Introduction
Organizations are now in the process of taking their first steps on this journey to Chatbots And Conversational AI. Let’s start first with some basic explanations here…
A conversational AI is a computer program that can speak and understand language as well as a human can. We will tell you everything you need to know about this technology here, so keep reading.
For example, in addition to being a digital marketer, I’ve also been tasked with leading our organization’s internal efforts around this new blog topic. In doing so, I’ve learned that there are many considerations to keep in mind when working with chatbots.
Chatbots and conversational interfaces (CI) have been around for decades but have evolved over time. The technologies that enable these CI experiences are evolving as well. Organizations are now in the process of taking their first steps on this journey to Chatbots And Conversational AI.
As a result, we will see more companies use chatbots and conversational interfaces to engage with their customers in the years to come. This shift will impact how we interact with brands, drive sales through these interactions, and ultimately how companies view customer engagement in general.
The use of chatbots and conversational AI across the enterprise is growing. The benefits are clear, as having a central, easily accessible interface makes information easier to find, track and share.
In simple words, chatbots rely on artificial intelligence software to understand and respond to questions. A chatbot is basically a computer program that interacts with a human using natural language.
This article explores the advantages of using chatbots, the use cases of conversational AI, what it could mean for your business, and the reasons why more companies are turning to them, so keep reading…
Companies use chatbots and conversational interfaces to communicate with customers
You’ve likely interacted with a chatbot or conversational interface before. For example, you might have seen the following when opening an app like Spotify or Venmo:
> Hi! I’m [name of app]. What can I do for you?
These are examples of chatbots that perform simple tasks, such as retrieving information from a database. Chatbots can also be used to handle customer service issues and sales inquiries by providing information about products and services in response to keywords typed into the query box.
Chatbots can even be used for more complex requests such as handling complaints or collecting feedback from customers who have recently interacted with your business through another channel (like email) but would prefer not to have to fill out paperwork or call up an agent every time they have a question about their account status or billing cycles.
Conversational Interfaces (CI) have been around for decades but have evolved over time
CI are used to automate tasks and create a conversational experience with the human customer. CI can be used in many industries, including customer service, marketing, sales, and human resources. Here’s how you can use Conversational AI today:
- Customer Service: If you’re already using a chatbot or other form of automation in your business, then start by reaching out to your customers via text messaging with chatbots such as Conversable or Driftbot that provide automated responses based on previously collected data about their preferences. You can also use chatbots inside Facebook Messenger so that anyone who has messaged your company through that messaging app will be able to interact with the bot without having their conversation move outside of Messenger (which is great for businesses using Facebook Pages).
- Marketing: By adding some simple interactive elements into emails like surveys or polls from HubSpot or SurveyMonkey you’ll be able to engage with potential customers without having them leave their inboxes by clicking on links within emails which takes them away from where they were reading when they opened up an email! This way they’re still engaged with what looks like just another interesting piece of content instead of being taken away completely into another program which could possibly cause them not even finish reading whatever coursework/article this was sent alongside!
The technologies that enable CI experiences are evolving!
Chatbots are not a new thing. They’ve been around for decades, but they have evolved over time. As chatbot technology has improved and become more sophisticated, the use cases for them have grown exponentially as well. For example, now we’re seeing them in every industry, not just in customer service, but also in sales and marketing as well.
Chatbots are no longer just automating basic tasks; they can do much more than that now and provide value to your business in ways you might not expect.
One of the biggest changes we’ve seen is how conversational AI has moved from being strictly utilitarian to becoming more personal, and even fun! Companies like Google Duplex (an intelligent voice assistant) or Siri (a voice assistant on iPhones) are learning how to converse with humans in natural language through machine learning algorithms that allow these technologies to understand our speech patterns and respond appropriately based on what’s said during a conversation with someone else who might not be familiar with these technologies yet themselves.
Chatbots And Conversational AI
You can’t escape them. Chatbots and conversational interfaces are here to stay, and they’re only going to become more prevalent as time goes on. By 2025, it’s predicted that the most dominant form of customer engagement will be through chatbots and conversational interfaces. They’re already being used in many industries, from healthcare to retail and banking services, and the possibilities for these technologies are endless!
How will AI, chatbots, and conversational interfaces impact customer engagement?
Chatbots and conversational interfaces will revolutionize the customer experience. By 2025, customers will be able to solve 90% of their problems without engaging with a human representative. This is because chatbots and conversational interfaces are more efficient than humans and can adapt to any situation or context.
Customers will prefer this new way of interacting with companies because it’s easier and faster than calling or going on the company website. The AI-powered chatbot allows people to search for answers, get directions, make appointments, check their balances and even pay bills all through one interface, making it much quicker than dealing with different departments within an organization or running between websites in order to get everything done at once.
What does the future hold for AI, chatbots and conversational interfaces?
