Struggling to assist too many customers at the same time? Finding it tough to offer 24/7 assistance? Fortunately, customer service chatbots have made these hassles a thing of the past!
These digital dynamos not only offer lightning-fast responses but also free up your human agents to focus on complex issues and provide top-tier support.
Keep reading to learn more about these chatbots and how AI chatbot’s customer service benefits both businesses and their customers.
What is AI Customer Service Chatbot?
AI customer service chatbot is an automated tool that simulates human-like conversations to assist customers. Powered by artificial intelligence, it answers common questions, provides product information, and helps with troubleshooting. Unlike traditional customer support, AI chatbots are available 24/7, offering quick responses without long wait times.
These chatbots continuously learn from interactions, becoming smarter over time as they better understand customer needs. They can handle various tasks, from answering FAQs to guiding users through complex issues. For instance, a chatbot can provide order updates or resolve payment problems within seconds.
The main advantage of AI chatbots is their ability to offer instant support while reducing the workload on human agents. This ensures a seamless customer experience and allows businesses to save on operational costs. Whether for startups or large enterprises, AI chatbots are essential for enhancing customer service and ensuring round-the-clock support.
Time for a quick spotlight on my curated list of the 10 best customer service chatbots!
Customer Service Chatbots | Best for | Pricing |
---|---|---|
ProProfs Live Chat | Delightful Customer Support With AI Chatbots | A Forever Free plan with all premium features is available for small teams. Paid plan starts from $19.99/operator/month. |
HubSpot | Converting Sales and Engaging Customers With Free Live Chat | Starts at $800/month. |
Kommunicate | Omnichannel Integrations | Starts at $83.33/month. |
Tidio | Live chat with ticketing functionality | Starts at $89/user/month. |
Intercom | Omnichannel Platform With Messenger and App | Starts at $39/month. |
Freshchat | Freshworks suite users | Starts at $17.87/month |
Chatfuel | Social Media Platforms | Starts at $10.13/month |
Botsify | Conversational Forms | Starts at $49/month. |
Zendesk | Zendesk users | Starts at $55/month |
Ada | Multilingual Support | Custom pricing |
Top 10 AI Customer Service Chatbots in 2024
I’ve personally used many of the tools on this list and also included recommendations from industry experts and leading review sites. This combination ensures a comprehensive overview of the best options available.
1. ProProfs Chat
Best for 24/7 Delightful Customer Support With AI Chatbots
I have been using ProProfs’s customer service chatbot for a few months and am very impressed with its performance. It offers seamless, real-time assistance that exceeds customer expectations and fosters a positive service experience.
One feature that I love the most is the chatbot customization dashboard. It lets me create human-like interactions that engage my customers and convert them into leads. Plus, its ability to connect with Help Desk and Knowledge Base systems is another feature I find quite useful. This allows my chatbot to create and route tickets to my support team and present relevant help articles to my customers.
With ProProfs’s customer service chatbot, I’ve seen remarkable improvements in both sales and customer satisfaction. I highly recommend it to anyone who wants to streamline customer service and boost their business.
What you’ll like:
- Pre-chat form to collect customer information and chat routing to the right agents
- Bot performance report to track and monitor your chatbot’s performance
- Real-time visitor tracking to monitor customer behavior and preferences
- Post-chat survey to measure customer satisfaction and feedback
What you will not like:
- Lacks an on-premise version
- Dark user interface option is not available
Compatibility: Web, macOS, Windows, Android, iOS
Pricing: A Forever Free plan with all premium features is available for small teams. Paid plan starts from $19.99/operator/month.
2. HubSpot
Best for Converting Sales and Engaging Customers With Free Live Chat
I used HubSpot‘s customer service chatbot for my website and was amazed by its ease and effectiveness. The chatbot builder helped me create a bot to schedule meetings, qualify leads, or answer common customer service questions.
I could build my bot or choose from one of their predefined templates, all from a visual editor that didn’t require coding knowledge. I also liked how the chatbot integrated with HubSpot’s CRM so I could personalize messages with the information in my database.
