The Chat Bot Revolution: A Shift from Social Networking to Instant Messaging Applications

We are at the brink of a Chat Bot revolution on instant messaging applications. As downloads for applications on social networks go down, brands are choosing to come to the place where the user spends most time, in the safety of their favourite instant messaging applications.

As countless brands have taken the plunge to introduce Chat Bots to automate the conversation with their audience it is quite clear that Bots are here to stay. As Facebook revealed in July the presence of over 11,000 bots on Facebook Messenger and counting, bots have been taking the world by the storm.Whether it is booking a dinner table or scheduling an appointment with a doctor, customers can now carry out a spectrum of online transactions within the comfort zone of their Instant Messaging Applications.

According to a study by Business Insider, Messaging applications have now surpassed social networks in terms of usage. This confirms the notion that brands must actively adopt the idea of connecting with its customers and potential users on Instant Messaging Applications instead of pushing more stand-alone applications of social networks. An important aspect of the new revolution of conversational user interfaces is the adoption of a human like persona for the bot. Whether it’s the sweet talking Siri or Cortana, bots now act as a personal virtual assistant with human like qualities which makes the experience of interacting with the bot more enriching rather than monotone or without emotion.

This also provides the brand much room for injecting their brand’s personality in the bot. The bot thus acts as a spokesperson for the brand managing countless interactions at the same time with ease and eliminates human errors. With a proper and extensive strategy, bots can not only automate daily tasks for the brand but will be able to establish and build a lasting relationship with your customers.

5 Things to Consider Before Developing a Chat Bot for Your Business

As we roll into the era of conversational user interfaces, bots have taken the world by the storm.  There is no doubt that the use of bots will help the brand establish a quicker and ready solution for users that are having a conversation with the bot.

The messages transmitted are uniform across the board which helps eliminate the human-bias that a user may have regarding the company.

However, as businesses across the globe are considering whether they should invest in creating a bot, here are 5 things to consider before your business makes its decision.

  1. Set a Clear Strategy:

It is important for your business to set a clear expectation of what the bot is set to provide. Are you facing issues with the amount of queries coming your way? The organization must have a clear idea of the role of the bot in this interaction so it can add considerable value to the process. A good example is using a bot to make quick hotel reservations for a local restaurant.

  1. Analyze the Interaction

Some businesses may not be open to chat bots as yet. Understand which process of your business absolutely needs human intelligence and intervention. A chat bot is not a replacement to a human interaction but just a means to add a digital spin to the process to make it more efficient.

  1. Connect with Chat Bot Marketers

Once you have made the decision to create a bot, it is important to do it right. You do not want your bot to crash unexpectedly in the midst of an important interaction. Many marketing organizations can guide you through the process of creating a bot and the costs associated with it. You can do a run down of the opportunity cost of this decision and whether it can add value to the current processes.

  1. Plan the Voice of your Bot

Think of the bot as the person who is a spokesperson of your organization. Your bot must adopt the same personality traits as your organization and give the users an idea and history about your brand and what it stands for. A bot need not behave like a robot but a means for the business to tell their brand stories through it in a seamless interaction.

  1. Listen to your Customers

Feedback is one of the most important things to consider before you make the decision to develop your Bot. Understand from your customers as to what part of their interaction with the business poses a challenge. This can help you plan the role of the bot in solving these concerns for customers.