In an earlier article, we talked about the future of conversational interfaces and how they will be dominated by AI. In this blog, we will look at the evolution of chatbots and how they can be increasingly used in customer engagement. We will explore some trends that are driving this innovation and what you should expect in the near future.
At present, there is a lot of hype around voice assistants such as Alexa or Google Assistant, but there is also significant interest from businesses to use chatbots for customer engagement, and for good reason! Since 2016, when Facebook launched Messenger bots on its platform, there has been an explosion in their usage due to their ease of deployment and low cost (no need for developers).
Chatbots are not a replacement for humans!
Chatbots are not a replacement for humans, but rather an augmentation, an enhancement. Chatbots aren’t even replacements in the same way that self-checkout machines or cashiers at grocery stores don’t replace human workers; they’re just enhancements to the overall experience of shopping at your favourite store (or online retailer).
Chatbots are not replacements, they’re supplements and catalysts. A good example is when you go to an appointment with your doctor: If you have questions about what medicines he/she prescribed for you, there is always the possibility of getting more information directly from him/her over the phone or checking out their website before calling them back; this certainly beats having to wait half an hour on hold while listening to elevator music!
In fact, chatbots were originally meant as tools that would help us communicate better with each other, we could ask them questions when we needed answers quickly (like how many calories do I need per day?) and then get back into our busy lives without having had spent too much time thinking about food!
More companies will use chatbots and conversational interfaces to engage with their customers
Chatbots are a new way to interact with customers. They can be used as a customer service tool, increasing sales, increasing customer engagement and loyalty.
Example: Amazon uses Alexa, which is an AI chatbot that allows you to buy products by talking to her.
If you have an Echo smart speaker, you can just ask her to order something from Amazon and she will.
Although Alexa is not yet a major competitor to Google Home, Amazon’s AI-powered voice assistant is growing in popularity and it could be on the verge of overtaking Google Assistant as well. This is because Amazon has been investing heavily in building out its Alexa technology ecosystem over the past few years.
In addition to bringing a full range of third-party devices into its ecosystem, including speakers, headphones and kitchen appliances, the company has also launched more than 200 Alexa skills (apps that run inside Alexa) for developers to create their own applications for customers to use with the virtual assistant. There are now more than 2 million skills available on Alexa’s skill store.
There are many companies that are using chatbots and conversational interfaces to engage with their customers. Some more examples include:
- Starbucks: has a chatbot called “My Starbucks Barista” that allows customers to order their coffee using natural language.
- Sephora: it has a chatbot called “Beauty Assistant” that helps customers find products and information about beauty products.
- Domino’s Pizza: has a chatbot called “Dom” that allows customers to order pizza and track their order status.
- Dunkin’ Donuts: has a chatbot called “Dunkin’ Donuts Assistant” that allows customers to order doughnuts and coffee.
- Taco Bell: has a chatbot called “TacoBot” that allows customers to order tacos and burritos.
- LinkedIn: has a chatbot called “LinkedIn Bot” that allows users to find employment opportunities.
- Facebook Messenger: Facebook’s artificial intelligence-powered chatbot “M” lets users send messages and make payments with their friends on the platform.
- Microsoft Cortana: Microsoft’s digital personal assistant, Cortana is powered by Bing search technology, enabling people to do things like get better weather forecasts or read news headlines without leaving the app they’re currently using. The bot has also been integrated into messaging apps such as Facebook Messenger, Kik and Slack in an effort to make it easier for users to find friends on these platforms while continuing to use the same language they know best — text messages — with their friends on these platforms.
- Amazon Alexa: Amazon’s virtual personal assistant Alexa can answer questions about movies, sports scores and music recommendations from the company’s Echo devices.
- Apple Siri: Apple’s virtual personal assistant Siri is now integrated into iOS 16 and macOS Mojave for Macs, making it easier for customers to control their smart home devices. It also provides answers to questions like “what song will be played at my next big meeting?” and can let users know if an item in their shopping cart or order hasn’t been paid for yet through notifications sent directly from the app.
- Google Assistant: Google’s digital personal assistant, which powers the company’s Pixel and Android smartphones and Google Home speaker devices, can answer questions about shopping lists and sports scores as well as provide information about times of upcoming events such as concerts or other sporting events.
- Facebook Portal: Facebook’s smart display is a home hub that allows users to do things like check the weather, play games or order food using their voice commands.
These are just a few examples of companies that are using chatbots and conversational interfaces to engage with their customers. This trend is likely to continue, as more and more companies adopt these technologies to provide a better customer experience.
Conclusion
As organizations begin to take their first steps toward Chatbots And Conversational AI, it is important to keep in mind that these technologies should be used as an augmentation rather than a replacement for humans. The goal is not just to automate conversations, but also to make them more efficient and effective. The future of customer engagement will be driven by people who are able to interact with customers through the use of AI technology.