More importantly, its free live chat feature proved to be a valuable asset for our business. We experienced a noticeable increase in lead generation and customer engagement due to the ability to provide real-time support and answer queries promptly.
What you’ll like:
- Digital engagement to reach customers on their preferred channels, such as web, in-app, SMS, WhatsApp, and more
- Einstein Bots to automate personalized, intelligent service with AI-powered chatbots
- Multilingual bots to deploy conversational AI across languages and channels
- Workflows to embed business processes and help customers self-serve
What you may not like:
- The free plan offers just 3 reporting dashboards
- The initial setup process might be a little complicated for beginners
Compatibility: Web, macOS, Windows, iOS, Android
Pricing: Starts at $800/month.
Also Read : 10 Best HubSpot Chat Alternatives to Boost Your Engagement in 2024
3. Kommunicate
Best for Omnichannel Integrations
I used Kommunicate for my eCommerce business and was impressed with its features. It’s easy to use chatbot builder helped me launch an AI chatbot onto multiple channels without any coding experience.
I used it to handle customer inquiries across multiple channels, including Instagram Business Chat, Facebook Messenger, and Line. I really liked its bot-to-human handover feature, which automatically transferred complex support queries to my agents.
It’s another notable feature is its ability to remember context. This allowed my customers to have longer conversations with the chatbot, resulting in higher satisfaction with the responses.
For anyone seeking a versatile and efficient chatbot solution, I highly recommend Kommunicate.
What You’ll Like:
- Live dashboard to track all the conversations.
- No-Code chatbot builder Kompose
- Training AI chatbots with your website content and documents
- No-Code integrations across all popular channels
What You May Not Like
- The lead collection chatbots are complex to implement
- The tool may offer limited third-party integrations
Compatibility: Windows, macOS, Linux, Android, iOS
Pricing: Starts at $83.33/month.
Read Also : 11 Kommunicate Alternatives for Customer Support Automation in 2024
4. Tidio
Best for Live Chat With Ticketing Functionality
I used Tidio’s chatbot for my online store, and was amazed by its features and performance. Tidio is a platform that combines AI and human support to provide excellent customer service and increase sales. It has ready-to-use chatbot templates for various scenarios, such as greeting visitors, collecting leads, recommending products, and answering FAQs.
What I loved the most about Tidio was its real-time visitor tracking, which helped me proactively assist customers based on their behavior. Tidio’s multi-channel support ensured I could connect with visitors through chat, email, and even Facebook Messenger, all from a single dashboard.
Plus, Tidio’s live chat proved to be a valuable tool in my customer support operations. The ability to create tickets for complex inquiries ensured seamless follow-ups and improved overall customer satisfaction. If you want to boost your online presence and drive conversions, Tidio is a top choice.
What you’ll like:
- Offline messages to receive email notifications for messages outside of business hours
- Integrations with popular tools like Shopify, WordPress, Mailchimp, and more
- Live typing to see what customers are typing before they send a message
- Visitor list to view and filter active, idle, and new visitors
What you may not like:
- Paid plans can be expensive for small businesses
- Difficult to learn and use, especially for users with limited technical experience
Compatibility: macOS, Windows, Linux, iOS, Android
Pricing: Plan starts at $29/month (A free plan is available with limited features)
Explore : Top 11 Tidio Live Chat Alternatives & Competitors
5.Intercom
Omnichannel Platform With Messenger and App
I used Intercom for six months in my previous company. The chatbot handled most of the common questions from my customers, such as shipping details, refund policy, and product features. The best feature of the chatbot was its AI-powered capabilities, which helped it understand complex queries and provide accurate and natural answers.
Intercom’s messenger and app features helped us connect with customers on multiple platforms such as WhatsApp, Instagram, and email, improving communication and making them happier overall. Plus, its chatbot also learned from my help center articles and other sources, so I didn’t have to train or configure it. It was like having a 24/7 support agent that never got tired or bored.
