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Amazon chatbots and what they’re bringing to customer service

ere are few things more annoying to a customer than the following phrase: Your call is important to us. Please hold, we’re currently experiencing a high call load. Thankfully companies like Amazon are beginning to realize the damaging effects a phrase like this can have on their brand. The retail giant appears to be building its chatbots development team with the hiring of Angel.ai co-founder and CEO Navid Hadzaad.

The pros of chatbots to business
Amazon is implementing bot technology to better automate its online channels. AI-infused chatbots are a vital ingredient in the recipe of ‘conversational commerce’. This trend is beneficial because it can be used to drive sales through customer interaction and because it streamlines customer relationship management (CRM).

This technology will also strengthen Amazon’s search features with the help of natural language programming (NLP) – that is, it’ll allow smoother, more natural search functionality across the board.

Chatbots also have enormous potential to help Amazon significantly cut labor costs, and other companies should take note. Public Tableau suggests that 30% of customer service positions in the US could be automated through chatbots, saving an estimated $23 billion in annual salaries.

Another rapidly growing area that chatbot technology is helping in is inside the actual enterprise. Employees of companies like Amazon now have access to a range of intelligent assistants that can help them schedule meetings, manage tasks and interact with other employees. All this leads to an improved, more focused customer service employee and therefore an improved customer experience.

Chatbots will also help Amazon drive brand engagement. In the same way a website, blog, or Facebook page would deliver content, Amazon can use chatbots to push content to their customers. The major difference being that the content can be interactive and personalized.

Stumbling blocks to chatbot adoption
The chatbot experience also has some potential failings that, if left unchecked, could lead to alienating customers. If the technology is rolled out to a substandard level or if it’s only offered in isolation, companies like Amazon only risk adding another cumbersome element to the customer service process, something that’ll only succeed in driving customers away. Chatbots need to be seamlessly integrated into the current processes and need to be picked up on by a human agent. One study found that as many as 88 percent of respondents expect their chatbot interactions to be followed up with a transfer to a live person.

Unleashing chatbots into the customer service world has been a stroke of genius on Amazon’s part, matching technology with necessity. Chatbots will only get better, stronger, more versatile with time as we move towards the perfect CRM solution and Amazon is already on the way. Be sure to read our blog post on the future of CRM if you’re interested in the future growth of this technology alongside business workflow. In addition, have a look at our blog post that explores how Clickatell Touch is using artificial intelligence to revolutionize CRM.

Article Source: https://www.clickatell.com/articles/customer-relationship-management/amazon-chatbots-customer-service/

2 Easy Steps to Increase User Engagement for Small Businesses

Posting to social media is a great but even better is creating conversation.

For years companies all over the world have been leveraging the power of social media to grow their business. But many fall short when it comes to the true intentions of content marketing.

When you post something that is intended to appeal to your ideal users, don't walk away. Those notifications letting you know how the post is performing are the important part.

Engagement refers to any time you and users following your business's profiles interact. That interaction can not only lead to high quality leads, it will lead to more followers who are genuinely interested in what you provide.

How did you grow your Instagram Followers? If you made the mistake if buying them then try our previous article: Why You Shouldn't Buy Instagram Followers

How can you optimize your content for user engagement?

Optimizing your content marketing to improve user engagement isn't easy. Many people limit their activities to a blog post and then hope for the best.

Many small business content marketing strategies consist of Googling a topic and rewriting one or more other pieces in a new voice. Video content is guilty of this with many videos borrowing, or outright copying a previously successful video.

In either case a user has already seen that content so why would they act on yours when it's the same thing?

Here's some more effective ways to create content specific for user engagement:

Step 1 - Create Something New

Your first step for your content is to accept that you will have to take some risks.

That risk pertains to the way you present your content, what you have to say, and how your brand brings something new to the subject.

This graph shows how this task is seen as the most difficult for businesses when trying to improve their online presence. While it's focused on B2B, anyone working in B2C should pay attention.

This initial step is crucial because it forces you to do more than dismiss your marketing as a task to set aside.

A lot of businesses leave their content marketing strategy entirely in the hands of an agency, which will not be effective. An agency or consultant is an expert on the how to distribute the content, but not an expert on your business, so you will have to work with them.

This means holding meetings where they can get input from you on what you do and why any user would want to buy from you or be your client.

A solid content marketing strategy for small businesses involves a consistently collaborative process.

Working together is your best route to creating great content.

Great content means the combination of your skill set with that of the person or people you're working with to make sure it gets seen by the most eyes and is structured to benefit your overall online presence.

Step Two - Engage, Adapt and Refine

The second step is to watch the reaction.

Look for peaks in Likes, Shares, or new Follows and notice the subject matter users have expressed more interest in. This can show you a lot about what value your users see you providing.

If you post regular blog posts or videos and see 5 -10 likes and no comments, and then you post something that receives double that or gets users commenting, you know to explore that subject in future content pieces.

If/when you do see comments, then you should absolutely respond.

The worst thing a brand can do is leave engagement hanging empty. Not only will the user who took the time to comment be put off, you'll be showing every other person who sees that comment without a response that your company isn't really paying attention.

Moreover, many users see social media as a great way to get a company's attention when they have a problem. So when they see that they can't even reach you on Twitter or Facebook they will naturally question your support in general and likely look for another vendor who does engage their users.

Look at the phenomenal traction Facebook groups have for people who are interested in a particular subject.

Your niche may not be large but if you capture an audience within it, your engagement will benefit your business by showing users your expertise, your willingness to interact with them (and potential clients), and your commitment those that buy from you or become clients.

To make it easier, it's best to have an internal set of canned responses ready for whoever monitors the accounts to reference. Chatbots are a new product that automate this process through Facebook messenger and they exist for a reason. Many business owners aren't able to juggle their responsibilities and learn and monitor their accounts.

For social media your best bet is to hire a professional and work with them. You can draft a set of responses to frequently asked questions and when in doubt they will email you so you can respond on your own time. This again speaks to the cooperative nature of having a professional help you with your social media.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/10036457

How to Stay One Step Ahead of Changing Customer Behaviours

5 Ways to Align Your Business Practices to Manage Consumer Behaviour

In today's digital world, where people want instant gratification, it can sometimes feel like keeping customers happy is a moving target.

Shifts in customer behavior, demographics and preferences can change so fast you might not even notice it, until it starts to negatively affect your business.

The main reason for this is technology.

Everything has gone digital and customers are much more informed than they were in the past.

Think about it: we carry around an instant source of endless information in our pockets or purses. How many times have you whipped out your smartphone to check a product rating in a store, or to Google more information on a service provider?

Let's say you want to buy a car. Nowadays, you don't have to start by kicking tires at the dealership or buying the same vehicle your family always has.

You can get a wealth of information online: customer reviews, auto magazine ratings, maintenance schedules, resale values and so much more.

As new information comes out, a new car rating or a factory recal, of a part-your preferences might shift. All of a sudden, people love or hate a brand, and as a result, they win or lose sales. Not to mention, their reputation fluctuates whether the news is positive or negative.

