In today’s fast-paced world, clients expect instant gratification, and this is particularly true when it comes to customer service. They want prompt responses, helpful guidance, and 24/7 availability. And not only do they want it—they expect it. 86% of people would pay more for a superior customer experience, and more than two thirds of companies compete on customer experience alone—so if you think it's something you can ignore, think again.

However, most traditional customer service channels like phone representatives, email support tickets, live chat, and help articles fail to meet all three criteria mentioned above. The good news is that AI chatbots are changing the customer service game for the better—across all industries, including real estate—so you can meet customers with everything they’re looking for and more.

Fast Service: The Need for Speed

According to this study, 75% of consumers rated fast response times as the most important aspect of customer experience. The verdict? People don’t like to wait—ever—and this is particularly true when it comes to customer service. They expect immediate answers to their questions, and if they don’t get them, they’re likely to take their business elsewhere. 

"75% of consumers rated fast response times as the most important aspect of customer experience."

Traditional customer service channels, such as phone representatives and email, can take a long time to provide customers with the information they need. The average response time for email is 12 hours. Live chat is faster, but it still requires a human to intervene, which can mean a wait time. And while most customers would prefer to help themselves with articles over waiting, reading through pages of material is no one’s idea of a good time, and they still may not solve specific inquiries. 

"Consumers are 2.4 times more likely to stay with your business if you can solve their problems quickly."

AI chatbots, on the other hand, are incredibly fast. They can provide customers with immediate answers to common queries, such as how to reset a password or how to return a product, and if they don’t know the answer, they can escalate the query to a human representative, ensuring that the customer gets the help they need—all while providing engagement in during the wait time. Considering that people are 2.4 times more likely to stay with your brand if you can solve their problems quickly, making the switch to instant service is absolutely critical. 

Helpful Service: The Need for Guidance

Customers don’t just want fast service; they also want helpful service. They want guidance on how to use a service, how to troubleshoot problems, and how to get the most out of their experience—and money. This desire isn’t negotiable either—according to Zendesk, 52% of consumers will leave for a competitor after just 1 poor impression of a brand. 

"52% of consumers will leave for a competitor after just 1 poor impression of a brand."

Traditional customer service channels are strong in this area, as they usually rely on human intervention, meaning the quality of service is high. Live chat and help articles can be helpful in this area as well. In fact, you’re probably wondering if this is the area where AI might actually fail your clients, which is a fair concern, considering the poor quality of early chatbots. However, AI chatbot quality has drastically improved, and businesses are offering customers the same quality experience for a fraction of the cost of live sales agents. In fact, 57% of business leaders believe the ROI on conversational AI is high, especially considering the minimal cost.

"57% of business leaders believe the ROI on conversational AI is high, especially considering the minimal cost."

The latest AI chatbots are incredibly helpful because they’re programmed with knowledge bases that contain answers to a diverse range of questions. They can effectively choose the right answers because they’re programmed with natural language processing (NLP) algorithms, which enable them to understand customer queries and respond accordingly. AI chatbots learn from their interactions, meaning they become faster and more accurate over time, and AI technology is becoming increasingly sophisticated by the day. If you’re unfamiliar with exactly what AI can do, we recommend checking out our article on how AI can provide a full concierge experience for your customers.

24/7 Access to Service: The Need for Availability

According to this recent research report, consumer demand for 24/7 access to service is on the rise—and tolerance for waiting for service is falling. Customers don’t just want fast and helpful service; they also want 24/7 access to service. They don’t want to wait until business hours to get the help they need. Traditional, human-driven customer service channels are typically only available during business hours. Live chat can be available outside of business hours, but it still requires human intervention, which can be limited and again, requires a wait time.

"Consumer demand for 24/7 access to service is on the rise—and tolerance for waiting for service is falling."

AI chatbots are always available, 24/7. Customers can get the help they need, no matter what time it is. They can even provide support in multiple languages, which is incredibly helpful for global brands. AI is also scalable—it can handle unlimited conversations at once.

AI Is Taking Over Customer Service—Are You On Board?

In short, customer service is the #1 thing standing in the way of more sales for most businesses. Customers expect fast service, helpful service, and 24/7 access to your brand, and traditional customer service channels fail to meet all three criteria. Luckily there is a scalable solution to this problem, allowing your brokerage to handle an infinite number of customer queries simultaneously—without requiring additional staff or costs—all while exceeding customer expectations. 

"80% of executives have reported a significant improvement in customer satisfaction after implementing conversational AI."

80% of executives have reported a significant improvement in customer satisfaction after implementing conversational AI—so what are you waiting for? If you’re looking to improve your brokerage’s customer service and increase sales, AI chatbots are the way to go. By implementing AI customer service solutions, you can provide a superior customer experience that will help build brand loyalty, increase customer retention, beat your competition, and ultimately drive more sales. 

It’s time to embrace the power of AI and take your customer service to the next level. If you’re ready to explore AI customer service options, book a demo with our team so you can experience Landslo’s cutting edge technology for yourself.