The Ultimate Guide To Chatbots For Businesses ONLIM 2018

Transcription

1 The Ultimate Guide To Chatbots For Businesses O N L I M

2 Where We're At Today Y o u ve probably heard a lot a b o u t c h a t b o t s d u r i n g The l a s t y e a r h a s s h o w n u s t h a t p e o p l e a r e w i l l i n g t o t a l k t o b o t s, i f y o u m a k e t h e m a g r e a t, simple a n d h e l p f u l e x p e r i e n c e t o i n t e r a c t w i t h. T h e t r e n d i s n o t s l o w i n g d o w n i n We are seeing more and m o r e b u s i n e s s e s g e t t i n g o n t h e b a n d w a g o n a n d i m p l e m e n t i n g c h a t b o t s f o r c u s t o m e r s e r v i c e, m a r k e t i n g a n d s a l e s. C h a t b o t s a r e g o i n g t o b e a k e y p i e c e o f a u t o m a t i o n f o r So i t s important to understand what t h e y a r e, how they can help your b u s i n e s s a n d w h a t y o u n e e d t o p a y a t t e n t i o n t o b e f o r e g e t t i n g s t a r t e d. T h a t's why we have created this q u i c k g u i d e. We want to help you u n d e r s t a n d e v e r y t h i n g y o u n e e d t o k n o w a b o u t c h a t b o t s f o r y o u r b u s i n e s s. What Are Chatbots? A c h a t b o t i s a n a u t o m a t e d s y s t e m o r a r o b o t t h a t i m i t a t e s h u m a n c o n v e r s a t i o n s t h r o u g h v o i c e c o m m a n d s, text chats or b o t h. E s s e n t i a l l y, it s a virtual conversation in which one party is a n o n l i n e t a l k i n g r o b o t t h a t c a n c a r r y o u t a d e f i n e d t a s k o r g i v e a u t o m a t e d r e p l i e s t o u s e r s. I t i s a f o r m o f a r t i f i c i a l i n t e l l i g e n c e (AI) that operates within d e f i n e d s e t o f r u l e s a n d p a r a m e t e r s. A c h a t b o t c a n p r o v i d e m a n y f u n c t i o n s a n d c a n b e h o s t e d o n w e b s i t e s, messaging p l a t f o r m s o r a p p s.

3 So How Do Chatbots Work? A c h a t b o t w o r k s i n m u c h t h e s a m e w a y a s a h u m a n m a n n i n g a h e l p d e s k. W h e n a c u s t o m e r o p e n s a c h a t d i a l o g u e t o a s k f o r a s s i s t a n c e, the chatbot is the medium r e s p o n d i n g. S o, if a customer typed the question What time does y o u r s t o r e o p e n t o m o r r o w m o r n i n g, using the information a v a i l a b l e, the chatbot would immediately respond in the s a m e w a y a s a h u m a n w o u l d. Our store opens at 9am t o m o r r o w m o r n i n g a n d c l o s e s a t 5 p m. H a v e y o u e v e r a s k e d A l e x a, Google Assistant or Siri for a w e a t h e r u p d a t e i n y o u r a r e a? Those is also chatbots and, u s i n g y o u r l o c a t i o n, a response can be given, in natural, c o n v e r s a t i o n a l r e p l i e s. What Is Going On Behind A Chatbot Front-End? T o a n s w e r t h i s q u e s t i o n w e m u s t u n d e r s t a n d t h a t t h e r e a r e t w o t y p e s o f c h a t b o t s. A s w e m e n t i o n e d a b o v e, all chatbots are a form of AI, a n d a l l c h a t b o t s a r e s u p p o r t e d b y c o m p l e x p r o g r a m m i n g. H o w e v e r t h e y f a l l i n t o t w o c a t e g o r i e s. T h e w a y t h e y a r e s p l i t d e p e n d s o n w h e t h e r t h e d o m i n a n t f e a t u r e i s h a r d c o d e d q u e s t i o n s/answer or the AI. C h a t b o t s t h a t f u n c t i o n o n s t r u c t u r e d q u e s t i o n s a n d a n s w e r s a r e l e s s c o m p l e x a n d c h a t b o t s t h a t f u n c t i o n o n m a c h i n e l e a r n i n g h a r n e s s t h e f u l l p o w e r o f A I a n d N L P. F r o m t h e f r o n t e n d t h e y b o t h l o o k s i m i l a r a n d a s a u s e r, y o u m a y n o t b e a b l e t o d i s t i n g u i s h t h e d i f f e r e n c e.