Here are a few other reasons why people's preferences change:

• Depending on the economic climate, people have more money to spend or have to tighten their purse strings. Think real estate costs, unemployment rates and the income tax paid in a particular area.

• With an overwhelming number of options available to consumers, maintaining brand loyalty is more difficult than ever.

• Competing brands come out with newer and/or better models of products people want.

• Trends come and go (here today, gone tomorrow diet fads are a good example of this).

So how can you manage consumer behaviour when it's constantly changing?

Just one of the many detailed auto reviews you can find online.

1. Watch your competition like a hawk.

This is an important piece of advice for your business overall. When you first create your brand messaging and USP (unique selling proposition), you'll want to do a competitive analysis. But even when you're an established business, you still need to be aware of what your competitors are doing.

From their prices to their value propositions, monitor what's happening in your competitive landscape and adapt accordingly. This may mean adjusting your prices, offering a freebie with a service or including free delivery for orders over a certain amount.

If you want to survive and thrive, market to changing consumer behaviour by focusing on what others in your field are doing.

2. Make it easy for people to leave reviews.

Customer reviews equal free advertising. According to research firm Martech Zone, 90% of users need less than 10 reviews to form an opinion about a business. If your customers are happy, some of them will write glowing reviews.

Their opinions will influence potential customers who are looking at what your business has to offer. See, you don't have to do all the work when it comes to changing customer buying behaviour⁠-your reviewers will help do it for you!

Check out The Importance of Gathering Customer Reviews.

3. Keep moving forward.

If you focus only on the present or get complacent, you'll forever be playing catch-up when changes occur, and eventually (or very soon) you'll be left behind.

Technology is always one step ahead, and even if you think you've got too big a market share to lose to the competition, chances are somebody out there is thinking of a way to make what you do even better.

A good example of this is the ride-sharing service Uber. The taxi industry wasn't prepared⁠-or worried⁠-about tech disrupting their world. Well, we know what happened. Uber has taken over in many cities, and cab drivers are feeling the pinch.

It's important to innovate based on your industry, competitor research and your customers' likes and dislikes. Differentiating yourself could be as simple as offering a wider online selection than your competitors, or as tech-savvy as connecting with your business consulting clients via an app.

4. Put your customers in charge.

Shoppers want to chart their own journey. They move between store, browser and mobile with ease.

You need to align business priorities to keep up with them, not just push ads at them. To manage consumer behaviour effectively, take a step back and look at touchpoints that make the most sense for your demographics.

Maybe you do a live video on social media, then email subscribers with an enticing offer and following up with a "Last chance" email to seal the deal.

Have you ever written a bad review? Have you ever received a negative review - real or fake? Watch this video to find out when and how to best respond to negative reviews, how to respond to fake reviews and how to report fake reviews on Yelp, Facebook and Google My Business

Watch to get great tips on using customer reviews to your advantage.

5. Remind your customers you're there.

While people want to be in control of their consumer journey, that doesn't mean they don't need your help.

According to a survey done by research firm Nuance, 63% of respondents said they actively 'outsource' their memory to mobile devices or computers. They coined the term "digital amnesia" to describe this phenomenon.

They also found that 89% of millennials are more willing to do business with companies that send reminders and notifications; 91% of Baby Boomers feel this way.

Guide your customers towards your product or service by nudging them along the way with resources and reminders of how valuable your product or service is, or that they're due for their next appointment... whatever makes sense to your audience.

Check some of Nuance's research on customers "digital amnesia."

Changing customer buying behaviour means that you'll never be able to stop moving!

But take the time to align business priorities to your customers' shifting needs, and pay attention to what your data is telling you, and your customers will be more likely to buy from you today, tomorrow and far into the future.


Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/10179298

Dan Fagella: Machine Learning for Restaurants and Food Services – Examples, Challenges, Trends

This year has been marked by an increase in artificial intelligence interest from new business sectors. Just one years ago, we hardly had any visitors or subscribers from the food services sector – and this year we have a strong interest from food processing and food services leaders, which has come as a surprise.

I was flown out this year to speak this year at the Ohio Restaurant Association’s annual conference, an event with over 4,000 attendees, mostly business leaders in the Midwest food services industry. This article is based on my preparation before that talk, and some ideas and details that I’ve added after speaking to a dozen-or-so business leaders in this sector.

Most of the audience was small business owners, but many of the perspectives in this article apply just as well to larger national food services firms.

All in all, AI has not penetrated the food services industry in general (compared to more active industries like healthcare or finance), and even less so the industry’s small- and medium-sized businesses (SMBs) – companies with revenues amounting to less than a billion dollars. Admittedly only a few trends are probably worth taking seriously in long-term strategic planning.

To help SMBs discern the right action around AI in food services, this article examines:

• The current state of machine learning in SMBs in food services
• The forward-looking trends of AI in food services
• AI technologies that may impact food services in the long term.

The State of AI Among SMBs in Food Services

Based on our research, we have found that for every 100 “AI companies”, only 1/3 of these companies have the academic or intellectual horsepower to leverage machine learning in any serious way while many are merely marketing hype. Of this number, a third has gone past pilot testing their product or service but have yet to show any real positive impact on their bottom line.

Any existing vendor applications are mostly exclusively made for large chains that have the data flow and the business model to merit the use of AI and machine learning. Whatever announcements companies make about investments and innovation for AI in food services is mostly unsupported by clear returns at this point.

At this early phase of AI’s life cycle, most AI companies are burning through venture money, trying to thresh out use cases and to their viability in the market. This seems to be true not only in food services but also in healthcare, finance, retail and other industries.

AI is clearly not for mom and pop operations at this point, and even if a business were fortunate enough to have money to invest in machine learning technologies, it probably wouldn’t have the data science talent and the R&D experience to really get value from artificial intelligence. Hence, even firms with the budget might be better off investing in security, customer service, marketing, or other areas.

For certain, there is a great deal of noise around AI but food services SMBs need to be able to discern the grain from the chaff. As it happens, the majority of AI applications should be ignored, with only a few worth considering in long-term strategic planning, not immediate implementation. We will cover some of these impactful long-term technologies later in this article.

Machine Learning Challenges for SMBs in Food Services

Among the barriers that face AI in food services, these are the most formidable:

• Most Innovation is for Bigger Firms: Vendor applications in food services (as with most other sectors) are costly and almost exclusively being developed for larger firms. These custom applications, such as video intelligence for assessing food quality, or food services robotics, are highly complex and require experienced machine learning experts on staff, plenty of resources, and/or huge volumes of data (neither of which are common for small or mid-sized food services businesses).
• AI is Resource Intensive, and Complex: The talent, budget, and time requirements to build AI and robotics applications is much more than most companies expect. SMBs are in no position to attract the best AI talent straight out of college and to compensate them with handsome salaries and clever perks like Google or Facebook. Even for restaurants with more than a hundred locations, data science talent is probably scarce or non-existent. AI not being a core or mission-critical part of operations makes it difficult to cultivate and develop from within a food service business.
• Food Services Isn’t an Machine Learning Innovation Hotbed, for Now: The food services industry receives little attention as a distinct niche for AI, unlike eCommerce, pharmaceuticals, banking, telecommunications, among others. Whatever scarce AI talent that exists is not beating a path toward food services – and the industry isn’t likely to see the same degree of innovation as many of the sectors listed above. This doesn’t mean that innovation will not exist in food services, but that we should expect a slower pace of innovation and adoption.

