What is a chatbot?

A chatbot is a computer program designed to simulate conversation with human users, especially over the Internet.

You have likely interacted with a chatbot via a website or social media platform. During the interaction, you could distinguish a bot from a real person. But, the difference between real and bot becomes blurred with brands becoming better at bot creation. Modern bots come equipped with natural language processing, datasets, and APIs that make the experience lifelike. Is it bold to say that bots will replace other means of communication soon? 

Let’s look at the data, in a report by Chatbots Magazine chat bots outpace apps as a channel of interacting with brands. With several industries adopting including retail, healthcare, telecommunications, banking, financial advice, insurance, car dealers, and the government. Why this shift from apps to bots? 

Consumers are tired of apps!

One big reason, you need not download anything to start an interaction. Bots live where customers communicate with growing integrations for more channels daily, taking over management of multiple channels with no added applications or staff. 

From a business perspective, an app can be costly to support. Where a bot can evolve with your business with little ongoing maintenance cost. With the growth of digital marketing modern-day consumers expects fast response times, ease of use, convenience, a good experience, along with a quick resolution to plaguing issues that need answers.

For further advantages of why businesses should use bots read https://becomedigitaltoday.com/2019/04/8-reasons-to-invest-in-an-automated-chatbot-for-your-business/.

Conversational experiences

With the creation of human-like bots, the need for intelligent design and interaction is essential for offering customers a pleasing consumer experience. A new trend with bots is opting to bypass websites, making interactions with brands a conversational experience. 

A company called landbot.io has created a platform that blends the functionality of bots with the experience of a website. Conversations use pictures, gifs, emojis, and videos to create feelings of talking with your friend or acquaintance over a messenger platform.  

Adoption of AI 

Since the creation of the popular bot Siri from Apple, a shift of acceptance of artificial intelligence and its applications has grown with continual projected growth in the coming years. Large tech brands including IBM, Google, Amazon and more are using the technology.  

Bot skill sets such as voice assistants are becoming commonplace in many homes and pockets. 

Gartner predicts that by 2020 consumers will have more conversations with bots, then their spouses. Other skills include computer visions (the ability to recognize objects), language translation, content examination, and moderation. 

The most exciting AI application is machine learning. We define machine learning as 

“an application of artificial intelligence (AI) that provides systems the ability to learn and improve from experience without being programmed. Machine learning focuses on the development of computer programs that can access data and use it to learn for themselves.”

With the complicated machine learning models, chatbots will increasingly become smarter, learning much in the same ways humans learn. Forming answers and conclusion, to questions we ask them. 

The problems solved

Chatbots are popular and they have a girth of uses that consumers find appealing. To get a better perspective here are the popular uses of bots. 

-24/7 support agent
-Instant responsiveness 
-Frequently asked questions answered
-Communication through popular messenger applications
-Resolution of problems quickly
-Crafted professional answers 

Use Cases

It’s estimated by emarketer.com that a whopping 67% of millenniums will interact with a bot in some form to conclude what to purchase from an e-commerce store. These interactions will include support, upselling, down selling, recommending products, order placement, and more.

Applications like Lyft, use bots to provide the customer with updates about their ride, location, license plate number, and car model. Users can access through voice or via their messenger app.

Spotify uses bots to help you discover new music, create a playlist, and share music with your friends. 

Chatbots for marketers is hugely popular at the moment. With email marketers experiencing low open rates, bots are the exact opposite with high user open rates and engagement. Marketers can quickly blast exciting news, updates, and promotions to their active subscribers which instantly notifies them.  

Are bots the future of interaction? 

At Become Digital Today, we believe they are. Here is why.

-Applications are not as effective as bots with consumers “becoming tired of apps”.
-Bots are already being widely adopted by a variety of business verticals.
-Bots are becoming more intuitive and conversational creating relatable experiences for consumers.
-AI will increasingly make bots more powerful with added functionality and intelligence.
-They solve a variety of problems for businesses and consumers
-You interact with them daily already.