Is it time to embrace Chatbots?
Just as the adoption of the internet and the spread of social media fundamentally changed the way we interact and communicate, the next wave of change is at our doorsteps. And it’s poised to overhaul our current perceptions and use of artificial intelligence.
The tech world is all agog these days about chatbots. These are automated computer programs that simulate online conversations with people to answer questions or perform tasks. While chatbots have been around in various rudimentary forms for years — think of Clippy, Wechat, Microsoft’s paper clip virtual assistant — they have been taking off lately as advances in machine learning and artificial intelligence make them more versatile than ever. Among the most well-known chatbots: Apple’s Siri, Microsoft’s Zo, Hipmunk etc.
Last April, Facebook announced at its annual F8 Developers Conference that it would be opening its Messenger Platform API for the development of chatbots, mini programs designed to interact with customers on a one-to-one basis without the need for a human being actively managing the conversation in real time. Think of interacting with a brand or organization just as you might have a text message conversation with a friend — with that friend’s ability to parse text and respond to inputs ranging from simple yes/no questions and multiple choice requests, all the way to natural language processing limited only by the programming and the AI engine behind it.
With the rise of chatbots, brands can feasibility fulfill the promise of social media: personal, trackable, scalable conversations and insights directly from the people your organization is aiming to serve.
Rather than sending your customers through a call center or hoping they’ll find what they’re looking for on your website, if communication with your brand could be as simple and as easy as sending a private, one-to-one text message, imagine the possibilities. Imagine being able to send notifications about new products, offers, news or shipping alerts to exactly the right people in the same way. No standalone app required. Just natural, intuitive conversation with the people you need to reach in the way that feels the most comfortable to them.
Recent research from the International Customer Management Institute (ICMI) and Oracle surveying contact center professionals found that a vast majority (85 percent) of respondents want to implement AI to enhance customer experience, and 41 percent expect their contact centers’ use of bots and AI will increase in the next 12 to 18 months. Furthermore, within the next 6 to 12 months, more than half (57 percent) of organizations intend to support or offer IoT/connected technologies. AI-based chatbots are a valuable tool that can help streamline overall productivity across companies’ contact centers. While chatbots won’t replace human jobs any time soon, they will automate and replace simple tasks that agents are handling today. By doing so, agents can dedicate their time to more complex issues.
Conclusion
These points are just an outer view of the ocean that resides beneath the plateau we can see. Chatbots have commendably made their way in all the sectors. Be it a product or a service oriented industry, chatbots are being widely accepted and appreciated for in-house and customer satisfaction they provide.