Use Cases of Machine Learning and AI in the Restaurant

Note that restaurant is not listed specifically, though customer service and marketing applications are relevant to this sector.

1 – Robotics

As far as we can see, robotics has no relevance for SMBs in the near term due to issues with scalability even for the biggest companies. However, SMBs may consider robotics as an alternative workforce if minimum wages for human talent continues to increase, and indeed raising minimum wages are likely to spur more investment in the robotics space in the years ahead. Some use cases in this area include convenience store chain 7-11 which has adopted streetbots and drones in its delivery services.

CaliBurgers’ Pasadena location started using Flippy, the artificial intelligence-driven robot developed by Miso Robotics, a robot that can grab and flip burger patties, handle buns and other ingredients to create hamburger sandwiches. As of March this year, Flippy has only started working in Cali Burger’s Pasadena outlet, and if successful, will be deployed in 50 restaurants by the end of 2019.

Another application is the Moley Robotic Kitchen, a pair of robotic hands that replicates human movement to prepare home-cooked meals, from a library of stored recipes in its system. The developers intend for the Moley robot to be for consumer kitchens when it is released this 2018, but enterprise-scale use has yet to be proven.  A check of the website showed that the product is still under development, and interested clients are directed to a pre-sales link that leads to a blank page.

2 – Smart Kiosk Technology

AI-integrated smart kiosk technology has potential, but is speculative and still in its pilot phase, even for the large food chains. For instance, McDonald’s self-service kiosks recommend products depending on a season, weather, and new or repeat customer’s preference, through a digital menu board. As well, this touchscreen menu board offers personalized options from which customers can choose their preferred amount of salt in fries, sauce in burgers and sugar in cold drinks. It also allows them to order and pay for their food, expediting process at point of sales process, reducing human error while giving customers control over their food choices.

Additionally, a mobile application will enable customers to place orders from their phone for pick up or synchronize with a kiosk to recognize their app profile, their favorite orders and preferred payment methods. McDonald’s had aimed to launch mobile ordering and payment in 20,000 restaurants by the end of 2017.

The technology hub at Wendy’s, meanwhile, was set up to create innovations in internal technologies for business intelligence and communications. The company is currently testing mobile-, voice- and beacon-based ordering; self-order kiosks; and a loyalty program.

In Asia, KFC in January 2017 had planned to deploy kiosks in China with facial-recognition software to predict customer orders based on age, gender and mood. However, this was met with some resistance in Hong Kong as customers continued to line up at the cashier.

Clearly, smart kiosks are not set to dominate the food service industry just yet. The big boys will need to first sort out the knots in innovation and customer behavior, and show that it can support the bottom line before AI technology makes its way to the little guys. Only then will more investment come in.

3 – Chatbot / Conversational Interfaces

Chatbots have received some attention recently recently, not only because these allow restaurants to enhance customer relationship, but also help change customer behavior, reduce order-taking and possibly garneri expanded market share among mobile-savvy users.

In January 2017, Starbucks announced voice ordering capabilities within the Starbucks mobile iOS app and the Amazon Alexa platform. This new tool extends adds a new layer to the barista and customer interaction, even before customer reaches the store.

For sure, it is a win for Starbucks in terms of technology innovation. But other than the press release, no numbers have been released to show this new interface has gained traction with customers.

Domino’s pizza chain rolled out its Facebook Messenger chatbot in Feb 2017, as an alternative to ordering via the phone or online. Prior to this, Domino had also introduced the pre-ordering via the AnyWhere platform, Twitter, Apple TV, Google Home, Amazon Echo, Ford Sync, SMS, Samsung Smart TVs, smart watches, an in-app voice assistant, and more. Likewise, Subway in April 2017 launched a chatbot at more than 26,500 domestic locations.

While high-ROI chatbot applications are the exception (our research seems to show that most chatbot initiatives are done as a PR stunt, or never produce meaningful returns), Domino’s seems to be among the few who are driving the technology forward. Domino’s also has the benefit of a limited menu size, and many repeat orders of simple favorites – making the programming and training of a chatbot more easily achievable.

How long before chatbots and other low-ticket applications become common for ordering food, delivery or otherwise, is anybody’ guess. What is clear is that large companies will mostly have the budget and data volume to build more effective bots and that chatbots are applications that are already in customers’ hands rather than developed by the food service businesses.

4 – Customer Recommendation Platforms

Consumer platforms will expectedly impact more restaurants in the next two to three years, but “adapting” to these apps probably won’t be much different than when restaurants learned to make “findable” listings on Yelp, Google Maps, and Halla.

For SMBs that want to be involved in customer recommendation technologies, it is imperative that they explore ways to achieve better reviews and ranking from customers to ensure they show up in the platform’s recommendations.

5 – Analytics Solutions and AI

There is almost no hype or current applications of analytics solutions in the food services space, but it might not be long until restaurants partner with technology companies to use predictive analytics to help forecast visitor traffic, food orders, inventory needs, as well as revenues and costs. Among the companies that provide analyics services:

Venga offers solutions that collect, analyze, and use data related to purchases, preferences, and habits to enrich the dining experience, personally engage customers, and ultimately increase repeat visits and sales.

• OpenTable connects diners with restaurnts by allowing to find a restaurant and reserve a table
• UpServe’s restaurant management platform is for easier payment processing, point of sale, reliable payments and in-depth analytics that can boost margins and save valuable resources
• PosIQ provides cloud-based Big Data solutions that collect customer data in real-time to help improve restauarnt businesses and customer experience.

Final Insights for Restaurant Business Leaders

In conclusion, AI is not expected to make its way into SMB food services in the near term. Some marketing automation tools will may integrate AI in the next two to three years, and some consumer recommendation apps will use AI to connect users to restaurants, but SMB food services leaders are unlikely to get their own hands on AI software (due in part to the challenging nature of these technologies, the cost of related AI talent, and the huge volumes of data required to make them work).

Meanwhile large firms will continue to explore viable AI applications that can leverage big company data, the results of which will eventually trickle down to SMBs. For now, AI applications in food services will use currently available consumer technologies, rather than in the hands of restaurants.

We don’t recommend that SMBs jump into the AI bandwagon just because it seems cool and “everybody is doing it”. This is an illusion, and a waste of time and resources. In truth, 95+% of SMB food services companies will be “late majority” adopters on the adoption curve, with only some in the “early majority”.