4 Scripted And Structured Chatbots A c h a t b o t w o r k i n g o n h a r d c o d e d q u e s t i o n s/answers has a s m a l l e r k n o w l e d g e b a s e a n d s k i l l s e t, and can only provide 1 t h e c o r r e c t o u t p u t t o s p e c i f i c i n s t r u c t i o n s. T h i s m e a n s o u r q u e s t i o n s m u s t f i t w i t h t h e p r o g r a m m i n g t h e y h a v e b e e n g i v e n. U s i n g o u r w e a t h e r c h a t b o t a s a n e x a m p l e o n c e m o r e, the question Will it rain tomorrow c o u l d b e a n s w e r e d e a s i l y. However if the programming is n o t t h e r e, the question Will I need a brolly tomorrow may c a u s e t h e c h a t b o t t o r e s p o n d w i t h a I am sorry, I didn t u n d e r s t a n d t h e q u e s t i o n type response. T h i s b o t c a n o n l y b e a s s m a r t a s t h e p r o g r a m m i n g i t h a s b e e n g i v e n. I f y o u c a n o n l y i n t e r a c t w i t h t h e c h a t b o t v i a b u t t o n s o r a g i v e n m e n u o r s t r u g g l e b e i n g u n d e r s t o o d, you might be t a l k i n g t o a c h a t b o t w i t h s t r u c t u r e d q u e s t i o n s a n d a n s w e r s. S c r i p t e d b o t s a r e o f t e n u s e d o n M e s s e n g e r p l a t f o r m s f o r m a r k e t i n g p u r p o s e s a s u s e r s d o n t necessarily need to i n t e r a c t a l o t w i t h t h e b o t. They are great to send n e w s l e t t e r s o r d a i l y c o n t e n t p i e c e s, generate leads, engage u s e r s, do surveys etc. 1

5 NLP Based Chatbots I f y o u a r e l o o k i n g i n t o i m p l e m e n t i n g a c u s t o m e r s e r v i c e b o t f o r y o u r b u s i n e s s, this type of chatbot is the right one. M a c h i n e l e a r n i n g b o t s h a r n e s s t h e p o w e r o f A I, which gives t h e m a learning brain. They can understand language m e a n i n g t h e c o m m a n d s y o u g i v e d o n o t n e e d t o b e s o s p e c i f i c. A n A I c h a t b o t w i l l f i g u r e o u t t h a t u m b r e l l a s a n d b r o l l y s r e f e r t o r a i n, and therefore a deviation from the standard q u e s t i o n w i l l n o t p h a s e t h e m. T h e p a r t t h a t m a k e s t h e m u n d e r s t a n d l a n g u a g e, is the 2 n a t u r a l l a n g u a g e p r o c e s s i n g (NLP). N L P i s p a r t o f m a c h i n e l e a r n i n g a n d a r t i f i c i a l i n t e l l i g e n c e. We don t want to go into t o o m u c h t e c h n i c a l d e t a i l h e r e, but basically NLP consists of t h r e e c o n c e p t s: intent, entity and utterance. I n t e n t s a n d e n t i t i e s h e l p s t r u c t u r e t h e c h a t b o t, while u t t e r a n c e a l l o w s t o t r a i n a n d i m p r o v e t h e c h a t b o t. E s s e n t i a l l y, machine learning chatbots get cleverer the more t h e y a r e i n t e r a c t e d w i t h. O b v i o u s l y t h e a m o u n t o f w o r k b e h i n d t h e s c e n e s i s g r e a t e r, b u t t h a t d o e s n t mean you need to master AI to have such a c h a t b o t w o r k i n g f o r y o u. Chatbots are certainly not s o m e t h i n g t o b e f e a r e d, but rather something we should e m b r a c e f o r e n h a n c i n g o u r u s e r e x p e r i e n c e f o r v a r i o u s p r o c e s s e s. 2

