Guest Blog; What is a Chatbot and why should I care?

This week the awesome Jim Rowe from Jim Rowe-bot has written us a blog all about Chatbots! That’s right, Robots that answer your messages! Our Chatbot has just gone live on the Scruffymonkey website! Exciting times.

Enough monkeying about. Let’s see what Jim has to say…

What is a Chatbot and why should I care?

When BBC Radio 4 start talking about Chatbots and you’re not sure what one is, it’s probably time to do some research and find out what is happening.

So what’s a chatbot?

According to wikipedia..

“A chatbot is a computer program or an artificial intelligence which conducts a conversation via auditory or textual methods. Such programs are often designed to convincingly simulate how a human would behave as a conversational partner, thereby passing the Turing test.”

There’s a good chance you’ve used a chatbot and not even realised it. Ever chatted to one of those website chat prompts? If you have, there’s a good chance that part of that conversation was a chatbot. Chatbots can reside on websites using tools such as“Drift” or “intercom”, two of the most popular products on the market. However the area of real growth is Chatbots that work from within messaging apps. Messaging apps that support Chatbots include;

 

Chatbots has really gained momentum since Facebook allowed access to their Messenger platform in 2016 and there are now more than 300,000 chatbots residing on Facebook Business pages.

Announced by Facebook in April 2019,

“There are now more than 40m monthly active businesses on Messenger”

Brands using Chatbots

Of course many of the brands you already know are using chatbots to better service their customers. You can find then in Messenger under the “Discover” section. Some that you might know are;

Booking.com

LEGO

EasyJet

Lidl GB

Just Eat UK

BBC News

But it’s not just the big brands with big budgets launching chatbots to the world. Local businesses with much smaller marketing budgets are also putting Facebook Messenger Chatbots to work servicing their customers 24/7. Some that we love include;

LED Leisure

Fishergate Shopping Centre

Anytime Fitness Chadwell Heath

Beach Craft Spirits

Train 4 All Academy

Mander Centre

 

What’s the benefit to businesses & customers?

Businesses are using chatbots in a variety of ways that can benefit both them and their customers. This includes;

  1. Allowing the business to start a conversation with a potential customer at the moment of consideration
  2. Allowing the business to provide fast and efficient customer service
  3. It can strengthen the brand – if the experience is good
  4. It increases the opportunity to up-sell other services or products
  5. Saving the business money by providing a service outside normal working hours
  6. Automate mundane tasks

 

There are also a raft of benefits to customers. These include;

  1. 24/7 access to the business
  2. Removing friction allowing access to services and FAQ’s with ease
  3. Provides an instant response
  4. Less bureaucratic that other forms of business communication
  5. It “can” be a great customer experience

 

The pitfalls

Like any new technology there are benefits, but there are pitfalls that need to be managed effectively to ensure Chatbots benefit both the business and customers and don’t damage either the brand, customer experience or both Used effectively, chatbots can be a huge asset to your business. Here’s a few tips;

First impressions count – For many customers there is not difference between your chatbot and you. You must ensure that the voice and tone of your Chatbot matches that of your business. If you work in a formal business then the voice needs to be more formal and professional. Have a fun brand? Let that shine through your chatbot as Beach Craft Spirit have.

Right time & right place – If you are using your chatbot for customer service try to put yourself in the shoes of your customer. If the customer is likely to be contacting you because of a problem, keep the automated part of the conversation short and to the point. Take details and as soon as you know the Chatbot can no longer help, hand over to a real person.

Humour is tricky – Often when brands try to be funny, they fail. Unless your brand demands it, try and stay away from doing “stand up comedy” using your chatbot.

Don’t try to fool your customers – Be honest and upfront about the fact that they are talking to a robot. Customers feel foolish if 5 minutes into a conversation they realise that they were talking to software. Think about your customers and whether offering the option to “talk to a human” at any stage would be useful.

Keep testing and keep updating – Monitor the conversations that your chatbot is having and look for obvious indicators that customers are not getting what they need and make changes to have better conversations.

 

Summary

The march of the bots is in full swing and they are already becoming part of our day to day conversation both in business and as consumers. Our advice is that if Facebook is already a key part of your digital marketing strategy then you should be “at least” exploring how other brands are using them and considering how your brand my adopt this new technology.

Want more information? Get in touch with us here at Scruffymonkey.

 

 

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