Here are some steps that food services leaders could take with respect to AI now:

• Consumer Apps May Be Relevant Near Term: Be mindful of and to carefully explore apps and consumer platforms that are becoming common or gaining popularity, and to allocate reasonable resources to those that might deliver value to your firm. Apps like Yelp (and it’s newer competitors) will likely become more effective recommendation channels.
• Most AI PR is Hype: Understand that most AI press releases are hype, and that most AI applications in food services are merely very expensive pilot programs, usually with little direct evidence of ROI. It behooves companies to seem “innovative”, and there is a felt social pressure to put on this appearance when their competitors and doing the same.
• Follow the Giants of Your Industry: Follow the big food services giants (McDonald’s, Subway, etc) to stay on top of where machine learning is becoming an important part of their business. Once an AI application begins consistently driving ROI to the biggest players in the industry, then we might expect the same technologies will become viable to the mid-size market. The best view to the future of AI in the food services sector will probably be looking at the successful AI applications of the industry giants. Until it works for them, there’s no good reason for small business owners to be concerned about them.

This article was written by Ayn Veronica De Jesus from an audio transcription of Dan Faggella’s presentation on “AI in Food Services” for the Ohio Restaurant Association.

Karen Summerson: Restaurant Chatbots – Comparing 5 Current Applications

Just as chatbots are being created for consumers in the hospitality and fast-food industries, technology companies are also serving those restaurants that wish to take advantage of this emerging technology to better their customer service and maximize their productivity—and profitability.

According to the 2017 US Mobile Consumer Report, while “more than half of consumers have yet to see a [chatbot],” 65% would be fully comfortable engaging with a company via chatbot; Vibes, the producer of the report, attributes this to a need for immediacy, as well as the less “intrusive” nature of avoiding human customer service representatives.

While this assertion cannot be fully verified, the growing number of mobile applications used to improve the customer experience is evidence that apps like these should be further monitored as potentially profitable resources for companies looking to provide a more personal experience for their target audience(s).

Over the last year we’ve examined chatbot use cases in healthcare and other sectors; in this article, we have organized five companies targeting restaurant owners, using the same seven quantifiable factors (e.g., funds raised, target user, staff size, etc.) to profile several applications that are gaining traction.

These companies are not ranked, but rather presented as individual entities in alphabetical order.

We’ll conclude by discussing the potential value in connecting with customers via mobile devices and future implications of these applications.

A Comparison of Current Restaurant Industry Chatbot Applications

Company logos sourced from LinkedIn. Data collected from Crunchbase, LinkedIn and company websites.


These companies are not indicative of all chatbot applications within this market, but we considered the following observations worth noting:

•     Two of these five companies process both text and voice data; these companies have been active for 4+ years, but there is no direct correlation between higher amounts of funding and the ability to process both text and voice data.
•     All featured companies are based in the United States. Trends and demands may be unique to the country and do not give a global perspective on the development of chatbots for the restaurant industry.
•     The range of longevity, staff size, and funds raised among these companies is indicative of the nascent state of the applications in this space. There are no entrenched players – and to a large degree – the ROI of these technologies has yet to be fleshed out in full.

We’ll explore each company in greater depth, with videos and demos wherever applicable:

Allset

• Total funds raised: $8.4 million
• Year founded: 2015
• HQ location: San Francisco, California
• Number of employees: 57
• Target user: Restaurant owners, busy executives
• Type(s) of data processed: Text
• Estimated number of current users: Unspecified

Allset claims to make the dining experience convenient and fast for users by allowing them to use either the Allset application or the Allset Bot to make reservations, order ahead, plus process payment and tip in advance of the guest(s) arrival at their chosen restaurant. Allset Bot is a designed as a more limited iteration of the full-service application, offering to identify restaurants within a specified zip code, make reservations in advance, and giving the user an option to choose from 10 “hand-curated” menu options.


In its video demo, the chatbot is activated by the user typing “Get Started” and “Order Now.” The bot requests the zip code or street you’d like to search for restaurant options. After confirming the location, users scroll through restaurants, choose one, indicate their time of arrival and whether they’d like to order from the pre-selected options shown in the messaging app.

According to their website, restaurant owners could specifically benefit from this service because the orders are pre-paid and pre-tipped, sent in advance of the customer’s arrival, allow for faster turnaround, and could introduce new clientele that may have not had the time to visit before—assuming the potential customers are limited on time during the work day.

The Allset website does not specify whether or not businesses must opt to be included in a search, nor does it detail from where the app pulls data, like available seating, curated menus or approximate wait time. Order information is sent to the restaurant via app, email, text message or fax, so information could be pulled from these receipts; however, the company doesn’t publically indicate whether this data is aggregated into a report or database. Businesses pay Allset a 12% fee per order, plus a processing fee (2.9% + $0.30). Additionally, there is a specific FAQ section for participating business owners.

Conversable

• Total funds raised: $6.85 million
• Year founded: 2014
• HQ location: Austin, Texas
• Number of employees: 35
• Target user: Enterprises, business owners
• Type(s) of data processed: Text, voice
• Estimated number of current users: Unspecified

Conversable claims to be a SaaS platform for designing, building and distributing AI-enhanced messaging and “voice experiences” across multiple platforms, including Facebook Messenger, Twitter and SMS. As detailed by its co-founder and CEO, Ben Lamm, in a June 2016 VentureBeat article, “Conversable doesn’t make bots, it helps companies better communicate with their customers in the messaging channels where their customers already are.” Clients, including eight restaurant chains featured on their site, work with Conversable to create full conversation designs that allow for transactions to be customized for a particular business model.




Conversation Flow Model for Conversable, Source: Conversable

For example, TGI Friday’s uses the Conversable platform to allow patrons to make reservations, browse the menu, place orders and search frequently asked questions.


Screenshot of TGI Fridays Application via the Conversable Platform, Source: Conversable

The company uses an interactive content editor (“ICE”) to build complex conversational flows. Visuals on the site show conversation mapping being created “from scratch,” requiring the company to write and input all copy.

However, the Answering Questions Using AI (“AQUA”) platform offered by Conversable allows both customizable responses to be programmed by the company, in addition to using language processing to pull what the bot identifies as relevant information and replying to the inquiring user via chat. The resulting metrics are recorded in a live dashboard for the company and identify popular topics and queries from app users.


Data Dashboard for Conversable Users, Source: Conversable

Conversable seems to be an in-depth, intensely detailed application appropriate for those businesses who are looking to create personalized messaging and customizable communication flows, rather than those businesses that need a more standardized approach in integrating AI with customer service.

Guestfriend

• Total funds raised: $5 million
• Year founded: 2017
• HQ location: New York, New York
• Number of employees: 7
• Target user: Restaurant owners
• Type(s) of data processed: Text
• Estimated number of current users: Unspecified

Guestfriend claims to build chatbots for small businesses using publicly available data, such as operating hours and a business’ address, which is automatically sourced by the software. Their primary selling point is a providing a “fully customized bot for any small business.”