6 Today s Chatbot Trend C h a t b o t s a r e n o t h i n g n e w. In fact, the first c h a t b o t w a s d e v e l o p e d b y M I T p r o f e s s o r J o s e p h 3 W e i z e n b a u m i n t h e s. It was called ELIZA a n d w o r k e d b y p a s s i n g t h e w o r d s t h a t u s e r s e n t e r e d i n t o a c o m p u t e r a n d t h e n p a i r i n g t h e m t o a l i s t o f p o s s i b l e s c r i p t e d r e s p o n s e s. T h e s a m e g o e s f o r v o i c e b a s e d c h a t b o t s o r voice a s s i s t a n t s such as Alexa, Google Assistant, Siri o r C o r t a n a. The first voice assistant was also 4 c r e a t e d b a c k i n t h e s. It was IBM s Shoebox d e v i c e t h a t f o r m e d t h e f o u n d a t i o n o f t h e m o d e r n v o i c e a s s i s t a n t e r a. S o w h y h a v e c h a t b o t s a n d v o i c e a s s i s t a n t s o n l y b e c o m e a t h i n g r e c e n t l y? F i r s t, the technology improved and became a lot e a s i e r t o a c c e s s. In 2016, we saw the intro of the f i r s t w a v e o f a r t i f i c i a l d a t a t e c h n o l o g y i n t h e d e s i g n o f c h a t b o t s. Barriers are coming down and d i f f e r e n t p l a t f o r m s n o w e v e n a l l o w n o n-tech- 5 s a v v y p e o p l e t o s e t u p c h a t b o t s. A n d s e c o n d, we have seen a huge rise in 6 m e s s a g i n g. M e s s a g i n g a p p s h a v e s u r p a s s e d t h e m o s t p o p u l a r s o c i a l m e d i a a p p s i n t e r m s o f m o n t h l y a c t i v e u s e r s e n d o f a n d h a v e b e c o m e t h e w a y w e c o m m u n i c a t e w i t h f r i e n d s a n d f a m i l y. Today those messaging apps and p l a t f o r m s a r e h o m e t o m a n y b o t s a n d a l l o w b r a n d s t o b u i l d o n e t o o n e r e l a t i o n s h i p s w i t h t h e i r c u s t o m e r s. A s y o u c a n n o w u n d e r s t a n d w h a t c h a t b o t s a r e, h o w t h e y w o r k a n d w h e r e t h e y c o m e f r o m, let s h a v e a l o o k a t w h a t t h e y c a n a c t u a l l y d o f o r y o u r b u s i n e s s

7 How Your Business Benefits From Chatbots W e h a v e a l r e a d y m e n t i o n e d a b o v e t h a t c h a t b o t s a r e u s e d f o r c u s t o m e r s e r v i c e, marketing and s a l e s. W e s e e t h e m i n o n l i n e m a r k e t i n g a s e m a i l s u b s t i t u t e, for smart m e s s a g i n g a t t h e r i g h t p l a c e a n d t i m e, to send personalized tips & s u g g e s t i o n s, to generate leads, n u r t u r e e x i s t i n g o n e s a n d b u i l d r e l a t i o n s h i p s (e.g. Sephora, W h o l e F o o d s, Starbucks, CNN). I n s a l e s t h e y a r e u s e d f o r u p- and d o w n s e l l i n g, to make aware of a b a n d o n e d c a r t s a n d o f c o u r s e f o r l e a d g e n e r a t i o n (e.g. H&M, Flowers, Domino s Pizza). W e a l s o s e e m o r e c o m p a n i e s i m p l e m e n t i n g c u s t o m e r s e r v i c e b o t s w i t h a s m a r t h u m a n t a k e o v e r t h a t c a n b e u s e d e x t e r n a l l y, but also as internal h e l p d e s k (e.g. KLM, Wien 7 E n e r g i e, Kayak). N o w l e t s have a closer look at some of the most important reasons t h a t c h a t b o t s a r e s o v a l u a b l e f o r b u s i n e s s e s. B o t T i n a 8 O l y m p i a

