Digital transformation has been leading a business way with high caliber. Technology today has become a vital part of our business model, without it, it is impossible to even imagine the business scenario. From incorporating cloud computing to artificial intelligence, indeed we have come a long way.
In mid-2016, when companies had launched over 11,000 Facebook Messenger bots. At that time the emergence of chatbots got the acceleration. However at that time they weren't that evolved, indigent customer experience, misinterpreting simple commands and inability to pass user requests along to human agents were some of the crucial characteristics that were lacking. But with time , software engineers overcome these issues and today chatbot technology is on the boom.
By the end of 2020, around 80% of companies will be using a chatbot. The Artificial Industry has been transiting the way we utilise internet both at the consumer as well as the digital marketing realm.
Chatbots have now suited the business model by its phenomenal features such as streamlining interactions, enhancing customer experience, assisting business in enriching the customer engagement technique and functional efficiency while curtailing the typical cost of customer services.
But you should know that not all chatbots are the same, they differ based on their characteristics and attributes.
An ideal chatbot is the one that aids you in both business broadening and customer's experience. Here's the list of the prime features that every chatbot must have:
Human-like approach - Chatbot is an AI, it should approach conversation just like a human. During the conversation, your chatbot should be able to fill it with your company’s personality, brand’s identity. When the users interact on the chatbot they should feel as if they are talking to a human, not a machine. Utilise natural language and don't give immediate answers take 1 or 1.5 seconds before responding etc, are the ways to add a human touch to your chatbot. A chatbot must be customized to be a conversationalist, the user shouldn't feel as if she/he is talking to a robot.
Omni-competent - A chatbot must have the potential to be accessible across all the digital platforms and ensure to initiate a seamless conversation with the users. Today, having a presence on one platform is not enough, for intensifying online presence, integrate your chatbot with popular social media handles such as Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, WhatsApp. It will make your work more efficient. Moreover, it should be able to pass the information to the live agent if needed.
Strong API - Keeping customers engaged is one of the strenuous tasks but not if your chatbot has a strong application programming interface (API). Chatbot APIs aid the creators to use NLP to respond to the user, depending on the purpose of their message. It serves as a link. APIs should be properly developed to restrict any barrier in the communication flow. But remember, users should have the freedom and authority to browse what they want. The APIs shouldn't limit the conversation.
Autonomous inference/reasoning - This is another intriguing feature of the chatbot. A chatbot shouldn't depend on human intervention or any kind of manual inputs to solve the complexities. The bots can definitely utilise relevant case histories/interactions to infer the solutions and deliver it. Without autonomous reasoning, a chatbot can never be smart, it will simply be like a robot without any intelligence. Therefore while developing a chatbot, test the chatbot again and again to ascertain its intelligence.
Modest UI/UX - The success of the chatbot is highly dangled upon the user experience it will be providing. The chatbots are the text-driven technology with images and widgets that helps in initiating the smooth conversation. It's the simplicity and easy to use feature of a chatbot that makes it popular, therefore while developing it doesn't make it complicated. With a modest UI/UX, bots have the potential to bring a hybrid experience of messaging and GUI.
Able to predict - A user always looks forward to knowing what more he can add, in such cases predictions by bots are crucial. The chatbot should drive the conversation ahead by considering the suggestions. If the bots is predictive in nature, it can offer new deals to the users while giving them relative suggestions. Through chatbots, you can keep your customers updated with the modifications in your products and services, it not only aids the marketing strategy but also stimulates consumer's decision.
Conversation archive - The conversation with the users can serve as data to you. Therefore make sure that the chatbots have an archive to store the data and later sync it to the cloud server. This data will let you know what consumers are looking for without any trouble that will help you to evolve much better. Furthermore, since chatbots are AI, they have the capacity to learn while working. It can utilise old conversation to make future conversations better with its intelligence.
Final message
Chatbots are redefining customer management for the company. Customize your chatbot as you want and train it well to strike the engaging conversation with your users. Don't stick to the fancy messages as customers always look forward to having the real conversation, not window dressed. The average attention span is 8 seconds and these seconds are more than enough to capture the user's attention.
Do not trail off because of resistance to technology, modifications and adaptations are fundamental factors to secure the future of business.
Hvantage Technologies believes in providing support to every individual who has the potential to transform the business world. If you are one of them who has the capability to follow-up their ideas, then don’t let it set back, keep your pace with ongoing technology trends and create your own path to success.
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