Users spend hours in messaging apps each week. Chatbots automate interactions with them in those places.
Chatbots are simple computer programs that ‘talk’ to you through Instant Messaging conversations. They’re usually powered by Artificial Intelligence (AI) behind the scenes.
Chatbots are used to automate a particular customer’s interaction over chat sessions. For example, a one could deal with the most common questions your customers ask staff when they chat on your website.
The technology behind chatbots, notably the AI behind them is getting better all the time. Such are the potential productivity gains to be had, from automation delivered in the form of chatbots that every business owner, big and small, is going to have to confront the question of which chatbots they want to allow into their business.
We spend hours each day on our smartphone and we’re always thinking about how we can cut the phone bill. Chatbots are important because they are designed to be in the place most people increasingly find themselves – in an instant messaging session on mobile phones.
90% of ‘big customers’ chat before buying
Each of the following chatbot examples is a product which operates on a messaging platform like Microsoft Exchange or Slack. Here are 5 chatbots case studies you can use for your business
Winnie – 72% of the people who talk to her use her
Winnie, one of the more capable chatbots in the market does something very simple. She helps you establish the right hosting provider for your new website. Through a simple conversation with her, Winnie will walk you through the options that are available and expose the key decision-making criteria. An incredible 72% of people go on to use Winnie and click through to a new hosting provider – an incredible conversion rate for a website.
Niles: A Chatbot for Slack to automatically answer common queries.
Niles is a simple Chabot, currently available only in Slack, which automatically answers common questions within your team. Niles works just like an incredibly smart intern at your company. Any employee can ask Niles any question they want to. If Niles doesn’t know the answer, he’ll find someone who does. Once he’s been told the answer, he never forgets and, if he’s asked again in the future, he’ll automatically deal with the query for you.
Jarvis: A Reminder Bot for Facebook Messenger
Jarvis is a Facebook Messenger based task tool. Even business people are real people during the day. And if, while they’re being normal people in Facebook Messenger during the course of their day, there’s anything they need to be reminded t do, (‘Get milk!’) then Jarvis will help remind you. It’s also worth mentioning that Mark Zuckerberg’s personal home assistant is called Jarvis. The two are unrelated.
Chymebots: Customer Service Bots which can save you $1m a year
Chyme provides a range chatbots across a range of tasks. Customer service is just one of that range. With proper training Chyme can automate initial tasks occupying your Service Agents. After that, he’ll watch for other repetitive tasks and offer to take them over.
Customer service of this sort is such a huge part of companies that the cost savings, simply based on automating answers to common questions saved Amtrack $1m using a similar business Chabot, last year alone.
Polly the poll: A Chatbot for Slack which polls office staff
Whether you’re deciding where to go for lunch on Friday or determining the strategic direction of the company, there are times that you need to establish an outcome through a team vote.
Pollybot (previously called Polly the Poll) works in Slack, among other messaging platforms and provides a disarmingly friendly way to solicit the opinions of your work colleagues.
Bringing it all together
Chatbots are worth your time and attention, despite their current inadequacies. There will be a day when chatbots form the majority of the customer interactions. Even now, chatbot systems can determine the emotional state of a user and respond appropriately.
These off the shelf chatbots are all free and a nice way to dip your toe in the water of what chatbots could ultimately mean to your business.
Ralf Llanasas is an IT professional who works as a content marketing lead for Whatphone. He mainly writes about the latest trends in mobile technology and Artificial Intelligence.