8 1. You Take Communication Habits Of Your Customers Into Consideration 10 T h e u s e o f m e s s e n g e r s e r v i c e s i s i n c r e a s i n g. In G e r m a n y, 80 percent of 19- to 64-year-olds use m e s s e n g e r s e r v i c e s s u c h a s W h a t s A p p, Facebook M e s s e n g e r o r s i m i l a r a p p l i c a t i o n s o n a d a i l y b a s i s. The u s e i s n o l o n g e r l i m i t e d t o t h e s e n d i n g o f t e x t m e s s a g e s. S e n d i n g G I F S, videos and emojis go without saying. I f u s e r s h a v e a c o n v e r s a t i o n w i t h a b o t, they are using a c o m m u n i c a t i o n c h a n n e l t h e y a r e f a m i l i a r w i t h. They are a l r e a d y u s e d t o t h e t e c h n o l o g y. 2. Chatbots Help You Guarantee A Great User Experience I f c h a t b o t s a r e u s i n g n a t u r a l l a n g u a g e p r o c e s s i n g, users c a n a s k t h e i r q u e s t i o n s i n a n a t u r a l w a y a n d c o m m u n i c a t e w i t h t h e c h a t b o t a s i f t h e y w e r e t a l k i n g t o a c o-worker or a f r i e n d. S e a r c h i n g f o r i n f o r m a t i o n o n a w e b s i t e o r i n a n a p p i s l e s s i n t u i t i v e. In most cases, several steps are necessary u n t i l y o u h a v e c l i c k e d t h r o u g h t o t h e d e s i r e d i n f o r m a t i o n. A c h a t b o t m a k e s t h e s e s t e p s r e d u n d a n t. 10

9 3. You Shorten The Customer s Information Research P r o b a b l y e v e r y o n e h a s a l r e a d y b e e n w a i t i n g f o r h o u r s i n t h e w a i t i n g l o o p o f a t e l e p h o n e h o t l i n e a n d l i s t e n e d t o t h e h o t l i n e m u s i c f o r d o n k e y s years. Who would not e x c h a n g e t h i s e x p e r i e n c e f o r a c h a t w i t h a c h a r m i n g c h a t b o t? C h a t b o t s c a n q u i c k l y s e a r c h t h r o u g h a l a r g e a m o u n t o f d a t a a n d p r o v i d e t h e i n f o r m a t i o n y o u r c u s t o m e r s n e e d. T h i s a l l o w s y o u t o d e l i v e r t h e r e s u l t s t h a t a r e r e a l l y r e l e v a n t t o t h e u s e r i n l e s s t h a n n o t i m e. 4. You Provide Relevant Information To Your Customers T h e i n f o r m a t i o n a v a i l a b l e o n a w e b s i t e o r i n a n a p p c a n o v e r w h e l m u s e r s q u i c k l y a n d i t i s n o t a l w a y s r e l e v a n t t o t h e m. For example, if you are looking for a new mobile p h o n e c o n t r a c t, the available options are often confusing. H o w e v e r, if you know that you are looking for a contract w i t h a m i n i m u m o f f i v e G B d a t a v o l u m e a n d a p h o n e f l a t r a t e, a chatbot can filter the available contracts and only o f f e r y o u t h e r e l e v a n t o n e s. 5. You Create A Personal Customer Experience C h a t b o t s c a n h e l p y o u g e n e r a t e a p e r s o n a l u s e r e x p e r i e n c e. Depending on which questions the user asks, t h e a n s w e r s o f t h e b o t w i l l b e d i f f e r e n t o n e s. Especially m a c h i n e l e a r n i n g b o t s l e a r n w i t h e v e r y u s e r i n t e r a c t i o n. T h i s a l l o w s y o u r b u s i n e s s t o p r o v i d e a n i n d i v i d u a l e x p e r i e n c e t o e v e r y s i n g l e u s e r a n d c r e a t e a p o s i t i v e, c u s t o m e r-centric brand image.