Guestfriend Screenshots Using Various Platforms, Source: Guestfriend

According to founder and CEO Bo Peabody, their primary audience is currently restaurant owners (a “vertical test”), which may be expanded to include the hospitality industry, among others, in the future.

As outlined on their website, restaurateurs enter their business’ name in a search field on the Guestfriend website, a bot is populated with publicly available information, and the chatbot feature can be integrated into both the restaurant’s website and Facebook page with customizable messaging and images.

The final result appears as a chat feature/SMS box. Demo screenshots on the Guestfriend website show conversations between patrons and the bot through Facebook Messenger, the iPhone messages app and the restaurant’s website, integrating emoji, imagery and hyperlinks.

Specific data on user outcomes is not reported on the site; however, it does list four restaurants as case studies, whose websites you can visit to see the app in action. Additionally, Guestfriend does not detail what the business’ interface/backend dashboard looks like and what data is gathered from users.

Gupshup

• Total funds raised: $44.1 million
• Year founded: 2005
• HQ location: San Francisco, California
• Number of employees: 136
• Target user: Entrepreneurs, small businesses
• Type(s) of data processed: Text
• Estimated number of current users: Unspecified

The Template Bot Builder, created by Gupshup, claims to provide entrepreneurs and small business owners with pre-defined templates using chatbots, connecting them to their target audience(s) and digitizing day-to-day functions. A Business Wire article from November 2, 2016 gives the example of a restaurant owner using a template “that already has food browsing and ordering functionality coded in it.”

Gupshup’s interface features a dashboard of metrics for individual bots, monitoring health and analytics information for the business owner after the completed template has been finished.

The Template Bot Builder for restaurants does not detail whether it processes voice data, although Gupshup uses this technology in other applications. Therefore, we didn’t include voice data within this specific profile. On the restaurant template page, its primary marketing promises were increased customers (i.e., increased orders) and the ability to “easily manage menu updates.” Little detail was given regarding further programming requirements or costs.

Punchh, Inc.

• Total funds raised: $33.5 million
• Year founded: 2010
• HQ location: Moutain View, California
• Number of employees: 136
• Target user: Restaurant owners, CMOs, CDOs, CIOs
• Type(s) of data processed: Text, voice
• Estimated number of current users: Unspecified

Punchh, Inc. claims to be a fully integrated, transformative marketing solution for restaurants’ loyalty programs. According to a Business Wire article published on March 8, 2017, its chatbot technology integrates into existing point-of-sale systems, loyalty and ordering programs and connects to customers via message and voice-based apps, like Facebook Messenger and Alexa.

Punchh positions itself as serving specifically “brick-and-mortar” businesses, and in addition to marketing to restaurants, also serves convenience stores, gas stations and the health and beauty industry. It is designed with an “end-to-end application lifecycle” and offers connection to a company’s POS, ordering, and email systems via APIs and pre-built integrations.

The company reports a 50% increased frequency in [customer] visits and a 20% increase in customer spend, although no source attribution and further data are paired with these claims. Additionally, little information is given about the design and customization process for the participating restaurant(s).

Concluding Thoughts on Restaurant Chatbots

Further research is necessary to determine the conversion rate of customer interactions with bots to increased sales and brand awareness. While each of the companies featured here promise positive outcomes and ROI for participating restaurants, little to no data is presented to back up these claims. As a caveat, ROI may be difficult to objectively measure for those well-established enterprises and restaurants that already have high brand awareness – and it’s unclear if the novelty appeal of new applications could skew the future ROI of these applications one way or another.

Chatbots processing both text and voice data have the capability of creating unique, immediate interactions between companies and their customers; text data processing is a standard feature in these applications, while voice recognition software seems to be adopted as an enticing, but secondary capability.

Providing further video demos and data to potential customers, especially for those businesses who are looking to make a sizeable investment (relative to their budget) in this technology, could go a long way in transforming public perception of chatbots’ use in customer service and sales from one of hype to one of necessity.

Smaller restaurant conglomerates may view AI technology of this kind as superfluous given the small amount of hard data that accompanies these applications. We suspect that larger restaurant giants with existing tech infrastructure and high volumes of customer data are most likely to take advantage of these technologies in the near term.

An app like Conversable would require high data volumes within a company, as its many functions require personalization and custom copy. Applications that source some publicly available information, like Guestfriend, may be more attractive to restaurants/companies with less need for customized information and input, though it’s unclear as to how transferrable different customer requests and replies are from company to company.

Finally, these applications approach their target audience through various approaches (templates, custom communication plans, automatic population of publicly available data); more research and data collection is necessary to determine which of these methods is preferred by different sectors of the restaurant industry. Making chatbots and AI useable and accessible to non-data scientists is no easy task, and this level of access will be extremely important in the competition in the market for these applications.

Article Source: https://emerj.com/ai-application-comparisons/restaurant-chatbots-comparing-5-current-applications/

School of Bots: There's a Bot for that! | Restaurant Chatbots | Matt Plapp |

Chatbots in Restaurants: Redefining Customer Experience

Chatbots can be programmed to carry out a myriad of tasks. Can they help your brand?

Chatbots can free your staff up for other tasks.

Gartner predicts that by 2020, a whopping 85 percent of enterprise-customer relationships will be managed without human interactions. Surveys show that 89 percent of consumers opt to engage with businesses through text and 64 percent of consumers that communicate with businesses via text leave with a positive impression.

Clearly, we are not far from the time where majority of interactions will be automated completely given that conversational AI/intelligent chatbots are playing a crucial role in almost every industry.

With chatbots becoming mainstream, several industries are utilizing them as they offer greater and less intrusive opportunities when it comes to customer engagement (esp. hyper connected millennials). It is only a matter of time before chatbots in restaurants make their way to the forefront. Designed to communicate in a meaningful manner with customers, chatbots can be integrated with any interface (Facebook, Slack or Telegram to name a few). For example, the pizza bot from Domino’s takes delivery orders directly from Facebook Messenger with a mere emoji.

Given that customer retention and loyalty is at the core of any service-based business, it is paramount for restaurants to fulfill and exceed expectations when it comes to guest service. Everything from running marketing campaigns, their website to online and offline services is a means to attaining the very goal of impeccable service. However, be it ordering food, making a reservation or even getting recommendations, it is impossible for service staff to meet everyone’s standards consistently, which can result in a negative brand image for the restaurant.

With chatbots, your customers no longer need to make a call to reserve a table, wait for staff to attend to them or wait in line for tables to free up. Restaurants don’t need to have an exclusive service executive for the customers either. Bots can be programmed to carry out a myriad of tasks ranging from answering FAQs, making a reservation, ordering food or processing payment. The bot can carry out these tasks in manner similar to a service executive, difference being—it can execute round the clock with zero downtime.

Here’s an interesting scenario:

The customer uses the chatbot to order a steak. Post assessing the order, an intelligent chatbot can offer suggestions on pairing that steak with a red wine.

Additionally, if the customer is looking to simply order wine along with their food, the chatbot shows recommendations on the different kind of wines available with the restaurant.

