A chatbot, also known as a virtual consultant, salesperson, or smart assistant, is the main reach tool for marketers. For most online store owners, such software is essential for finding additional touchpoints with consumers. Any chatbot that replaces a manager or consultant is created to perform a specific task — sales support or customer service. Most solutions are related to the collection of information on websites, online stores, instant messengers, and mobile applications. Let’s find out in more detail how such technology can change the lives of thousands of people — business owners and consumers.
Increasing the Effectiveness of the Help Desk — Features of Implementation of AI-based Solutions
The world around us is increasingly digitalized. It’s not just about education or online shopping. Thousands of users cannot imagine their rest and life without smart systems. But in order to keep such an ecosystem effective, it will require the involvement of thousands of experienced developers. Unfortunately, not all projects are implemented successfully.
The main challenge for people who implement AI-based solutions is the need to ensure a continuous user experience. In the context of global competition, such tasks require perseverance and competencies. Only development teams that have experience implementing marketing strategies in certain markets can guarantee 100% achievement of goals. Unlike traditional business models, where most of the revenue comes from a one-time purchase, a chatbot-based strategy is associated with long-term revenue. Here are 5 key tasks for marketing teams who use AI solutions:
- Bring high-quality traffic to the marketing funnel
- Finding additional touchpoints with customers
- Run a product-oriented promo campaign
- Building a consumer model based on analytical data
- Generate business-relevant and user-friendly content
Chatbots are ideal tools for creating a positive company image. Marketers and HR professionals are free to use virtual consultants depending on their needs — for informational purposes and relationships with customers and employees. Such technologies are most effective for the financial sector, including trading and cryptocurrency transactions. You can check the statistics on the ICOholder website to make sure of the effectiveness of such solutions On this innovation-oriented platform, people will always find relevant news.
Types of Chatbots
Only carefully thought-out solutions are 100% effective. Marketers and development teams with a well-written SaaS metrics spreadsheet make their tasks much easier. By using ready-made chatbot models, they can save time and avoid routine. Aspiring entrepreneurs should find solutions created by professionals who have been involved in marketing projects for many years. Here are the main categories of AI-based platforms:
| Courier, Express, and Package | Customer service consultants are faced with a huge number of inquiries every day. It’s about finding answers to standard questions that do not require the intervention of a specialist — canceling the shipment, checking the status of the package, or the date of its delivery. A chatbot can efficiently perform all such tasks, thereby increasing the efficiency of the marketing department. |
| Informational | News chatbots are becoming more popular and are often created for information portals. Uses knowledge bases with various information that the company wants to share with customers. New technology has become especially common during the 2019-2020 pandemic. Most store owners prefer to implement systems that provide answers about order statuses, transactions, or available balances. |
| Chatbots for booking | People can book a ride or buy tickets without leaving their homes. Such chatbots are linked to the company’s internal systems (booking, databases, etc.) for efficient customer service. |
| Transactional | Implemented by companies working in the field of e-commerce. This is a kind of Purchasing Assistant, ensuring an uninterrupted buyer journey. Virtual consultants provide customer support and guide users around the site so they don’t have to call a special hotline for trivial issues. |
| Recruitment Chatbots/ Virtual HR Assistants | Such platforms simplify the hiring process and can also conduct an interview so that HR professionals immediately have an initial understanding of, for example, the motivation of a potential employee. |
| Finance & Insurance | Digital systems for the insurance industry can support users, ensure claims settlement or provide personalized policy quotes. Virtual consultants can help the client to complete the required forms. Some AI-based systems accept or make payments. |
| Online stores | E-commerce-enabled chatbots provide a continuous shopping and cart experience. Most platforms are available 24/7 and instantly answer questions about an offer, shipping, payment methods, or complaints. |
Chatbots & Machine Learning
All chatbots are based on AI technologies. Through such platforms, consumers can find answers to their questions, and business owners can improve brand awareness or search for additional touchpoints. Most requests require multiple cloud modules, including the so-called natural language processing (NLP), that is, in other words, machine learning (ML) technology.
Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning allow developers to track data and personalize contacts. This means that the user can ask any question, and the role of NLP technology is to understand, analyze, and provide the most relevant answer. In general, the structure of most chatbots is as follows:
| AI technology | Allows people to explore and understand the question and its context |
| The engine | Performs fundamental linguistic transformations — automatically corrects errors (spelling, typos) in the message. It brings the words in the user’s query to their main form |
| Keyword definition block | Detects named objects in a user’s message (e.g., product name) and other parameters that complement their intent (e.g., location, date and time, function) |
| Synonymization module | Analyzes each word in dictionaries of synonyms |
Chatbots vs. Google
Chatbots differ from search engines in that such technology does not ensure dozens and hundreds of search results that the users must “pass through”, but one specific answer. Most alternative platforms are created to prompt users and narrow their search. The step-by-step interaction with the chatbot is as follows:
- The user asks a question in the chatbot window. This can be done by entering text or by speaking through an assistant. Most platforms are based on speech recognition engines.
- The chatbot uses AI to search the Knowledge Base or external systems, recognize the question, and give a clear, comprehensive answer.
- The user’s problem is solved, and they can rate the service.
Now, most customers expect quick and 100% effective contact in relationships with company representatives and sales managers. When they feel confident and know that company owners and their assistants care about consumers and potential buyers, the level of involvement increases. This affects the user experience and brand perception.
Key Takeaway
Chatbots are AI-based platforms that save company managers from processing numerous requests from consumers who come to service departments daily. People can contact support through the hotline, online forms, or e-mail messages. In each of these cases, the introduction of innovative solutions will be 100% effective. If beginner entrepreneurs turn to experienced developers, they provide faster responses without any issues that may arise at this stage when a client contacts the company. So the implementation of chatbots is essential for any business.