One Thing Every Chatbot for Business Needs to Do
Do you ever wonder how those successful chatbots that get hundreds of thousands of subscribers do it?
According to 2,000 UK consumers, there is one thing that every successful chatbot does without fail that sets them up for success from the start - and it is so simple that every chatbot for business can do it.
Indeed, as we have seen with the chatbots we have built for our clients, from Unilever to Johnson & Johnson, successful chatbots are designed from the start to do just this.
In our recent 2017 Chatbot Report, when asked the question:
"What's the most important to you in your experience of communicating with a company?"
68% of consumers responded 'reaching the desired outcome' with a further 48% stating 'ease of experience'.
Interestingly, consumers go even further:
"Why would you consider asking a chatbot before engaging with a human?".
69% responded: 'I would prefer to receive an instantaneous answer'.
We can see a clear reason why some chatbots for business reach such a high level of engagement and success. Simply, they deliver a user their desired outcome, instantly.
Winner.
When putting this into practice with your chatbot, it is important to understand precisely what your users want before you even start laying down code or moving Post-it notes around.
Most new chatbots we see are trying too hard to dazzle and impress. The user does not care that you can use a fancy GIF or deliver a perfect AI-driven conversation, and they definitely do not care about kittens.
They have a question or need, your chatbot convinced them it can answer or solve it, they want it as soon as humanly (or machine-ly) possible.
Having delivered mobile conversations since 2001, we know this is the silver bullet.
Delivering the answer on-demand is what a chatbot is for. It gives the consumer confidence, the ability to make a decision and improves their perception of your company being the most helpful.
As a handy takeaway, see the guide to nailing a desired outcome for your chatbot below.
| How to ensure your chatbot delivers a user their desired outcome, instantly. |
Think like a human. More importantly, think about your end user and nail down the problem your chatbot is solving. Do your customers struggle to get answers on a particular area of your business? Do users want to talk to you at 2AM when no staff are around? |
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Go niche. I mean, really super-niche. The very best chatbots do what they are supposed to do better than any other channel can. If your chatbot is there to tell the time, then just tell the time (FYI, this is a crap idea for a chatbot, don't do it).
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Deliver the outcome, and only then delight. To use my wish-I-never-suggested-it example, when a user asks your chatbot the time, the instant response should be the time... not:
"Hello, I am the time bot, and I am here to tell you the time. I am online 24 hours a day to tell you the time whenever you need it. The time now is 09:30".
Instead, it should be: "It is 09:30. By the way, I am the time bot, when you need the time just ask".
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