Customer then selects the wine of his/her choice and places the follow up order. If this is an order for delivery, the payment can be processed through the bot itself.

Restaurants can use chatbots for similar meal pairings or recommendations—this not only engages the customer with your brand but also drives revenue. The best part? You don’t have to ask your customers to download the chatbot like an app (it can be integrated with the channel of your choice). These bots also keep the conversation ongoing. Whether it is by asking relevant questions, sharing interesting trivia or even cracking the occasional joke just like a friend would on Messenger.

Furthermore, chatbots in restaurants need to be perfectly synchronized with the marketing and other customer oriented efforts. Bots can parallel serve as an intelligence-gathering tool which assists a restaurant in understanding their customers. With customer contact details, past orders, preferred method of payment etc., the chatbot in restaurant can not only personalize a customers experience but also reward/incentivize loyal customers in order to increase repeat business—all through a well designed chatbot conversation.

That apart, while the staff focuses on preparing and serving food, chatbots can engage with the customers by answering questions related to open and close times, reward points or whether if the restaurant is open on a public holiday. The use cases of chatbot in restaurants rely heavily on the kind of experience restaurants want to offer their visitors.

For millennials, the generation that actively prefers not speaking with others, they can be the perfect fit as they are the ones who, apart from food, also expect a digital experience. This is where restaurants need to evolve by understanding modern day customer behaviors and expectations with the advent of digital technology.

Across multiple industries, capturing and retaining customer interest and business through AI powered technologies has now become a priority. An estimated 2 billion messages have been sent by 60 million businesses on Facebook messenger alone on a monthly basis. This shows that there is a huge opportunity for chatbot in restaurants when it comes to enhancing customer engagement and thereby opening the doors to a broader hyper connected demographic.

Hotels have already started integrating chatbots in their operational processes and noticed good ROI. Restaurants that take the leap in incorporating chatbots will be sure to see a growing customer base and more cost-effectiveness, which will ultimately be conducive to overall growth and revenue generation.

Mitul Makadia is founder of Maruti Techlabs and a true technophile. With his industry experience, he has rapidly developed Maruti Techlabs in specialized services like Chatbot Development, Artificial Intelligence, Natural Language Processing and Machine Learning. Makadia has considerable expertise in Chatbot Development and NLP.


Article Source: https://www.qsrmagazine.com/outside-insights/chatbots-restaurants-redefining-customer-experience

Oracle CX: A 2 Minute Look at a Restaurant Chatbot: Smarter Demos Series

Josh Thomas: Reviving the Restaurant Industry, A Chatbot Story

We know the story all too well. Amazing restaurant opens up, locals rave and pack the venue every weekend, and a year later? They close their doors. It’s a story all too common. In fact, 80% of restaurants and bars are out of business within 5 years. (Business Insider)
Who would have thought? After all, on paper, they had it all right. They were active on social media, hosted events frequently, were inundated with local press, and treated every single customer like they were their own special star. Alas, all of the limited-release craft brews, hand-cut cocktail ice, and artisanal charcuterie meats in the world couldn’t save them.
Bypassing the ‘why’ (ahem, Millennials & Uber - I’m guilty also), we have a serious issue- people just aren’t showing up to restaurants as frequently. As Sam Wynne, our client & owner of BrainDead Brewing in Dallas, TX puts it-
“a few years ago it was all about getting a handshake at the front door, but now you have to get that first handshake digitally.” — Sam Wynne, BrainDead Brewing
Some restaurants are downright awful. For them, it’s only a matter of time. But for those who aren’t? One of my favorite spots in Dallas for Tacos and Old Fashioneds (don’t judge my taste buds, bud) was Victor Tangos. They closed this year after a decade of stellar service. This is a prime example of a great venue that provided immense value, but just couldn’t keep up with the times.
Now, let’s get to the meat of this post. I’m going to share two of the strategies we are using to help restaurants, bars, breweries, and others push through the hard times.

The Benefit
Chatbots can be used for many things. At Botsmith AI, we are leveraging them to build brand awareness, increase attendance, and distribute information on events & specials for our restaurant clients. Additionally, we are using them to thank visitors to ensure the best customer service.
It’s like email on steroids. Done right, the benefit here is obvious & incredibly potent.
A Few Strategies to Start
Quick Note on Choosing a Platform
I’ll cover this briefly as others have already written exhaustive lists on the pros and cons of each chatbot platform. For restaurateurs who want to go this alone, I highly recommend using ManyChat. It is incredibly visual and intuitive, and easier to manage than most platforms. That said, there are other great platforms out there, so do your research and pick the one you feel most comfortable with.
The Facebook Comments Growth Tool
Growth tools are the bread and butter of what makes chatbots great. We won’t go into a ton of detail here (again, tons of articles about these) but here is our favorite:
Facebook Comments GT Example: Run an organic page post or paid ad promoting an irresistible special. Ask users to comment on the feed to be sent a coupon. Create the tool + sequence in ManyChat. The bot automatically sends the opt-in + coupon, and informs them they will get some messages every now and then. Don’t forget to ask them to share with friends!

BrainDead Brewing Beer List Messenger QR Code
Using Messenger QR Codes
Here is a hot tip for you, and something we are doing at BrainDead Brewing. We are printing Messenger QR codes on menus & stickers, linked directly to the beer list. Now, instead of patrons getting up to read chalkboards, they can scan the code in Messenger and read the updated list on their phones.
The benefit here is that they become subscribers. The next day, you can thank them for their visit via Messenger, ask how their visit was, and welcome them back in. Bonus points? Give them a coupon to come back in the following week and thank them personally when they do.
P.S. If you want to see BrainDead Brewing’s Messenger QR Growth Tool, just open the Messenger app, go to the camera and hold your finger on the screen to scan the image above! Or Click Here to see the Welcome Sequence.
Final Note
Restaurateurs, you’ve got it rough right now, but we are all appreciative of your hard work, and for bringing our communities together with great food, masterfully crafted cocktails, and cold brews. My hope is this helps many of you keep your businesses running strong so I can continue stuffing my fat face.

If I can help, or if you would like us to build a bot for you, please shoot me a message!
Send Josh a Note on Messenger

Cheers to your success,

-Josh

Article Source: https://chatbotsmagazine.com/reviving-the-restaurant-industry-a-chatbot-story-cbbf77a3b938

Restaurant Chatbots powered by AI

Restaurant Marketing Strategies: How To Use Chatbots

How Can Chatbots Play an Important Role in the Food Industry?

Do you want a human with that?

Just under two years ago we wrote a blog exploring the rising trend of chatbots and Artificial Intelligence (AI) in the food industry. Fast forward to 2018 and we find ourselves now living in a digital economy of expectation, one where we don’t want to go out and stand in a queue to order food.

Why choose a chatbot?