To sum it up, Intercom’s customer service chatbot saved me time, money, and hassle and improved customer satisfaction and loyalty.
What you’ll like:
- Task Bot to automate repetitive tasks like booking meetings and collecting feedback
- Resolution Bot to resolve common customer queries instantly and accurately
- Custom Bot to qualify and route leads to the right sales reps
- Customer segmentation for targeted communication
What you may not like:
- The basic plan lacks multilingual support
- There can be delays in getting assistance from customer support
Compatibility: Windows, macOS, Linux, Android, iOS
Pricing: Starts at $39/month.
Also Check : Top 16 Intercom Alternatives & Competitors for 2024
6. Freshchat
Best for Freshworks Suite Users
If you’re looking to improve customer service and engagement, Freshchat is a great option. It comes with intelligent chatbot software that automates resolutions, scales support, and personalizes interactions, making it easier to manage customer queries. Its user-friendly interface makes implementation smooth and straightforward.
Freshchat enables you to create and deploy AI-driven bot experiences across websites, apps, and messaging channels, providing consistent engagement across platforms. I’m really impressed by its unified agent workspace feature, which gives agents access to all necessary customer information, like past purchases and open issues, for more personalized support.
Plus, Freshchat integrates seamlessly with the Freshworks suite, offering a unified customer support experience that enhances efficiency and allows for deeper customer insights. This integration ensures smooth collaboration between tools, improving overall productivity for your support team.
What you’ll like:
- Freddy AI to build and train chatbots with natural language processing
- SmartPlugs to fetch and display information from external sources like CRM
- Co-browsing to collaborate with customers and guide them through complex issues
- Campaigns to send targeted and personalized messages to customers based on their behavior and attributes
What you may not like:
- There can be issues with features like chat notifications and file transfers
- User interface can be a bit confusing and cluttered
Compatibility: Web, Windows, macOS, Android, iOS
Pricing: Starts at $17.87/month(A free plan is available with limited features)
Read Now : 11 Best Freshchat Alternatives & Competitors Worth Considering in 2024
7. Chatfuel
Best for Social Media Platforms
I used Chatfuel to create a customer service chatbot for my e-commerce store on Facebook Messenger. It was a great experience, as Chatfuel made it easy and fast to build and deploy a custom chatbot that could handle most of the common inquiries from my customers.
One of the best features of Chatfuel was the ability to segment and analyze my customers based on their behavior and feedback. I could use this data to improve my products, services, and marketing strategies. Chatfuel also offered a variety of templates, guides, and resources to help me create a chatbot that suited my needs and goals.
Chatfuel is a robust and reliable tool for boosting customer support and engagement through chatbots. I would recommend it to anyone who wants to grow their eCommerce business on WhatsApp and Facebook Messenger.
What you’ll like:
- Built-in stats to assess the performance of each block in your chatbot
- Keyword rules to have your bot send specific responses for certain keywords
- Integration with the knowledge base to reduce support volume and resolution times
- Plugins to add functionality and features to chatbots, such as payments, forms, galleries, and more
What you may not like:
- Advanced analytics are restricted to higher-tier subscription plans
- Limited support for multilingual conversations
Compatibility: Windows, macOS, Linux,Android, iOS
Pricing: Starts at $10.13/month
8. Botsify
Best for Conversational Forms
I briefly used Botsify and was quite impressed with its functionality. It was easier to set up and customize without any coding required. I could choose from the templates and integrate them with my Shopify store and Facebook page.
The chatbot helped me handle customer inquiries 24/7 across multiple channels. It also collected user data and sent email follow-ups to reduce cart abandonment. One of the best features of Botsify was the conversational forms, which allowed me to create interactive and engaging chat flows with call-to-action buttons.
Botsify improved my customer service quality and increased my sales and conversions. If you’re looking to automate your customer service with a smart and effective chatbot, Botsify is the right choice.