10 6. You Generate More Attention For Your Business T h e u s e o f a p p s 11 i s d e c r e a s i n g w o r l d w i d e. Although apps i n E u r o p e a n d e s p e c i a l l y i n G e r m a n y a r e s t i l l r e l a t i v e l y w i d e s p r e a d, this behaviour can change quickly as many e x a m p l e s o f o t h e r t e c h n o l o g y t r e n d s f r o m t h e U n i t e d S t a t e s a r e s h o w i n g. E s p e c i a l l y i f y o u w a n t t o p l a c e y o u r c o m p a n y a s a n i n n o v a t i v e e x p e r t i n y o u r i n d u s t r y t h e d e v e l o p m e n t o f a n e w a p p i s p r o b a b l y n o l o n g e r t h e b e s t c h o i c e. A chatbot i s c l e a r l y m o r e p r o m i s i n g, as this technology is still new a n d e x c i t i n g f o r m a n y u s e r s. 7. Your Customer Service Operates Day and Night A c c o r d i n g t o M c K i n s e y, companies are already saving as 12 m u c h a s 2 9 % o n c u s t o m e r s e r v i c e b y d e p l o y i n g b o t s a n d a n I B M s u r v e y s h o w e d t h a t 6 5 % o f U S m i l l e n n i a l s p r e f e r g o i n g o n l i n e t o g e t s u p p o r t, rather than speak to staff in- 13 s t o r e. M o r e o v e r, a huge advantage of bots in customers service i s t h e c o n s t a n t a v a i l a b i l i t y. Big companies such as A m a z o n h a v e c r e a t e d h i g h c u s t o m e r e x p e c t a t i o n s. W h e t h e r i t i s a d e l i v e r y t h e n e x t d a y o r a q u i c k r e s p o n s e t o i n q u i r i e s customers are taking a lot of things for g r a n t e d. W i t h a c h a t b o t y o u c a n o f f e r y o u r c u s t o m e r s a c u s t o m e r s e r v i c e t h a t i s a v a i l a b l e 2 4 h o u r s a d a y, even if there is no e m p l o y e e i n t h e o f f i c e. Your chatbot takes care of the c o m m u n i c a t i o n no matter what time of day or day of t h e w e e k divide.html#gs.p0dhaog automation

11 Chit Chat Chatbots T h e i n v e s t m e n t i n c h a t b o t s w i l l g e n e r a t e a g r e a t p a y o f f f o r b u s i n e s s e s a s t h e y p r e d i c t t h a t m o r e t h a n 8 5 % o f c u s t o m e r e n g a g e m e n t w i l l b e 14 a t t e n d e d t o w i t h o u t p e o p l e b y A n d t h i s i s a h u g e d e a l, it s the industrialization a l l o v e r a g a i n. Bots replacing online support just a s f a c t o r y m a c h i n e s a n d t h e s t e a m e n g i n e r e p l a c e d h u m a n s. N e v e r t h e l e s s, like most of the new technologies, c h i t c h a t c h a t b o t s h a v e e x p e r i e n c e d s o m e s e t b a c k s a n d s h o r t c o m i n g s. D e s p i t e t h e m a n y e f f o r t s e m p l o y e d i n p r o g r a m m i n g t h e A I, still it misses to spell out w h a t a r e a l h u m a n b e i n g w o u l d s a y w h e n e n g a g i n g i n a c o n v e r s a t i o n. B u t a s t h e h e a d o f M i c r o s o f t T e c h n o l o g y a n d R e s e a r c h, Harry Shum puts it, Chitchat is a basic h u m a n n e e d a n d i t g r e a s e s t h e w h e e l s o f a n y s e r i o u s w o r k p l a c e t h u s m o s t b u s i n e s s e s h a v e n o t l o s t h o p e." C o n s t a n t c l i e n t f e e d b a c k g i v e s c h a t b o t s a p l a t f o r m f o r t e s t i n g a n d i m p r o v e m e n t. An i n e f f i c i e n t c h a t b o t c a n i n f l i c t h a v o c o n y o u r b u s i n e s s i n t e r m s o f n e g a t i v e b r a n d a s s o c i a t i o n s, m i s s e d s a l e s o p p o r t u n i t i e s a n d l o s s o f c u s t o m e r s. A c h a t b o t w i l l b e t h e p e r s o n i f i c a t i o n o f y o u r b r a n d, so you have to do it right. In the last part w e'll share some things to consider before g e t t i n g s t a r t e d a n d t i p s t o i m p r o v e y o u r c h i t c h a t c h a t b o t. 14

