Why Adding Chatbots To Your Interface Might Be The Missing Step To Take Your Company To The Next Level

With each passing year, chatbots and their interfaces are getting more and more sophisticated. As chatbots become more and more competent, they have been adopted by almost everyone ranging from large corporations to small local businesses. If you’re leading a business right now, you may feel hesitant about what to do, whether you should buy into the hype around chatbots, or bide your time to wait for new updates in their programs. Let’s dive a little deeper into the realm of business chatbots and how your business might benefit from them.

Chatbots For Business

When deciding if you need to implement a chatbot to your business, it is important to remember that these bots can come in many different varieties. The most powerful chatbots appear as virtual agents, powered with complex NLP processing systems to understand your customers and offer them a high-level consumer service experience. Their use of artificial intelligence can make them an invaluable resource in your business to adapt to unique situations, all in a timely and efficient manner.

For many large companies, the biggest appeal of adding a chatbot to their interface are the cost-cutting measures associated with it. Bots are available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, and can respond to customer concerns almost instantaneously. Additionally, properly designed virtual assistants can supply high levels of satisfaction to your customers, with avenues for them to reach a human if absolutely necessary.

If you’re interested in looking at examples of major companies’ innovative employment of chatbots, you don’t have to look far. The popular hotel chain Marriott employs a high tech bot they call Chatbotlr, which is hosted on a variety of platforms, and allows Marriott Rewards Members to research and book travel, while getting suggestions for their upcoming vacation.

In contrast, if you doubt the capabilities of a chatbot to engage customers on an emotional level, be sure to check out Woebot, a popular company that employs a chatbot on Facebook Messenger to help users undergo cognitive behavioral therapy.

Well-recognized flower delivery service 1-800-Flowers has also taken chatbots as the primary driver of their business, using them to help customers give gifts directly from the messaging app, while also offering suggestions for customers potential purchases. All of this proves that chatbots have become an integral part of many businesses, and as their advancements only continue to speed up, they will be here to stay.

Is Chatbot Technology Right For Your Company?

While all businesses can find a way to use a chatbot, some fields are more suited to their use than others. If you run a customer service-heavy business, such as financial services, retail, travel, or telecommunications, a chatbot could be an invaluable tool to develop your business.

If you’re nervous about the implementation of a new chatbot, consider developing a pilot program for your business. Not only will this help you iron out any potential kinks, but also demonstrate success and metrics to ensure you’re receiving a return on your investment.

As for the implementation of your specific bot, there are many guides for different bots all over the web, all of which will help you determine the perfect bot for filling your needs. Some may be hosted exclusively on a messaging program, while others could be implemented directly on your site. While there are many different options, the important thing to remember is that choosing the right chatbot for your business is an important step to help your customers, and bring your business to the next level.