With 80% of companies planning to implement some type of chatbot by the end of 2020, it is becoming increasingly popular to use a chatbot for improving business processes.
Most companies implement a similar procedure: create a chatbot, promote it, engage with users through it, and grow your business.
But one of the most important things that this procedure requires is a tightly bound strategy that makes it work.
Continue reading 5 Steps To Creating a Successful Chatbot Strategy
Chatbots are slowly taking over every aspect of a business, right from customer service to marketing. Their efficiency and usefulness have been proved time and again. We see that even Government organisations are starting to understand the benefits of having a chatbot incorporated into their activities. But developing a bot for a government organisation poses a lot more risks. Here are some steps to consider to ensure you don’t make any errors –
Chatbot agencies must ensure that the bots are built to support complicated conversations and provide them access to data repositories that can help them solve the user query (ex- calculating social security benefits). Your bot is of no help if it does not have the right access to resources to help citizens with their day-to-day concerns.
Just as it is important to make sure your bot is smart and has access to the right data, it is also equally important that there is a smooth cross channel integration. Yes, a bot cannot provide all the answers, but it must be well connected to direct the user to the right channels without causing any confusion. This will help end users get the same information from chatbots as they do from more traditional channels like web and mobile.
We’ve now created a smart bot seeped with the right information, the next step is to ensure that the users can easily understand what the bot is trying to communicate. Step away from technical jargons and complicated words. The goal is to simplify things for the user and not complicate it further. Agencies need to be prepared and choose a chatbot platform that can easily explain its decisions in clear and understandable language. This will help build the authenticity of the bot and increase the public trust.
The Chatbot is one of the hottest topics in most businesses across all industries. Indeed, in full digital acceleration , companies want to modernize their services , and in particular their customer relationship. Chatbots undoubtedly represent a quick optimization solution : a recent study by Gartner shows that 85% of the customer relationship will be automated by 2020. And one of the main sectors concerned is insurance.
The challenges of digital are considerable for insurance companies: they must not only adapt their business models to the needs of consumers, but also digitize their internal processes. A recent CCM Benchmark study of more than 1,370 users shows that 49% of respondents would be willing to use Chatbot to contact their advisor . However, they would not give up the opportunity to interact directly with their bank or insurance.
Bots are blessed bread for the entire sector at the time of the big data explosion. They are able to learn and adapt as they are used and search for information in large volumes of data in seconds. Artificial intelligence allows properly programmed Chatbots to recognize patterns and repeat actions from certain words, phrases or other stimuli.
With the bots advisors, insurance companies are bringing their services into a new era. The Chatbots allow them to answer most of the questions of the insured, that they relate to the offers and tariffs and their conditions, but also on the declaration of claims and the prevention. For a frictionless customer experience, think of a bot Messenger or WeChat : the customer contacts you directly from his account.
Be careful though, the first versions of a Chatbot are never satisfactory! The agency needs to “teach” it how to react to a given interaction. Finally, users must be aware that they are dealing with a bot and not a human agent, to avoid disappointment with the service or the company.
The future of Chatbots in the insurance sector will obviously depend on the development of artificial intelligence . The more machine learning and algorithms are improved, the more interactions with Chatbots will come closer to a human conversation.
Chatbots are very efficient when it comes to solving problems for a business. There is a huge influx of chatbots by different brands and companies, there arises a need to ensure that your bot stands out. Branding your chatbot can help tackle this problem. By creating a separate identity for your bot, you can ensure better recall value by its users.
Although, branding is an important step towards creating a successful chatbot, here are some factors that you have a consider before creating branding your business chatbot –
Setting a realistic goal
It is true that technology has come a long way and almost anything is achievable with the help of artificial intelligence and virtual assistants. But, creating a bot that can perform multiple activities takes time and you might end up losing the focus on why the bot was created in the first place. For this reason,the bot must have a clear, achievable goal that it can perform perfectly every single time.
Chatbot should align with your brand
It is important to develop a bot whose persona is aligned with your brand and its values. If your bot is entirely different from your brand, the result will be unfavourable for your business.Make sure your bot is consistent with the overall brand experience your customers are already aware of.
Chatbot must be relatable to your target audience
The personality of your bot must be in sync with your target demographic. Let’s say you are cool e-commerce clothing brand for young women, then your bot must be funny and quirky and full of life. It must be like a best friend you go shopping with. But if your bot is formal and to the point, the users cannot relate to your bot.
Do you have any other factors that can affect the branding of your bot? Let us know in the comments below!
