Chatbots are amazing, they can be used to engage customers by using a combination of artificial intelligence and natural language processing. They allow you to engage customers in personalized conversation which can help increase sales and provide customer service. One of the first companies to actively adopt the use of chatbots is Nordstrom, with the goal in mind being to assist their online shoppers. They’re becoming more and more popular as time goes by, however, and as more and more consumers are becoming used to engaging with AI-powered software and receiving personalized responses, chatbots have the potential to become the next big thing. With the expanding popularity, there are many pitfalls associated with chatbots for companies who are not yet prepared to accept them. By learning how to avoid potential pitfalls through best practices, companies can avoid silly errors and understand what they must do to successfully engage customers when using chatbots. The best practices include the following.
Engaging customers across various digital channels
Each customer has their own preferred personal digital channel. Some people love Google Assistant or Amazon Alexa, whereas others may use WeChat. Different channels are also popular in different countries and parts of the world, with some countries banning certain platforms and digital channels. As a company, it is super important that you recognize this and adapt your chatbots to serve your customers in their chosen and preferred channel, as opposed to the one chosen by yourself.
Having real conversations with customers
When using a chatbot, you should not try and fool your customers into thinking that they are speaking with a human being; it’s simply not a good practice. You also need to take advantage of the latest developments in natural language processing, so that your customers can communicate with chatbot in a natural and realistic manner. You don’t want your customer to have to incorporate triggering words or remember a specific syntax while speaking to your chatbot. This is the main reason why ”hiring” chatbots with the latest developments is a good idea; conversations should feel natural.
Use machine learning
You should have chatbots which use machine learning and are able to learn from mistakes and previous experiences. If your chatbot cannot differentiate between a question asking what the weather is today, and what the weather is tomorrow, what good is it? It is just going to infuriate the user.
Machine learning algorithms allow them to get smarter as time goes by, and are critical in providing customers with the very best experience.
Know your chatbot’s limitations
Chatbots are still quite young technology and are not going to be able to do everything you want. You should be aware of the specific limitations they have so that you do not expect too much of them. Chatbots are not able to handle every situation thrown at them and should be trained to pass on requests which they can’t handle to human beings.
Chatbots are fascinating pieces of technology which are going to grow massively in use and popularity over the years. If you want to learn more about them, check out our infographic below.