What you’ll like:
- Templates to choose from ready-made chatbot solutions for various industries
- Story Tree to create and visualize chatbot flows with branching logic
- Sentiment analysis to detect user emotions and respond accordingly
- Human takeover to switch from chatbot to live agent seamlessly
What you may not like:
- Limited customizing for the chatbot’s visual appearance
- Delayed updates for the chatbot’s knowledge base
Compatibility: iOS, Android, Windows, macOS
Pricing: Starts at $49/month.
Explore : Top 10 Botsify Alternatives to Consider in 2024
9. Zendesk
Best for Zendesk users
Zendesk offers a comprehensive suite of features that empowers businesses to provide exceptional service, setting a new standard for customer care. Its AI-powered chatbot serves as a valuable virtual assistant, efficiently handling a wide range of customer queries and offering self-service options.
I was particularly impressed with the Flow Builder, which allowed me to create customized conversational flows tailored to specific scenarios and customer intents. Another remarkable aspect is the chatbot’s ability to learn from customer feedback and interactions, continuously improving its accuracy and performance over time.
This tool is perfect for current Zendesk users as it seamlessly connects with your existing tools and data, making support easier and more efficient. If you’re looking for a customer support solution that combines powerful features, ease of use, and AI-driven intelligence, Zendesk could be the ideal fit.
What you’ll like:
- AI tool to detect customer intent for better service
- Answer Bot to provide instant answers from the knowledge base
- Social messaging to connect popular platforms like Facebook, Twitter, and WhatsApp
- Sunshine Conversations to build rich and interactive chatbot experiences across channels
What you may not like:
- Limited customization options
- Pricing can be higher for small businesses and startups
Compatibility: Web, iOS, Android, Windows, macOS
Pricing: Starts at $55/agent/month.
Read Also : Zendesk Alternatives: 10 Best Customer Support Software in 2024
10. Ada
Best for Multilingual Support
Ada’s chatbot proved to be a valuable tool in streamlining our customer support processes. It efficiently addressed common inquiries like order status, refunds, and product details, enabling us to provide prompt assistance. Plus, the chatbot’s personalization capabilities enhanced customer satisfaction by tailoring responses to individual preferences.
Ada’s 24/7 availability across various channels and languages enabled us to expand our customer reach and minimize response times significantly. The AI analytics offered key insights, enabling us to monitor and optimize chatbot performance for consistently excellent customer service.
Ada’s multilingual capabilities proved invaluable in expanding our customer support reach. By providing support in various languages, we ensured a positive experience for our global clientele, fostering inclusivity and engagement.
What you’ll like:
- Engage feature to proactively reach out to customers with personalized messages
- Ada Glass to hand off conversations from chatbot to live agent with full context
- Automation to streamline workflows and processes with chatbot actions
- Ada Translate to support customers in multiple languages
What you may not like:
- Some users reported issues with customer support
- Responses can be slow at times
Compatibility: iOS, Android, Windows, macOS
Pricing: Custom pricing.
Which Customer Service Chatbot Is the Best for Your Business?
In a hurry? Skip ahead with my top three recommendations!
Option A: ProProfs Chat
ProProfs Chat can be your best bet if you are looking for a comprehensive chatbot solution with easy customization and reliable self-help support. This AI-powered chatbot lets you integrate with the help desk to route tickets to your support team and save you time and effort.
Option B: Chatfuel
If you want to engage customers on social media platforms like Facebook and WhatsApp, Chatfuel can be your tool to go. This customer service chatbot can help you segment your visitors based on their behavior and preferences.
Option C: Ada
Ada is an easy-to-use chatbot solution that can help you cater to global audiences with its multilingual support functionality. This is a reliable customer service chatbot when it comes to automating routine inquiries with its round-the-clock support.
Why Customer Service Chatbot Is Important for Your Business
A customer service AI chatbot can transform your business operations. It improves efficiency, provides 24/7 support, and significantly enhances customer satisfaction. Here are seven compelling reasons why integrating an AI chatbot is a smart move:
- Instant Response Time: AI chatbots can process and respond to multiple customer queries almost instantly. This reduces wait times and helps resolve issues quickly, leading to a more satisfying experience for your customers and boosting their overall impression of your service.