12 Tips Before Getting Started 1. Find The Right Use Case T h e m o s t i m p o r t a n t q u e s t i o n b u s i n e s s e s h a v e t o a s k t h e m s e l v e s w h e n t h e y w a n t t o i m p l e m e n t a b o t i s t h e q u e s t i o n a b o u t t h e u s e c a s e. What is the b o t g o i n g t o d o f o r y o u r b u s i n e s s? How will it help you a c h i e v e y o u r b u s i n e s s g o a l s? Can y o u u s e i t t o i m p r o v e e x i s t i n g p r o c e s s e s? A t t h e s a m e t i m e, don t forget to t h i n k a b o u t y o u r c u s t o m e r s a n d t h e p e o p l e w h o a r e g o i n g t o i n t e r a c t w i t h y o u r c h a t b o t. How c a n t h e c h a t b o t i m p r o v e t h e i r e x p e r i e n c e o f i n t e r a c t i n g w i t h y o u r b u s i n e s s? A l l t h e s e q u e s t i o n s a r e c r u c i a l, as t h e u s e c a s e w i l l m a s s i v e l y i n f l u e n c e t h e u s e r e x p e r i e n c e o f t h e c h a t b o t i n t h e e n d. W e o f t e n h a v e t o e x p l a i n t o c u s t o m e r s t h a t n o t a l l u s e c a s e s a r e s u i t a b l e f o r a c h a t b o t, so m a k e s u r e t o t h i n k a b o u t t h o s e q u e s t i o n s b e f o r e g e t t i n g s t a r t e d. I f y o u c a n h e l p s a v e y o u r c u s t o m e r s t i m e b y d e l i v e r i n g t h e r i g h t i n f o r m a t i o n w h e n a n d w h e r e t h e y a r e l o o k i n g f o r i t 15 ( M i c r o-moments from Google ), y o u r b u s i n e s s h a s s e t t h e b a s e f o r a s u c c e s s f u l c h a t b o t p r o j e c t. 15

13 2. Choose The Right Platform / Provider T h i s b a s i c a l l y g o e s h a n d i n h a n d w i t h y o u r u s e c a s e. Once you k n o w w h a t y o u r c h a t b o t s h o u l d d o, you ll know what makes sense f o r y o u r b u s i n e s s. I f y o u d e c i d e t o i m p l e m e n t a c h a t b o t f o r m a r k e t i n g p u r p o s e s l i k e d i s t r i b u t i n g y o u r w e e k l y n e w s l e t t e r s o r d a i l y c o n t e n t p i e c e s t o y o u r a u d i e n c e, p l a t f o r m s l i k e M a n y C h a t o r C h a t f u e l a r e a g r e a t w a y t o g e t s t a r t e d. You can set up a ruleb a s e d c h a t b o t w i t h a f e w c l i c k s. I f y o u a r e l o o k i n g i n t o i m p l e m e n t i n g a c u s t o m e r s e r v i c e b o t o n y o u r w e b s i t e a n d F a c e b o o k M e s s e n g e r, that should i n t e r a c t w i t h u s e r s a n d a n s w e r t h e i r q u e s t i o n s a n d e n q u i r i e s, y o u w i l l n e e d a m o r e s o p h i s t i c a t e d c h a t b o t t h a t u t i l i z e s m a c h i n e l e a r n i n g a n d n a t u r a l l a n g u a g e p r o c e s s i n g ( N L P). S o l u t i o n s s u c h a s O n l i m c a n h e l p y o u i m p l e m e n t a c u s t o m i z e d c h a t b o t a c c o r d i n g t o y o u r n e e d s. 3. Get The Experts On The Table I t m i g h t s o u n d o b v i o u s, but b e l i e v e u s, it isn t always that c l e a r! I f y o u w a n t t o i m p l e m e n t a c u s t o m e r s e r v i c e b o t f o r e x a m p l e, your colleagues from t h e c u s t o m e r s e r v i c e d e p a r t m e n t h a v e t o b e p a r t o f t h e p r o j e c t t e a m! In the end, they are the o n e s p r o b a b l y k n o w i n g y o u r c u s t o m e r s a n d t h e i r e x p e c t a t i o n s b e s t. U s u a l l y c u s t o m i z e d c h a t b o t s a r e t r a i n e d w i t h e x a m p l e q u e s t i o n s t o e n a b l e t h e m t o c o n d u c t i n d i v i d u a l c o n v e r s a t i o n s w i t h e n d u s e r s. The more relevant and c o m p r e h e n s i v e t h o s e q u e s t i o n s a r e, the better the bot can meet e v e r y o n e s expectations after g o i n g l i v e. T h e r e f o r e, it is inevitable to i n c l u d e y o u r i n-house experts in t h e p r o j e c t. They know what c u s t o m e r s r e a l l y w a n t, as well as h o w u s e r s a s k f o r i n f o r m a t i o n a n d i n t e r a c t w i t h y o u r c o m p a n y.