Put simply, chatbots can mimic human conversations using technology based on AI. They are often personalised with names and can be seen by customers as an extension of your brand online.
Chatbots allow your real-life staff to work without being interrupted to answer simple questions as these can be directed to your online chatbot. By encouraging customers to place an order with your bot and not wait in a queue, it can increase sales as chatbots can process an unlimited number of orders at any time, day or night.

With many millennials preferring to communicate with a business online instead of over the phone, using a chatbot can help attract a younger audience.

Where can you chat with a chatbot?

Chatbots can be accessed within an app, a business website or on a social media messenger platform. The most popular messenger platform for chatbots is Facebook Messenger. Launched in 2014 and opened to chatbots in 2016, the platform has an estimated 1.2 billion users. That’s a lot of potential customers your bot could be chatting to!

Using chatbots on a messenger platform can help entice occasional customers to become regulars and build brand loyalty if they like your bot. They’re also good for appealing to customers who don’t want to download your app but still want a quick and simple ordering experience.

How do you write the chatbot chit chat?

It’s important to create a well-thought-out content strategy for your chatbot that will work for your brand. First, focus on creating a storyline arc for your chatbot to follow – from initiating opening conversations through to rising action, climax and resolution.

Your copy needs to be engaging, representative of your brand values and tone of voice, and in line with customer expectations. Keep interactions to a maximum of four lines as this helps to reinforce a natural sense of ‘back and forth’ conversation and encourages a customer to interact with every piece of content. To help the conversation feel more natural and less drone-like, programme your chatbot to not only answer questions but ask them back too.

It’s also important to keep your chatbot feeling fresh. Nobody likes a stale bot. Instead, your content strategy should be updated to stay relevant with seasonal campaigns, company promotions and other topical events.

Looking at some top brand’s chatbots

Global chain Starbucks introduced their Barista Bot last year on their app, allowing customers to quickly pre-order and pay for their drinks and skip the queue in-store. The chatbot might even spell your name right on your order!

In the US, supermarket brand Whole Foods launched their recipe bot to help customers decide their shopping list and recipes for the week. By using emojis instead of words, the chatbot speeds up interactions with customers and creates a unique experience with your brand for customers online.
Perhaps one of the best-known influencers for AI in the food industry is Domino’s, who created their pizza-loving chatbot ‘DOM’ in 2014. Today, Domino’s now conducts more than 65 percent of its sales in the U.S. via numerous digital platforms including using DOM.

To the future and beyond

The use of chatbots in fast food outlets and restaurants is having an instrumental impact on the way the industry interacts with customers and processes orders. Chatbots not only speed up interactions, encourage more sales and build brand loyalty, but they also ensure a brand stays current in a diverse and digital market.

With Domino’s DOM currently being tested to answer customer phone calls in America and KFC opening the first AI-only staffed branch in Shanghai, China, chatbots seem here to stay for the food industry with new and exciting possibilities.

Article Source: https://eat-marketing.co.uk/chatbots-and-food-industry/

How On-Demand Food Delivery Companies Can Use AI To Optimize Food Delivery?

In the so called information age at least on-demand food delivery app platforms are one of the truly great things of our time. And the only reason why the number of quick-serve and fast casual restaurants are projecting up with a skyrocketing speed. Granted, they have wrapped themselves with the online delivery platforms.

Spurred by the internet penetration and smart use of smartphones resulting in increasing obsession of the consumers to order food online have boosted the food ordering industry, that as a result, witnessed a heated competition where every other food delivery app is vying to attract a bigger chunk of the market.

But to the dismay, the smaller entities in the industry are not harnessing the power of latest technologies to optimize deliveries, streamlining operations and do effective marketing. As a result, they fail to drive their sales up. Artificial Intelligence (AI) comes from the same unutilized family of technology which remains untouched, considering it one of those abstract concept with presumably no real application.

To prove this perceived notion of AI wrong and to help you uplift your brand up by reeling in more consumers here we discuss how a brand can use AI to simplify their marketing efforts.

Predictive Customer Behavior
Understanding what consumers want and need - ideally, before they even do - can help the brand to understand each specific customer and learn their habits which eventually can help them better serve and drive sales.
The simplest way to understand this in action is when you log into any eCommerce app and you are supplied with an array of suggested products to buy. By AI's deep learning technology, brands can predict consumer behavior months in advance and put it at work. The recommendation engine enables consumers to choose meals based on their eating preferences.

Chatbots Assistance
Chatbots provide on-demand human-like automated responses to common and most frequently asked questions by customers on web or app which helps in saving brand's time, resources and money and helps in satisfying customers with quick response system. Chatbot developers create scripts by evaluating a large number of possible scenarios, which in turn, can simplify customer interactions.
Voice-Activated Ordering
Voice ordering is gaining popularity after the increased domination of voice assistants like Google Home and Amazon's Alexa.
Starbucks introduced My Starbucks Barista in 2017, putting the coffee giant on the path to voice-activated ordering. Wingstop first unveiled it in 2009, making it one of the first players in the field to offer digital ordering and then later on integrating voice-activated technology in 2017. Pizza delivery chain Domino's also entered the voice-activated mobile ordering scene relatively early.

Kiosks
Quick serve and fast casual restaurants must integrate AI-driven self-service Kiosks to reduce customer waiting time and improve the customer ordering experience.
Automated Advertising
Automated advertising automates your online advertising efforts so you can focus on other important business functions instead of investing your time in social media marketing campaigns.
There are monetary based algorithms and ad-performance based algorithms to monitor it. Monetary based algorithms use your sales and conversion data from your ad campaigns to upscale or downscale bids on campaigns depending on their monetary performance. Ad-performance algorithms use performance data from your ads to optimize the high performing campaigns and stop the low performing ads.

The Final Word:

In this heavily saturated market, more and more companies are succeeding in its mission of optimizing delivery as they have figured out that the only way to stay competitive is by delivering better customer value. And the best way to do it is by adopting the latest technologies. AI has revolutionized the way QSRs and other on-demand food delivery app marketed and scaled their successes. When are you going to adopt it? The trend is here to stay! Be the frontrunner and contact your food delivery app development company now.


Article Source: https://EzineArticles.com/expert/Anuradha_Badone/2324461

A Great Example of a Good Restaurant Chatbot

Deliver best customer service with Salesforce AI powered chatbot

“State of Service”, a Salesforce study states that 24% of service organizations currently use AI assistance that includes chatbots, text and voice analytics.

Girikon’s Salesforce Consulting Services team explains why and how to use Chatbot.

Salesforce releases usually come with new functions in line with business need and interest. Customer’s demand a smooth customer service. Service companies never find it easy despite their large pool of resources backing up customer support teams. AI powered Chatbots are one way to services the demand. 

Why AI powered Chatbot is used?

Easier and spontaneous conversation between customers and representatives
Deliver Personalized customer experience
Support Business across all digital channels such as Facebook, Twitter, SMS or even Phone.
Reduce the need for human intervention
Improves response time
Immediate response
Artificial Intelligence enabled chatbot is software that stimulates the chat with the user through messaging applications, websites, mobile applications and even through telephone in form of text, audio or both. Repetitive tasks can be automated for conversation between representatives and customers using chatbot. Artificial intelligence helps the chatbot to identify and analyze the data pattern and ultimately customer’s behavior. With the help of conversation logs with the customer AI and prediction analysis is executed in order to predict customer behavior.

