With the rise of artificial intelligence, many companies are utilizing marketing automation in order to communicate in real-time with their customers and deliver highly personalized digital experiences. Part of this technology breakthrough, are the chatbots, that are slowly entering the mainstream of marketing, providing great value to brands worldwide. So, chatbots are here, but are they ready to replace apps or humans? Before answering this question, let’s get a clear understanding about chatbots and their capabilities.
Although chatterbots or chatbots have received a lot of attention recently, its technology has been around for decades and it is evolving rapidly.
What is a chatbot?
A chatbot is a computer program presented as a chat interface, that can reply to messages from computer users. One can interact with a chatbot by simply sending it a message, without having to download your app. Chatbots can be found mainly within messaging platforms such as Facebook Messenger or Slack, and they are powered either by rules or artificial intelligence (AI).
How do chatbots work?
There are two types of chatbots, one that functions based on a set of rules, and the other uses artificial intelligence. The bots that are programmed to use rules, have limited functions, as they can only respond to specific commands. This means that they cannot yet handle the complexities of a conversation. The other type of chatbot that depends on machine learning and artificial intelligence, is, of course, smarter, and keeps learning through the interactions it has with users.
Chatbots can serve several purposes, from giving weather forecasts to users to help them buy shoes online or get the latest news from the world. Here is an example that will help you understand and visualize the chatbots.
How can brands benefit from chatbots?
Consumers’ expectations about conversations are growing quickly so businesses are struggling to find ways to meet these expectations. With billions of people using heavily instant messaging platforms, imagine what a huge opportunity this is for both B2C and B2B brands. Below you can find some key benefits chatbots could offer to your business.
- Generate quality leads
- Boost customer experience
- Offer exceptional customer support & address faster to customers issues
- Increase customer satisfaction
- Build a unique, long-term relationship with the customer
- Create customer loyalty
- Boost sales
- Deliver targeted content to your customers
Chatbots can add great value to your customers, offering consistency of experience across customer touchpoints. However, before incorporating chatbots to your marketing strategy, it is critical to define your goals and build a solid strategy to decide what services you are going to offer and in what channel. Of course, chatbots aren’t yet a standalone business solution, and they are not going to replace apps and humans anytime soon.
Thinking of incorporating chatbots to your strategy? Contact our team to help you find the best solution for your business.
