Chatbots

10 Deployment Tips
Chatbots: 10 Usability Tips Page 2
eGain Communications Corporation
eGain commissioned The Usability Company to identify the critical factors that
determine the success of a chatbot. The top 10 tips derived from the study are
presented in this paper.
1. Have the chatbot constantly, but unobtrusively, available on the screen. Consumers
clearly preferred an agent that was globally available at the site, at any time and on
any page. Burying the agent in a Help section was not well-received. Many
individuals in the study had made it a practice never to click on Help buttons
because of negative experiences in the past.
2. Put the chatbot near the top of the screen, but not at the very top. Consumers have
been so conditioned to expect advertisements at the top of the screen that they are
likely to confuse the chatbot with a banner advertisement.
3. If screen real estate is so limited that the chatbot must be reached through a button,
place that button near the top of the screen and label it clearly.
4. Avoid pop-up windows. Consumers reacted negatively to a chatbot window that
obscured other windows.
5. Make sure the text box is either large enough to contain a typical query, or that the
text scrolls as the user types it, so that users can easily see everything theyve written.
6. If the chatbot refers visitors to a particular page, provide a link that takes them
directly to that page. Dont require them to navigate in order to find it.
7. Be tolerant of common grammatical and spelling mistakes. Queries need not be
rephrased because of unintentional typing errors.
8. Make sure that the chatbot knows its limitations, and that there is a mechanism to
escalate the inquiry to a source, either online or offline, that will be able to provide
a satisfactory answer. Typical options include online chat with a live person, the
email address or toll-free number to a contact center or, at minimum, a list of
alternate self-service resources.
9. Provide adequate infrastructure so that issues such as bandwidth or internal
processing time does not slow the chatbots response time. One of the main reasons
consumers like chatbots is their speed.
Chatbots: 10 Usability Tips Page 3
eGain Communications Corporation
10. Be polite! In particular, phrase error messages so as not to antagonize customers who
are already frustrated because theyve made an error. The following error message
was perceived as bordering on rudeness: Please, one idea at a time. You dont have to
say everything at once. I can help you better if you ask fewer questions. A more polite
version would be, Im sorry, but that is a rather complicated request. If you could break
it up into a series of simpler questions, I would be able to provide better assistance.
About The Usability Company
The Usability Company is the UKs foremost provider of independent, business-focused
usability consultancy. It works across all digital platforms including websites, wireless
services, intranets, mobile devices, and i-TV, providing expertise at all stages in the
development cycle. For more information abut their research and services, email them at
info@theusabilitycompany.com.
About eGain
eGain (NASDAQ: EGAN) is the leading provider of multichannel customer service and
knowledge management software for in-house or on-demand deployment. For over a
decade, hundreds of worlds largest companies have relied on eGain to transform their
traditional call centers, help desks, and web customer service operations into
multichannel Customer Interaction Hubs (CIH). Based on the Power of One

the
concept of one unified platform for customer interaction and knowledge
managementeGain solutions help improve customer experience, optimize end-to-end
service process, increase sales, and enhance contact center performance.
eGain Service

, the companys software suite, includes integrated, best-in-class

applications for customer email management, knowledge management, web self-service,
live web collaboration through chat and co-browsing, automation of fax and paper-based
Chatbots: 10 Usability Tips Page 4
eGain Communications Corporation
service interactions, case management, and service fulfillment. These robust applications
are built on the eGain CIH Platform

, a scalable next-generation framework that

includes end-to-end service process management, multichannel and multisite contact
center management, a flexible integration approach, and certified out-of-the-box
integrations with leading call center, content, and business systems.
Headquartered in Sunnyvale, California, eGain has operating presence in North
America, EMEA, and APAC.
Contact Information
eGain Corporation
1252 Borregas Avenue
Sunnyvale, CA 94089
Telephone: US: +1-800-821-4358
EMEA: +44-(0)-1753-464646
APAC: +91-(0)-20-6608-9200
Fax: US: 408-636-4400
Email: info@egain.com
2013 eGain Corporation. All rights reserved.