How make chatbots worth using?

1 - How make chatbots worth using?

How make chatbots worth using?

How make chatbots worth using?

 

In 2011 Apple was launching Siri, the first mass-market chatbot application. Few years later, Amazon Echo demonstrates that the era of conversational commerce finally arrived in a big way.

In the past years, we moved from Graphical User Interface (GUI, e.g: iOS, Windows, etc.) to Conversational User Interface (CUI) between customers and brands. Indeed, CUI can be text-based, voice-based or hybrid (combining both graphical elements and voice, e.g. Siri).

The reasons why retailers should embrace the trend are now quite clear and acknowledged. In fact thanks to this technology, retailers are able to strengthen the relationship between customers and brands, enrich the shopping experience, improve customer service, increase conversion…. However the next step is to know how make chatbots truly accessible and useful for humans. We will go through the key requirements in order to win this new retail race.

Offer extra convenience and value

First of all, it seems important to remember that the starting point of this technology is to offer an easier way for customers to get in touch with brands or services. Chatbots are valuable because they provide direct assistance before anything else (ex: asking Amazon Alexa: what the weather like?). As long as customers get correct answers to their questions, retailers remain in a safe territory.

Do not try to fool your audience

User experience companies name online customers frustration the ‘’rage clicking’’ (when a customer clicks over and over again because he or she becomes mad not getting the expected answer). Conversational commerce is all about avoiding this frustration. When customers come to retailers because they experience issues or doubts, they want to feel that someone is listening and helping on the other side. If they notice a robot has fooled them, the frustration just expands. There is no doubt that more natural a bot sounds, better it is. However do not try to pass it off as a real human being, if you get caught (and you will), it will dramatically impact customer journey. Most of the time, a consumer knows that he is talking to a bot, not a human being, but as long as he gets the information he expects, that’s ok!

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Improve conversational experience thanks to Artificial Intelligence

A good chatbot solution analyzes customer interactions to improve shopping experience and evolves conversation scenarios over time. Based on Artificial Intelligence, chatbots will become increasingly intelligent blurring the lines between human and machine assistance quality – first in terms of content, secondly of behavior.

Be responsive each step of the way

In order to avoid customers frustration, improve shopping experience and strengthen loyalty, a brand must work on proximity with its audience – each step of the way. Developing a cross-channel conversational strategy is highly beneficial for retailers. As an example, iAdvize – a conversational commerce platform enables retailers to identify the best contact opportunity wherever customers are online. It enables retailers to reply to their audience anywhere, anytime and under the most relevant form (text-based bot, phone call with brand experts, etc.).

Achieve frictionless shopping experience

The ultimate objective of conversational commerce is undoubtedly to offer a frictionless shopping experience. Indeed you can now order a pizza via Facebook Messenger chatbot as the social network now accepts payments. A great example is Domino’s which allows customers to order directly from Facebook Messenger as well as other plateforms such as Amazon Echo, Samsung TV, Apple Watch. Chatbots will massively impact Domino’s growth as 72% of its delivered sales in the UK were ordered online in 2016, and mobile represented 74.4% of online system sales. Another well-executed example is the H&M chatbot in partnership with the Kik app, a chatbot mobile application that provides personalized products recommendations to customers.

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H&M Chatbot 

 

Finally, Google Home the search giant’s smart assistant that competes with Amazon’s Alexa, will be launched on the British market in April.

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