- Cost Efficiency: By automating repetitive and routine customer service tasks, chatbots help reduce the need for a large team of customer service representatives. This can lead to significant cost savings, allowing your business to allocate resources more effectively and focus on other important areas.
- Scalability: As your business grows, so does the volume of customer interactions. AI chatbots can effortlessly scale to handle increased traffic without requiring additional resources. This scalability ensures that service quality remains high even as your customer base expands.
- Data Collection and Insights: Chatbot tools are excellent at collecting and analyzing data from customer interactions. They can track common issues, preferences, and feedback, providing valuable insights that can help you refine your products and services, and tailor your marketing strategies to better meet customer needs.
- Enhanced Customer Engagement: AI chatbots offer personalized interactions based on customer data and preferences. They can proactively reach out with helpful suggestions or updates, creating a more engaging and personalized experience. This proactive approach can boost customer satisfaction and foster long-term loyalty.
By integrating a customer service AI chatbot into your operations, you can significantly boost your customer service capabilities, improve efficiency, and create a more positive and engaging experience for your customers.
How to Build ProProfs Customer Service Chatbot?
Building a ProProfs Customer Service Chatbot is a simple process designed to amplify your customer support. By following these steps, you’ll be able to create a customer service chatbot that’s up and running in no time and ready to assist your customers efficiently.
Step 1: Start the chatbot creation process
Go to the “Bots” section on your dashboard.
Click on the “+Create New Bot” button and choose “Using AI” from the dropdown list.
Now, you’ll need to enter the information your bot will use to learn and communicate with users.
Step 2: Setting Up Your Bot with Data
You have two ways to set up your bot:
- URL: Enter your website’s URL in the “Website URL” field. The system will scan your site to gather information, like FAQs and product details, to build the bot’s knowledge base around your content.
- Text: If you don’t want to use your website or want to add extra details, you can manually input text. This option is great for adding specific information, such as instructions or policies, that you want your bot to understand and share with users.
After choosing your data source and entering the needed information, click “Process Data” to move forward.
This is what the website data looks like once it’s successfully processed:
You can change the processed data by clicking the edit icon.
Step 3: After the website data is processed, click “Start Training.”
Step 4: Click “Preview” to see how your bot works.
Your bot is now set up and good to go!
What are Some Examples of Effective Customer Service Chatbots?
Here are five customer service chatbot examples from top brands, highlighting their innovative uses:
1. H&M’s Kik Chatbot
H&M’s kik chatbot is designed to make online shopping more personalized and interactive. When customers engage with the bot, it asks questions about their style preferences, sizes, and occasion, then curates outfits based on their answers.
The chatbot connects directly to H&M’s online store, providing users with outfit ideas and links to purchase items instantly. This level of customization not only improves the user experience but also drives conversions by offering tailored suggestions in real-time, reducing the chances of abandoned carts.
2. Domino’s Pizza Bot
Domino’s has made pizza ordering faster and more convenient with its AI-driven chatbot, “Dom.” Accessible through multiple platforms like Facebook Messenger, Amazon Alexa, and Google Home, the bot allows customers to place orders, customize pizzas, and track delivery in real-time.
Whether it’s reordering a previous favorite or trying something new, Dom improves the customer experience by making pizza delivery quick and easy. Its integration with GPS tracking also provides customers with real-time updates on their order status, improving transparency and customer satisfaction.
3. Impulse Creative
Impulse Creative has implemented an interactive chatbot on their website to streamline the user experience. The chatbot guides visitors through the site by offering a curated list of relevant queries, enabling them to tailor their navigation based on individual needs. This approach fosters a more personalized and efficient browsing experience, ensuring users can quickly access the information they seek.
By placing user experience at the forefront, Impulse Creative’s chatbot implementation showcases a commitment to facilitating a seamless and fulfilling online journey for each and every visitor.