Time and again Chatbots have proved their effectiveness when it comes to assisting companies from different verticals. Although, it was predominantly used as a tool to improve customer service, it has seeped its way to other functionalities too. And we’ve got some tips on how these smart chatbots can also help your business generate leads
Interact with users using live chatbots
Live chats are useful because they can instantly talk to users on your website or social media channels and help them out whenever required. Let’s say an user visits your website and engages with your bot regarding a certain product. At the end of the conversation, your chatbot can request the user for their email ID so they can be informed of upcoming deals and discounts. This way, you will slowly start building prospective leads and keep them informed about your brand through mailers
Educational chatbots
We already know it is important for brands to answer the user’s queries immediately. But it is also important for brands to understand that they should be equipped to educate the users i.e be able to answer questions that the user has not even asked yet. The chatbots can tips/hacks or any other info that might interest the user. Through this, you can continue your email list.
Help with the purchase
Chatbots can also act as your virtual shopping buddy! It can help the visitors on your website make the right purchases by suggesting the right products. Let’s say a user is looking for dresses, your bot can add value by recommending matching accessories or bags to buy. At the end of the purchase, the bot can simply ask the customer for their email ID, and they’d be happy to share it with the bot if they’ve had a good shopping experience.
Chatbots have been making lives easier for people ever since its introduction. AI technology has come a long way with revolutionary innovations being made year after year. Bots have seeped its way into multiple industries and are making its way into workplaces.
Lot of companies have introduced bots to their offices in some way or another. But how can the usefulness of the bot be measured? What are the metrics that we need to focus on? What are the metrics that don’t matter. This article aims to answer all of those questions.
Accessibility
When a bot is incorporated in a workplace, it is necessary that is also easily accessible by the employee. One way to go about this would be to incorporate the bot into their existing interfaces or applications. The bot loses its value if the employee has to open a completely different application to access it.
Easy Maintenance
Since most of the chatbots for companies are developed by external agencies, if there is a minor problem or error, the company has to go back to agency to fix the error. This process leads to a waste of time and energy. Although, it may not be possible for employees to handle the complex technical aspects of the bot, there should be a mechanism where atleast small errors can be fixed internally.
Bots that go beyond providing information
Yes, it is important to get the right information at the right time and bots are incredibly useful in that aspect. But what would make them even better is if they could actually perform transactions for you. Going the extra mile is what makes a successful bot. The bots can be programmed to set appointments, give reminders etc. The possibilities are endless.
If your office bot is on the path to achieving some of the above mentioned points, then you have nothing to worry about. Let us know if you have any other factors that contribute to the sucess of a workplace bot.
Chatbots have become a rage! It is being leveraged by global and local businesses irrespective of their industry or sectors. The verdict is in – Chatbots are universally helpful.
Chatbots are helpful because they help reduce manual intervention and still provide instant solutions to the user. Time is an important factor that helps the user decide if they want to go with a particular brand. Especially when it comes to time sensitive businesses like owning a restaurant.
Incorporating chatbot for your restaurant is a great way to move your business to the next level. It provides a seamless service to your customers. It begins right from making reservations. Customers can easily make reservations using their smartphones instead of having to call the restaurants. This service can be extended to when the customer is waiting in line for a table, a chatbot can also help notify the customer when their table has been set up. This creates an enjoyable dining experience for the customer right from the start.
Let’s say, the customer is seated at the table and wants some suggestions on what to order or they want to know the chef’s signature dishes. Instead of waiting for the waiter to drop by the table and give his 2 cents, the customer can easily get this data through a chatbot.Similarly, if a customer wants to order steak but he’s not sure as to what wine would perfectly go with it, all he has to do is ask the bot for recommendations.
Customer loyalty is the key to any successful restaurant business. By providing exceptional service with the help of manual labour and AI, your business surely has the recipe for success 😉
We’re all familiar with the word artificial intelligence which has given birth to “Chatbots”. Chatbots are softwares that can have textual conversations with humans. Companies have been betting big on bots ever since its launch. Tech giants spent approximately $30 billion on AI in 2016.
But simultaneously, people have been all praise for live chats. So the question is, which is the better one? Both of these systems have their pros and cons. Let’s go into detail for that.
Chatbots
The biggest advantage of the chatbot is that it is instant and is available 24×7. People want responses immediately and they don’t want to wait for answers. It is also quite economical for business owners as they need not pump up too much money into creating chatbots. Due to developments in technology, there are easy softwares available to create chatbots. It also eliminates the need for having a human representative, thus, reducing cost. The human interference can be utilised for more important activities than for addressing menial queries.
But there is a downside to chatbots too. There is a limit to the kind of queries they can answer. The more complex the query, the more difficult for the bot to give an accurate answer. It’s not impossible but it does involve a lot of money and work on the bot. Whereas, live chat can help eliminate this problem.
Live Chat
Live Chat has been gaining popularity amongst businesses too. It eliminates the problem of waiting time and provides users with instant replies. Unlike chatbots, live chats are handled by actual human beings, so they have the ability to answer complex questions that a bot might not be able to answer. But the question comes to the availability of the service. Can the live chat service be made available 24×7? And if it is made available, then more employees have to hired for this job, which only increase the cost to the company.