14 5. Be Clear And Transparent 4. Keep It Narrow And Deep T h i s i s i m p o r t a n t w h e n y o u i m p l e m e n t a c u s t o m e r s e r v i c e c h a t b o t. T o s t a r t w i t h, define one single t o p i c t h a t y o u r c h a t b o t s h o u l d h a n d l e a n d t r y t o g o a s d e e p a s p o s s i b l e. T h i s e n a b l e s t h e b o t t o a n s w e r l o t s o f r e l a t e d q u e s t i o n s. Even if i t m e a n s t h e c h a t b o t c a n o n l y a n s w e r q u e s t i o n s a b o u t o n e t o p i c a t t h e b e g i n n i n g, it will be a b l e t o p r o v i d e a c t u a l h e l p a n d r e d u c e t h e Sorry, I can t help y o u w i t h t h a t - kind of answers f o r t h i s p a r t i c u l a r t o p i c. I t w i l l a l s o h e l p y o u w i t h f a s t e r o p t i m i z a t i o n d u e t o t h e h i g h a m o u n t o f s p e c i f i c q u e s t i o n s a b o u t t h e t o p i c, which in return w i l l l e a d t o e x c e l l e n t u s e r e x p e r i e n c e. J u s t i n c a s e t h a t i s n t clear y o u r u s e r s m u s t k n o w i f t h e y a r e t a l k i n g t o a m a c h i n e o r a h u m a n! S o m e c o m p a n i e s s e e m t o f o r g e t a b o u t t h a t, but customers/users h a v e t o b e i n f o r m e d w h e n a n e m p l o y e e i s g o i n g t o t a k e o v e r t h e c o n v e r s a t i o n f r o m t h e b o t. S o b e c l e a r a b o u t t h a t! A l s o m a k e s u r e t o b e t r a n s p a r e n t a b o u t t h e t o p i c s t h a t t h e b o t c a n a n s w e r. T h i s w i l l r e d u c e d i s a p p o i n t m e n t s a n d l e a d t o a b e t t e r u s e r e x p e r i e n c e. " B E T R A N S P A R E N T A B O U T T H E T O P I C S T H A T T H E B O T C A N A N S W E R. " Y o u c a n a l w a y s e x t e n d t h e s c o p e o f y o u r c h a t b o t s knowledge l a t e r o n, but to start with, try to k e e p i t n a r r o w & d e e p i n s t e a d o f w i d e & f l a t!

