Communication in the messenger is the most targeted, individual way of contact that has become available for business. The percentage of the audience that prefers chatbots to other communication channels is constantly growing, and this benefits both sides of the process - businesses reduce costs and customers save time.
What is a chatbot?
A chatbot is an interlocutor program that is needed to automate interaction with users. Programs can communicate by text, and build dialogue using artificial intelligence technologies:
machine learning – the program is self-learning, thanks to which the chatbot takes into account the experience of communication, builds interaction more efficiently each time, better understands the interlocutor, predicts needs.
The absolute majority of people often interact with chatbots and do not even notice that their interlocutor is a computer. Programs respond in pop-up chats on websites, make phone calls, answer questions, send letters, order taxis and tickets, collect information, help solve simple problems.\nImportant: according to Oracle, by 2020, 80% of companies in the world have implemented chatbots.\nChatbots that, in addition to NLP, use the principles of machine learning, are called intelligent assistants or digital assistants. Intelligent chatbots are able to collect and analyze data from other sources, personalize the profile of each specific user, explore the experience of communicating with a person, predict interests and needs, and can initiate a conversation themselves. Famous representatives of such chatbots are Siri and Alice.
Types of chat bots
The term "chat-bot" can mean programs that differ in intelligence and functionality - from a Telegram bot to a voice assistant. According to the technological base, chat-bots are divided into declarative and predictive:
declarative – oriented execution of specific tasks, their capabilities are limited by the communication scenario;\npredictive – programs that learn and develop in the process of communicating with the interlocutor, support the conversation, take into account the individual portrait of the user.
Note: most chatbots are declarative; they look like a chat in a messenger or on a website, in which a program answers instead of a live interlocutor. \nA chatbot can be implemented in most popular platforms:\nmessengers: the most popular platform for placing chatbots is Telegram, this messenger offers a convenient interface, dialogue buttons, search by unique name; Viber and WhatsApp also have similar capabilities, but reach a smaller audience; website: the chatbot will guide visitors to sections of the site, answer common questions, help place and pay for orders, collect feedback, and if it does not cope with an unusual task - will connect the visitor with an operator;\nsocial networks: chatbots in Facebook and Vkontakte messengers are convenient for promoting information products and services, announcing events, voting and surveys. If the site is integrated with CRM, the chatbot can collect analytics from leads and conversions.
According to their purpose, chatbots can be divided into six groups.
- Бот-продавець – розповідає про товари та послуги, допомагає зробити вибір, проводить оплату, повідомляє про статус замовлення та доставки.
- Інформатор – у відповідь на запит надає користувачеві інформацію про ціни, режим роботи, розклад заходів, перельоти, наявність номерів у готелі.
- Служба підтримки - відповідає на типові питання та проблеми клієнтів, супроводжує після покупки, допомагає з експлуатацією продукту.
- Інтерфейси – за допомогою діалогових кнопок та меню перенаправляє користувача за сервісами та розділами.
- Лідогенератор – консультує відвідувачів, пропонує лід-магніт, збирає дані щодо конвертації.
- Співрозмовник – розпитає про настрій та самопочуття, запропонує рекомендації щодо новин та інтересів, поговорить про погоду, надішле жарт.
Division into categories is conditional and necessary, rather, in order to determine what actual benefit the program can bring to the business. Most often, a chatbot combines several roles - for example, advises and conducts sales or accompanies services and performs typical tasks of reservations and orders. But at the same time, the chatbot should not be overloaded with functionality and have a complex script tree so that the interaction with the user remains clear and fast
Why and who needs a chatbot
The functionality of chatbots is extensive and easily integrated into business needs. The capabilities of the program depend on what scenario it will be given during construction, how well thought out the block diagrams of the algorithm are, what tools are provided by the Internet resource or messenger for placement.\nWhat operational processes can a chatbot take over:
- вступати у первинний контакт із клієнтом;
- проводити консультацію;
- проводити консультацію;
- супроводжувати продаж;
- відстежувати статус заявки та доставки;
- бронювати місця, квитки, номери, столики;
- інформувати про акції, розпродажі, заходи, новини компанії;
- надавати техпідтримку, відповідати на FAQ;
- проводити вікторини, розіграші, ігри, розважальні квести; збирати відгуки та аналітику;
- робити експрес-розрахунок вартості товару;
- проводити первинні співбесіди;
- супроводжувати процеси всередині компанії - розсилати інформацію та завдання, робити нагадування, збирати звітність.
A promising field of application of complex self-learning chatbots is internal corporate processes. The intelligent assistant can:\nCollect and analyze large volumes of data;\nBe embedded in the dashboard of business indicators;\nAt the request of user-employees, present the results in voice form and share them with the environment;\nConduct analytical research and propose solutions;\nBased on the profile of the employee, form recommendations, goals and plans.
A chatbot will be useful wherever there is communication and routine information processes - data collection, processing, presentation. This can apply to both external interaction with customers and internal interaction between employees and company structures.
In which areas are chatbots particularly effective:
banks, financial organizations, insurance - consulting, account management; IT, communication, Internet providers - user technical support, connecting services; online stores and services - consulting on products, informing about promotions, carrying out transactions; tour operators and tourist aggregators - analysis of needs, selection of optimal options, booking tickets and hotels; delivery services - tracking the order and application status, collecting feedback from customers; taxi aggregators - ordering taxi, collection of reviews; education - promotion of info products, information about the schedule, announcements of courses and training programs, distribution of educational materials; HR - collection, analysis of resumes, testing, initial interview, accompaniment and support of employees; organization of events - registration and reservation of seats, information about events, collection of reviews; health care - appointment, initial consultation, results of analyzes and examinations; state and municipal services - work schedules city services, transport accessibility, applications for receiving services, informing about innovations. Please note: the percentage of users who open a letter from an email newsletter is no higher than 30%, and messages from a chatbot are read by up to 85% of users.
What benefits does a chatbot bring to a business:
- скорочення витрат завдяки автоматизації типових завдань;
- взаємодія з клієнтом цілодобово;
- охоплення більшої аудиторії завдяки швидкому відгуку;
- підтримка лояльності поточних клієнтів;
- збір даних.
Why customers prefer a chatbot to other communication channels:
interaction takes place in the usual messenger, in the same place where the client communicates with friends and relatives;\nfamiliar, understandable interface - no need to study the site or waste time on a call;\nanswer within a few seconds without overloading with information, unlike live communication with the operator;\nquick access to the service, services, product information;\navailability 24/7 and in any conditions.
How to implement a chatbot?
No programming skills are required to run a chatbot. There are many specialized platforms on which you can build a bot ready for integration with messenger or site.\nIf you need a unique solution for highly specialized business needs, contact us and we will develop a project from scratch.
Important: when choosing a base for placing a chatbot, segment customers and determine the most popular platforms for the target audience.
The most frequent mistakes when starting a chatbot:\n\nmultifunctionality - it is better if the bot is focused on a limited number of tasks so that the user can orientate in the functionality;\nspam - an excess of mailings reduces user engagement, the chatbot begins to be perceived not as a useful tool, but as a source of annoying advertising;\nshort testing period - thorough testing helps to determine the limits of the chatbot's capabilities, not to overestimate automation and understand which stages require employee participation;\nlack of prompts and clarifying questions - use the questions "do you need this?", "Did I understand correctly?" and quick buttons "yes/no", "go", "contact the operator";\nwork only with new users - do not forget about current customers, maintain their loyalty, involve them in quizzes, count bonuses for using the chatbot.
