4 chatbot success metrics to bolster CX

Chatbot success can be measured using a number of metrics. Each helps improve the customer experience. Read on to learn which KPIs are beneficial for improving CX.

Measuring chatbot success requires a variety of contact center metrics, including customer satisfaction, completion rates, reuse rates and speech analytics feedback -- all of which ultimately aim to improve the customer experience.

As chatbot use in contact centers flourishes, evaluating key metrics is necessary to ensure that this self-service technology supports customer needs in a simple, yet effective manner.

Here are four key performance indicators for contact centers to measure chatbot success.

1. Customer satisfaction

One of the important chatbot success metrics to measure is customer satisfaction after an interaction with a bot. This is done in a similar manner to gauging interaction with an agent -- except there needs to be additional focus on customer effort.

Much of the human element is gone with chatbots, so there needs to be a deeper focus on the amount of customer effort during the interaction, including:

  • whether the chatbot was able to understand the customer;
  • whether the chatbot was able to respond to the specific question being asked;
  • whether there was first-contact resolution; and, if so,
  • whether the chatbot transferred the customer to an agent when the question could not be understood.
Chatbot effectiveness chart

2. Completion rates

Evaluating key metrics is necessary to ensure that this self-service technology supports customer needs in a simple, yet effective manner.

The self-service completion rate is another of the important chatbot success metrics to calculate. Measuring completion rates in bots is similar to that of an interactive voice response system. One of the major goals of chatbot automation is the reduction of expenses via a higher level of self-service.

If a customer is transferred to an agent, it is necessary to identify at what point the caller ends an interaction with a bot and begins interaction with an agent. This analysis helps identify opportunities to improve chatbot comprehension, scripting and potential additional functionality to improve self-service levels.

3. Reuse rates

It is equally important to identify customers who have used chatbots previously to see if they reuse the bot vs. quickly default to an agent. This provides insight above and beyond the feedback from customer satisfaction surveys by identifying whether customers were satisfied with their previous chatbot interactions.

4. Speech analytics feedback

There is also opportunity to use speech analytics to examine customer interactions with chatbots as a success metric.

Analyzing the specific elements and tone of the call -- including customer frustration levels and whether a customer must repeat themselves -- can provide insight into how bot interactions work and identify opportunities for improvement.

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