A chatbot is a service, a program powered by artificial intelligence which allows people to interact with the program through a familiar chat interface. This can be many things from functional to fun and it can be located in any chat product like Slack or Text Messages and other messaging platform.
Many businesses already have their own chatbots because of their usefulness and they have managed to get and retain many users through these friendly interfaces. The text responses are quick and simple for users to get their answers.
So, why should you make a bot? Why are they such a big opportunity?
- People are using text messaging apps more than they are using social media
- Users prefer communicating with the brand through a chatbot than other contact options
- A chatbot is available for users at all times
There are two types of chatbots - the one which is more simple and uses a set of rules and the other bot which is a more advanced version and uses machine learning.
The chatbot that works on a set of rules is very limited and will only respond to some specific commands. If you say something wrong, it won’t respond properly. The bot that works like machine learning is more advanced and uses artificial intelligence. They are created with the purpose and your specific bot will have a specific purpose as well.
Here are some tips on building a personal chatbot:
You don’t need to be an expert
Chatbots may seem really complicated to build and you may think that you need to be an expert to do it but the truth is that you don’t. However, you need to be aware of your chatbot needs and then fulfill them as you go.
You can easily build your own chatbots using simple tools like:
- Morph.ai
- Flow XO
- Botsify
- API.AI
You need to figure out the user experience, though. Users need to feel the need to go back to your chatbot regularly.
Define what you need
Keep in mind that you have to decide what you want to do before you start building your chatbot. You have to decide on a few features that you want your chatbot to have and then focus on them and perfect them. People seek quality, not quantity of features.
Give it a unique name
One of the best things you can do to make your chatbot addictive and fun for your users is to give your chatbot a creative name and then make it work with the chatbot personality. It will make you stand out on the market and you’ll have plenty of users.
Make it accessible
Since chatbots are very confusing to many people, you can approach them directly to generate more conversations. This means that your chatbot should greet them, just to let them know that it’s there and that it can help them. Then, you can have a “get started button” and tell them how your chatbot can help.
Make the conversation very natural
The worst thing you can do with your chatbot is give it that robotic tone of voice. Make it friendly, make it human and fun. No one can connect with a robot when it’s very clear that it’s a program and not a person. The best chatbots give off a feeling that there’s a person behind it and what’s even better is that you can do this easily with good copywriting.
Optimize
When you notice that people have some questions that you’ve left unanswered, you can go ahead and add those answers. You can also track how people interact with your chatbot and then fix any glitches or add new language patterns that your customers may be using. This is a simple and quick way to make your chatbot seem friendly, natural, and always up to date with the newest needs of your customers.
Chatbots are quite new but more and more businesses are applying them and using them in their own businesses, whether on the site or on a messaging app. It can be a great thing for your business as well, so find a way to incorporate it seamlessly in your business.