4. Bank of America’s Erica
Erica, Bank of America’s virtual financial assistant, leverages AI to offer 24/7 support through the bank’s mobile app. Customers can ask Erica to check balances, pay bills, and transfer money, all without needing to speak to a live agent. Erica’s advanced features include providing spending insights and personalized tips for managing finances.
Using predictive analytics, Erica can even alert customers to potential overdraft situations or suggest ways to save money, making it an indispensable tool for improving financial literacy and customer satisfaction.
5. Pipeline Ops
Pipeline Ops utilizes a chatbot on their website to proactively engage with visitors and collect valuable information. This intelligent virtual assistant acts as the first point of contact, gathering crucial details like names and email addresses from those browsing the site. By doing so, it seamlessly converts anonymous visitors into potential leads, even before any direct interaction with a sales representative occurs.
This approach streamlines the lead generation process, allowing the sales team to focus their efforts on nurturing qualified prospects and fostering meaningful relationships, ultimately driving business growth.
Turn off hotspots.
What are the Top Customer Service Chatbot Trends That Will Shape the Future?
Here are the top emerging trends in customer service chatbots:
- Hyper-personalization: Chatbots will go beyond simple greetings, using customer data and AI to offer tailored product suggestions and solutions, making each interaction feel unique.
- Voice-Activated Chatbots: As voice assistants like Siri and Alexa become commonplace, chatbots will increasingly be able to understand and respond to spoken language, offering a more natural and accessible experience.
- Omnichannel Integration: Chatbots will seamlessly operate across various communication platforms like websites, social media, and messaging apps, ensuring consistent support no matter how customers reach out.
- Empathetic AI: Chatbots will be equipped with emotional intelligence to better understand and respond to customer sentiments, offering support and resolving issues with empathy.
- Predictive Analytics and Proactive Support: Chatbots will anticipate customer needs by analyzing past interactions and behavior patterns, offering solutions even before the customer asks for them.
- Self-Learning Capabilities: AI chatbots will continually learn from every interaction, improving their knowledge base and response accuracy over time, delivering increasingly sophisticated support.
These trends highlight the evolving role of chatbots from simple FAQ responders to intelligent, empathetic, and personalized customer service representatives. As technology advances, we can expect chatbots to become even more sophisticated, revolutionizing the customer support landscape.
Evaluation Criteria
The evaluation of products or tools chosen for this article follows an unbiased, systematic approach that ensures a fair, insightful, and well-rounded review. This method employs six key factors:
- User Reviews / Ratings: Direct experiences from users, including ratings and feedback from reputable sites, provide a ground-level perspective. This feedback is critical in understanding overall satisfaction and potential problems.
- Essential Features & Functionality: The value of a product is ascertained by its core features and overall functionality. Through an in-depth exploration of these aspects, the practical usefulness and effectiveness of the tools are carefully evaluated.
- Ease of Use: The user-friendliness of a product or service is assessed, focusing on the design, interface, and navigation. This ensures a positive experience for users of all levels of expertise.
- Customer Support: The quality of customer support is examined, taking into account its efficiency and how well it supports users in different phases – setting up, addressing concerns, and resolving operational issues.
- Value for Money: Value for money is evaluated by comparing the quality, performance, and features. The goal is to help the reader understand whether they would be getting their money’s worth.
- Personal Experience/Expert’s Opinion or Favorites: This part of the evaluation criteria draws insightful observations from the personal experience of the writer and the opinions of industry experts.
Streamline Support With the Best Customer Service Chatbot!
The rise of AI chatbots has revolutionized customer service, making long hold times and limited support hours obsolete. Customer service chatbots’ benefits are immense including instant responses, reducing the workload on human agents, and improving the overall customer experience.
For a chatbot that combines reliability, versatility, and easy customization, I highly recommend ProProfs Chat. It integrates seamlessly with your help desk, offering 24/7 support and a comprehensive range of features. With ProProfs Chat, you can streamline your customer service, improve satisfaction, and boost your business!
FREE. All Features. FOREVER!
Try our Forever FREE account with all premium features!