chatbots will predict our needs. This leads to:

  • Proactive customer service
  • Better product suggestions
  • Smarter feedback questions

Here’s how predictive chatbots compare:

Feature Now Future
Responses Reactive Proactive
Data analysis Basic Advanced
Personalization Limited High
Feedback quality Good Excellent

By 2024, chatbots could handle up to 90% of customer queries. That’s huge.

The future of chatbot feedback is bright. As they get smarter, they’ll help businesses understand customers better than ever.

Conclusion

Chatbots are revolutionizing customer feedback collection. They’re fast, always available, and make it easy for customers to share their thoughts.

Why chatbots for feedback are a game-changer:

  • They’re ALWAYS ON. No more waiting for business hours.
  • They handle multiple queries simultaneously, slashing wait times.
  • They collect both quantitative and qualitative data, giving you the full picture.

Real-world results speak volumes:

Company Result
Photobucket 3% boost in customer satisfaction
Photobucket 17% faster problem resolution

Using chatbots for feedback lets businesses:

  • Spot and fix issues quicker
  • Boost customer happiness
  • Cut customer service costs

Ready to dive in? Here’s how:

1. Choose a chatbot that fits your needs

Pick one that aligns with your goals and budget.

2. Set clear objectives

What do you want to learn? Be specific.

3. Craft user-friendly questions

Keep it simple and straightforward.

4. Test thoroughly

Make sure your chatbot works smoothly before launch.

Don’t set it and forget it. Regularly review chatbot conversations and update as needed. This ongoing refinement will yield better feedback over time.

As AI advances, expect chatbots to get even better at understanding customers – potentially even predicting their needs before they ask.

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