The relationship between business and consumer edges further into sci-fi every day. From the potential of Amazon drone-dropping groceries at your house, to Google developing driverless cabs, 21st century consumers are increasingly demanding quick, easy and responsive service.
E-commerce is always evolving, are you ready for this next big leap? Even the most analogue of businesses can use artificial intelligence to satisfy their customer base.
Meet Chatbots. Think of them as the smallest, easiest-to-use AI around. The job of a Chatbot, simply put, is to communicate with business patrons on a 24-hour basis.
Say you’re looking to buy a pair of shoes online. Instead of browsing through an entire website to find what you’re looking for, you simply have a chat with the company’s chatbot. The bot would ask you what you’re looking for and you can tell it – like you’re having a conversation with an employee in-store!
A chatbot is something your customers can interact with through a chat service. There is unlimited potential as to what the service is used for. A chatbot can be hosted from any major chat platform (think Facebook Messenger, Viber, Text Messages, etc.).
Why Chatbots?
Well, customers like to be able to get in contact with a business on their own terms, which usually amounts to “whenever they want.” (Customers are fickle in any and all circumstances.)
With the differences in time zones for international businesses and the goal of reaching out to as many customers as possible, it’s important to have an unrestricted communication system.
ChatBots are the solution, and they’re only going to get more prevalent! A little creative effort puts them into pretty much any design space. Starbucks has one, TechCrunch has one, heck, even Spiderman has one.
Bots have ceased to become an annoyance for people, and are now something they’re happy to see; depending on the service or business, they’re even fun for consumers to talk to.
“Despite bots causing a tremendous amount of headaches to marketers, their benefits by far outweigh their current flaws,” says entrepreneur Murray Newlands. “Chatbots are slowly entering the mainstream of marketing, providing tangible value to brands worldwide.”
Who uses Chatbots?
With the likes of Starbucks, National Geographic, and Whole Foods bringing out their personalised Chatbots in their Marketing campaigns – it is certainly something your company should consider when determining which path to take to astutely target your audience.
Starbucks – a chatbot built inside their mobile app that allows you to order your favourite drinks and snacks
Image Credit: Top Bots
National Geographic’s Genius – a Facebook Messenger bot National Graphic used to promote their show Genius
Image Credit: Top Bots
Whole Foods – a Facebook Messenger bot that allows you to search for recipes and products, all without leaving Messenger.
Got Bot? Chatbots are quickly becoming mainstream, providing tangible value to brands worldwide. Learn how to use bots to save money, improve customer service, grow an audience and increase ROI with Murray Newlands’ UnGagged Las Vegas session. Conference attendees will be provided with the most up-to-date and actionable information on the latest developments in the field.
This November, Get UnGagged.