15 6. Be Prepared For The Time After Launch I n c o m p a r i s o n t o o t h e r p r o j e c t s, l a u n c h i n g a chatbot does not e n d t h e p r o j e c t. It s quite the c o n t r a r y t h i s i s t h e s t a r t o f t h e o p t i m i z a t i o n p h a s e. Y o u r b u s i n e s s h a s t o p r o v i d e t h e r e s o u r c e s t o g e t t h e m o s t o u t o f y o u r c h a t b o t a f t e r l a u n c h. You ll h a v e t o m o n i t o r u s e r i n t e r a c t i o n s, reactions, u n a n s w e r e d r e q u e s t s e t c. Your c h a t b o t s h o u l d i m p r o v e u s e r e x p e r i e n c e s o t h i s p h a s e i s c r u c i a l f o r t h e s u c c e s s o f t h e e n t i r e p r o j e c t. " Y O U R C H A T B O T S H O U L D I M P R O V E U S E R E X P E R I E N C E. "

16 7. Improve Your Chit Chat Chatbot 1. Use Emotional Emphasis E m o t i o n s f o r m a v e r y s e n s i t i v e p a r t o f c o m m u n i c a t i o n. H o w e v e r, for top customer service agents, empathy is t h e t a c t i c t h e y e m p l o y t o m a k e t h e c u s t o m e r k n o w t h a t t h e y h a v e b e e n f u l l y u n d e r s t o o d, appreciated and their s e n t i m e n t s t a k e n i n f o r c o n s i d e r a t i o n. Y o u r c h a t b o t m u s t b e t a u g h t h o w t o c o n v e r t t h a t a w f u l c o n v e r s a t i o n t o a r e a s o n a b l e a n d m o r e c o u r t e o u s o n e. 2. Proactively Offer Guidance H i a m X b o t. What can I do for you? this is a common o p e n i n g l i n e f o r m o s t b u s i n e s s e s chatbots that I am s u r e y o u m i g h t h a v e c o m e a c r o s s. A g o o d c h a t b o t s h o u l d i n t r o d u c e y o u t o a l i s t o f s e r v i c e s o f f e r e d b y a g i v e n c o m p a n y. 3. Remember Personal Details F o r m o s t c l i e n t s, it s always annoying when they are f o r c e d t o r e p e a t i n f o r m a t i o n t h e y h a d e a r l i e r p r e s e n t e d a t t h e c o m m e n c e m e n t o f t h e c o n v e r s a t i o n. You can i m a g i n e d e a l i n g w i t h a c u s t o m e r a g e n t w h o k e e p s f o r g e t t i n g y o u r d e t a i l s. C h i t c h a t s c h a t b o t h a v e p e r f e c t m e m o r y a n d t h e f r u s t r a t i o n o f r e p e a t i n g y o u r s e l f i s a n i s s u e y o u w i l l n e v e r h a v e t o w o r r y a b o u t.

17 4. Don t be a Broken Record B e i n g t o l d t h e s a m e t h i n g o v e r a n d o v e r c a n b e v e r y a g i t a t i n g. A bot should be properly programmed to d e t e c t a n y i n t e n t o f r e p e t i t i o n o f a g i v e n i n f o r m a t i o n. A c h a t b o t s h o u l d o f f e r a m o r e d y n a m i c c o n v e r s a t i o n t o h e l p c u s t o m e r s a c c e s s t h e r e l e v a n t i n f o r m a t i o n t h e y n e e d a s f a s t a s p o s s i b l e w i t h l i t t l e e f f o r t Sound Human Y o u r c h a t b o t m u s t n e v e r i n d i c a t e r o b o t i c e l e m e n t s i n c o n v e r s a t i o n s. Just to explain this, OK is a term used w o r l d w i d e e v e n w i t h h u m a n s b u t i t i s r a t h e r m e c h a n i c a l l y a n d u n e n g a g i n g. T h e r e e x i s t a l i s t o f t e c h n i q u e s y o u c a n u s e t o g e t r i d o f t h i s r o b o t i c s p e e c h. H e r e a r e j u s t a f e w: U s e e m o j i s a n d s t i c k e r s B e e m p a t h e t i c K e e p y o u r m e s s a g e s s h o r t a n d c l e a r, simple to c o m p r e h e n d; Use full words U s e c o m m o n h u m a n l a n g u a g e A d d p e r s o n a l i t y your background biography for e x a m p l e 16

18 U L T I M A T E G U I D E T O C H A T B O T S F O R B U S I N E S S E S GOT ANY QUESTIONS OR NEED HELP WITH THE DEVELOPMENT OF YOUR OWN CHATBOT? D ON'T BE SHY! E - MAIL US AT OFFICE@ONLIM.COM O N L I M