I had to schedule a session with the mechanic to check my car due to a product update. This time, when I called to schedule a time, the entire conversation happened with a ChatBot. A previous experience in 2023 trying to schedule a routine tire swap felt disastrous and left me feeling leery of future attempts with a machine. However, unlike previous times, it actually went pretty well. The Chatbot understood what I was saying. No guessing and interpreting from the ChatBot.
Even though it wasn’t disclosed I was speaking to a chatbot I could tell. The cadence and lilt of the voice wasn’t exactly like human language, but it was pretty close. However, the chatbot did a great job capturing the necessary details accurately. For example, my last name is tricky to spell. A “t” in in my last name sometimes ends up as a “c”, “p”, or “d”. Same as a I do with a human, I say “t like tango” when I get to this letter to avoid misspellings. When the chatbot spelled my name back to me I was expecting it to have inserted the word “tango” into the spelling, but it didn’t! It had correctly interpreted that I was using “tango” only to indicate the letter “t”. Score 1 point for the chatbot.
Through the phone call I also provided my phone number, VIN, and product recall case number. All in all, the transaction felt pretty smooth. I could feel myself remaining calm and unflustered providing the routine details. The Chatbot was accurate and quick! I spent no time on idle chitchat, waiting for something, or being put on hold. The call was efficient and informative. I even scheduled a drop off time and coordinated a shuttle service. The Chatbot even answered questions about how long the service appointment would take and provided some additional information.
The only tricky part came at the end. I disconnected still a bit unclear if somebody (i.e., a human) would be reaching out to confirm the appointment. I felt like the Chatbot scheduled it. But even if it didn’t end up confirmed, I feel confident that at least my information is accurate. At this particular dealership I’ve dealt with issues because somebody (i.e., a human), input the VIN number wrong. They inadvertently transposed two digits. It caused a lot of confusion with scheduling until it was eventually corrected.