As mentioned above, the battle between these 2 cannot declare a clear winner. It depends upon the goals, objectives and problem areas. And these criteria may differ from company to company. It’s about studying both these features and knowing your needs to find the perfect solution. The solution might even be a combination of chatbot and live chat.
Have you incorporated a live chat feature or a chatbot for your business? Let us know your story in the comments below.
Artificial intelligence and machine learning are undoubtedly the most controversial technologies of recent years. Both have proven great potential and have changed the way we think about all industries, including the sales department. Chatbots, more precisely, are a real competitive advantage for all companies. In particular, they help support customer service and make it more qualitative.
Chatbots can today boast of being indispensable in the marketing strategy of a company. They are a real ally, especially in instant messengers, because they can target and engage consumers.
Numerous studies have shown that chatbots have an obvious impact on sales. They are not negligible in the company strategy.
What is a chatbot?
A chatbot is an artificial intelligence system that is used by companies to communicate with their customers through instant messaging applications. Through natural language learning, chatbots are able to identify consumer queries and offer relevant answers.
The answers are less and less robotic
The use of “machin learning” allows chatbots to create new answers simply thanks to past data. These advances are aimed at increasing the quality of customer service. Today, good customer service is the key to conquer the consumer. Chatbots allow customers to interact with the business 24/7.
Why should I think about it?
Before implementing a chatbot in your business, the marketer must first consider the different technologies, because each of them has its own goal.
The goal of marketing is to reach its target and communicate on how a product can dramatically improve the lives of consumers. For the businessman, the goal is to increase sales and grow the company’s revenue. The chatbot can do both things at the same time.
The growing popularity of instant messaging applications has dramatically increased the range of possibilities.
People love instant messaging and they spend a lot of time there. Facebook Messenger has about 1.2 billion active users per month. Thus, the application represents an indispensable tool.
The opportunity for chatbots for your business
By improving the customer experience with chatbots, the customer is encouraged to inquire when he asks a question. The problem is that the customer does not necessarily intend to buy.
High engagement rate
This is where the chatbot comes in. After the conversation with the potential buyer, he can relaunch the customer on the product that interested him with promotional offers for example. This message is found directly in the customer’s inbox and is therefore likely to be open.
A chatbot messenger does not need to target upstream clients, this is a real benefit.
Analyzing and collecting data
By collecting and analyzing data, when a consumer comments on something, for example, the company collects valuable information. Chatbots have the ability to collect and analyze this crucial business information that may not be seen by staff.
Clients are better able to speak and express themselves when they know the person they are interacting with. It’s the same for chatbots.
Test the products.
Artificial intelligence simplifies the work of marketers. A company can test two product offerings at the same time. For example, 500 people can test a wording, a product presentation or a positioning. A sample of 500 other people can test a second version. This option allows a better understanding of the product and therefore better position it.
Guide sales.
Chatbots have become a real sales management tool. When a bot collects all the necessary data (including consumer behavior), it can offer the right product. The interactions between the bot and the consumer begin with the creation of the desire, then the selection, the order and finally the payment. It is a short and flawless circuit without human errors.
To conclude, integrating artificial intelligence into a business is relevant. The only brake is the budget. This decision must be made according to the criterion of size: large companies should not hesitate to introduce. As for the companies of intermediate size they must think twice. Integrating a lower quality chatbot can be disastrous for the customer relationship.
Chatbots have proven to be efficient when it comes to addressing any business related job roles. But their capabilities are so much. Incorporating bots in business activities is just the beginning. They have great potential to be the future of therapy and create awareness about mental health.
Numerous therapy chatbots have already been launched. But there’s still a long way to go to achieve the fullest potential.
Here are a couple of reasons why Chatbots are a great way to address mental health problems –
Availability
Although, there are numerous psychologists and doctors who are available to help people with their mental needs, they’re not available 24×7. Most of the time, you can meet them only after you schedule an appointment. There is a huge mismatch when it comes to availability. Bots are readily available. They might be able to help the person out during their vulnerable times or alert the necessary authorities if its a serious situation.
Anonymity
People are often not comfortable with discussing their personal problems or issues with another person, even if its a qualified medical and health professional. And the truth is, it takes the professionals a certain amount of time to break down the patient’s walls and to gain their trust. But with chatbots, users feel secure about the anonymity. They do not think that they’re being judged about their problems. They do not feel any apprehensions while talking to a bot.
Cost Efficient
Visiting a mental health professional can be a very expensive process. And not everyone can afford to spend such money. Bots can be helpful because they are extremely economical. The cost to develop and optimize a bot is still minimal compared to the amount needed to visit a doctor regularly. And this is one of the reasons why people prefer talking to a chatbot.
Although, bots show great potential in the field of therapy and mental health, they are not the end game. However, they can act as first-line-tools and guide people into getting the proper help they need.
Do you have any other thoughts about chatbots in therapy? Let us know what you think!
