In the age of artificial intelligence (AI) and testing the limits of science, it is not too uncommon to see the rise of chatbots – AI programmed systems that could hold conversations by simulating human reactions and responses.
As sophisticated as they are in design, these marvels of modern technology are more widespread than ever before. In fact, they are so common that you may interact with one on a daily basis without even realizing it.
We are not only referring to Apple’s Siri, Google’s Assistant, or Amazon’s Alexa. Those chatbots have become an integral part of our day to day lives. But there are many other chatbot systems that could interact with you without you even realizing that they are not human.
The technology is so accessible now that businesses use it to represent their front desk and customer service systems all the time. Online chatbot for business is a very popular form of use.
The way these chatbots do their jobs also remains impressive to say the least. They cut costs for your business, they save time for your employees, and they create a better experience for your customers.
If you are a business owner and want to introduce your operations to the efficiency model of the future, then making use of a chatbot should be at the top of your list. To help you on your journey to incorporate a chatbot into your business, here are the 5 hottest chatbot trends of 2019 that you could adopt easily.
1. They are Taking Orders More Efficiently Than Ever
Gone are the days where you had to wait in long queues or tap more than a few options at your phone to place your order at a restaurant, café or any other eatery.
Thanks to chatbots, you could place your orders using chat or voice commands through your phone. This ensures that your order is understood, processed and delivered the way you wanted it to. All without having to wait in person at the restaurant or battling your way through menu options at home.
These chatbots are built with chat and speech recognition in mind. They could understand your orders through text and voice, and locate them from the restaurant’s slew of offered items. These chatbots are usually available in the form of apps or built into messaging services. As such, they could understand your order and have it ready for pickup or delivery.
If you have a business that operates in the food and beverage industry, then this could be a great way to provide exceptional service. Design a chatbot that could connect commands to your menu and process them efficiently. And this could leave a great impression on your customers.
One of the most popular examples in this category has to be Starbucks. The café’s chatbot is built into the business’ native app. It could understand voice commands quite easily. And ensures that it gets your morning cup of joe ready the way you wanted it to.
2. Using Existing Functionalities to Complete Your Operations
A chatbot doesn’t always have to be complicated. It could be a very simple application that responds to customers’ actions in a human-like manner. In fact, the simpler they are, the better it is for the execution and achievement of a single objective.
That is why many businesses are using the already established methods of other chatbots to leverage their operations. They have designed their own apps in a way that lets popular chatbots such as Siri, Google Assistant or Alexa to execute actions that would otherwise require human intervention. This way, they have been leveraging the functionalities of chatbots without building one themselves.
It is a clever way to use technology without actually dedicating the resources to build an entirely new system out of it. With a few tweaks here and there, your business could become ready for the use of this technology, without directly using it.
A prime example in this category would have to be Lyft. It takes text bookings via its Messenger and Slack online chat for business. But it also allows Alexa to make voice bookings for the company. All that a customer has to do is command Alexa to book a Lyft. And just like that, a cab gets on the way for them without them even having to open the app.
3. Using Location Information to Suggest Different Options
Another way that businesses are using chatbots is by offering services via location information. Instead of being entered in a search field, the information is provided by customers within a chat window. The chatbot checks the provided info and connects it with relevant suggestions that are near their location.
This way, a customer doesn’t have to ask repeated questions from a system just so they could get information that is relevant to them. They could mention their location once, and the business could provide specific information that applies to them.
For instance, if you have a business that operates in multiple locations but offers select services in each of them, then this integration could be helpful. Your customers would no longer have to check specific pages for each location. They won’t have to check whether a service is provided in their area or not.
Instead, all they would have to do is to contact you via your chatbot. They could provide their location information in a conversational way. And they could get the location-specific information that they need from you as a result.
This creates synchronicity of information. It tells customers about the services they can avail without wasting any time, creating an efficient model for conversions. Even if the customer can’t get a specific service, they remember the efficiency of your business. That way, they could always speak highly of your service to others. In many cases, they could return to obtain specific services from your business themselves.
Fandango is a great example in this regard. The online movie ticket service lets customers provide their location to its chatbot to offer relevant information. Movies, showtimes, and special offers are all shown according to the listed location. This makes it easier for customers to book the tickets they want.
4. Using Them to Provide Reviews and Suggestions
One of the most apparent advantages of being able to speak to a human representative is informed advice. You know that you are talking to someone who is an expert in their field. Someone who deals with certain products or services on a daily basis. And someone who could answer your questions in accordance to what their research says is best.
That is why, if a business puts a chatbot on the virtual front desk by using online chat for business, it is essential that they don’t get rid of that quality. Building a chatbot that couldn’t only converse like a human but provide informed advice like one is important. This tells customers that they are not treated as just another number. But that the business actually cares enough for them to provide the help that they need.
Many businesses are currently using this model to offer help by leveraging existing reviews of products and services. When someone asks a question about a certain product, the chatbot provides informed advice by using real reviews from its database. This makes sure that the customers are not deprived of talking to a human, and the chatbot does a great job of providing the service it is supposed to.
Sephora’s chatbot is a prime example of this model. It provides product reviews and suggestions when the customer asks specific questions. In fact, it is so efficiently built that it provides makeup tutorials as well. This is quite similar to a human employee at Sephora. The experience lets customers go back to the chatbot again and again. This also creates more opportunities for the business to build brand loyalty.
5. Using Inventory Records to Answer Relevant Questions
One of the biggest pet peeves for people is to visit a store in person, only to find that the item they are looking for is out of stock. It gets frustrating as nothing else could. Of course, they could always call the store and check for that information. But it is also understandable why they don’t.
It takes time to do that, after all. And waiting on the phone, even for real-time information, seems quite an annoying task to be honest.
That is why businesses are training their chatbots to have these answers ready to be provided at a second’s notice. These chatbots use a database to the business’ inventory, which lets it have all the information that a human employee would find some time to check.
The customers could ask the chatbot if a certain item is available, and it could provide the relevant answer within a couple of seconds. If developed in a certain way, then the chatbot could also reserve items for in-store pickup. It could also connect the customer to a web URL where they could complete their purchase for the item they inquired about.
The chatbot of Staples is a very good example here. Built with IBM Watson, it tracks the store’s massive inventory and answers relevant questions without any issues. As an online chat for a business tool, it provides information on items in stock. It also provides order-specific information in a very effective manner.
From food to retail, and from entertainment to finance, chatbots are catering to a wide variety of industries. No matter the vertical your business operates in, you could also make use of this great technology and bring about a certain proficiency in your daily operations.
ConvertoBot is a leading chatbot website and social media bots platform. Set up a free account today.
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