Let’s have a look at how chat works?

When we think Chatbot two important actions are considered; customer request analysis and responding to the customer with accuracy.

Firstly, the chatbot software captures the request sent from the customer and starts identifying the customer intent by data extraction & matching rule implementation method. Defined by the business case a list of conditions is defined to fulfill customer request and Chatbot responds to customer with appropriate information.

How does Salesforce play a key role in chatbot?

Salesforce CRM holds extensive data about a customer i.e. communication and transaction history what can be considered the backbone of successful chatbot performance. To deliver better prediction and an effective response, Chatbot utilizes a machine learning algorithm when and where the data is needed.

Gartner reveals that 85 percent of all customer interactions will be automated by 2020 and believes that artificial intelligence will power 95 percent of all customer interactions by 2025.

How to increase business value using Chatbot?

Chatbot represents the business and the brand. For any business, customers are an important stakeholder and plan and execute the strategy to engage and retain their business value. To avoid delays in response to customers chatbot is key and connects directly with the customer to resolve issues the customer is facing. Chatbot does not only help customers, Chatbot also helps agents by automating repetitive tasks and maintaining the conversation hassle free.  Chatbot is a self-service support system and customers can access chatbot service anytime and from anywhere.

In parallel to supporting the customer service process, Chatbot also reduces resource costs to business and achieve less operational costs.

Customer relationships and communications are smoother, and AI powered chatbot is one of the reasons behind this. Salesforce allows business to reach their customer with a seamless and effective response system.

Article Source: http://www.articlesfactory.com/articles/technology/deliver-best-customer-service-with-salesforce-ai-powered-chatbot.html

Chatbots- A Blend of Increased Personalization Minus Robotic

Did you notice?
Some websites you land on greeting you with "Hello"? Most probably this has caught your eyes. This greet popping out through a little box in the corner is known as a chatbot.

Technically if I have to define chatbots then-
They bear the capacity to caricature human behavior of writing or speaking to go through the motions of a conversation or communication carried with a real person. Therefore they are also known as 'Conversational Agents.'

Do I need a chatbot?
Well, I will try to perk up your ears a bit by answering it as 'yes.'

Consider this scenario:
A consumer pays heed to your product. But before buying a particular product, a lot of questions are raised by the consumer to be sure about the decision of buying. By using a chatbot, these raised queries are answered immediately thus clearing their doubts and aiding them in jumping to the decision of making a purchase.

So what can you conclude with this?
Chatbots not only pop-out and greet your customers but also keep them engaged and satisfied which in turn escalates your conversions.

Customer Satisfaction? Sounds weird? Obviously No.
As Michael LeBoeuf quoted, "A satisfied customer is the best business strategy of all," your business escalation completely depends on what your customer gets out of it.

Customers are impatient. They search for immediate solutions to their queries. With the advancement of technology, customers desire to be served 24/7 irrespective of their location.

Don't you believe me?
As per research,  customers have the intention to pay more for a lighting speed customer service. Further, it is mentioned that customers who get solutions within five minutes or less were interested in paying almost $20 more for the same service.

This is the reason why brands have opted for a tailored chatbot for their business websites, blogs, applications, and software for speedy and quality-based customer support. Since it saves a lot of time, it becomes an advantage for any customer-centric organization. It is a bot and therefore, it will be faster than humans and will select, organize, and present the content faster with precision.

But how it would be creating a bond with the customers?
David Weinberger quoted, "Personalization is the automatic tailoring of sites and messages to the individuals viewing them so that we can feel somewhere there is a piece of software that love us for who we are."

I will simplify the cause of this quote.
Imagine you have an online store. If you were the customer who is searching for a product what would be handy for you? Browsing through various products and pages or simply they are brought to you straight?

Here the role of the bot comes into the picture with the touch of personalization.

The bots can interact with the customers to figure out about their requirements and provide them various options meeting their essentials. In other words, the customer experiences a personal touch as if he/she has owned a personal shopper.

Thus to conclude this, personalization creates a bond between the customer and the brand. And chatbot contributes to the bond between the consumer and the technology where Artificial Intelligence plays a key role. With such a personalization service, chatbots have a different persona which appears to be real.

If I need to state the benefits, in short, I would pen down the following points:

Aids in finding solutions
24/7 Availability
The talent of personification
It is fast and is ahead in terms of accuracy
Therefore companies providing quality chatbot development services always focus on personalization as it is the direct key to the customer satisfaction.

Have you worked on your to-dos as you are thinking to opt for a chatbot development?.
Communicative
Ability to solve the problems
Realistic
Precision
In good spirits, while answering the customers
Curious in learning about the needs of the customers
The solutions are relevant to the queries
Clear Cut and Crisp
Here are a few more points on how you can make your chatbot less robotic and more personalized:

Strategizing the UX to make it user-friendly
As mentioned earlier, we belong to an era where we desire the solutions on the go. For instance, you are in search of a restaurant nearby. Just command your device and restaurants matching your criteria is displayed.

Lost? Command verbally and your exact location is located.

Need a reminder? Your bot will do the work for you.

Want to remind others? Just write @(Person/team to be reminded) for the meeting at 2 pm.

A managed and well-organized bot life isn't it?

A Semblance for your Bot
Since the world of imagination is boundless, each of us has a different perspective towards the digital language. Each brand ties its goal around two important factors: User-satisfaction and Reputation. If you have visited any website of high-technology, they artistically use the exact character to serve as a typical example of their brand. Their chatbots initiate the communication with a tone of pertaining. For instance: "How may I help you?" and so on.

Thus I have shortlisted a few important check-list while creating a user-friendly interface:

Learn about Your User
The first thing that you need to research is what kind of conversation would attract your users. Whether a formal greet would do or an informal one would keep the user more engaged. Keep in mind the users' requirements and the queries they may raise regarding the same. You need to work upon the possible FAQs.

In short, create the bot's personality relevant to the users' needs.

One such example is Google. We all are aware that Google is a search engine. It provides a wide range of information. Therefore the interface of the bots resembles the same persona.

The Bot's Persona Should be a Clone of the Personality of your Brand
While building a bot, you have to wear the cap of the consumer and thus need to thoroughly study the psychology of the user. The aim of building a chatbot is only for the users. The usage of chatbots is by the users and then it is benefitted to the users. With the technical revolution, the connection between the humans and the automated program hasn't made a lot of lines but if we could break through this ṭedious situation of creating a fantastic program then we might be in a position to build more connections.

24/7 Availability is all that is needed!
Your customer satisfaction is decided upon the availability of your chatbot for addressing the queries of your customers instantly with accuracy and relevancy.

The Blend of Tone and Content is your Game Changer
If you ask me, I would love to talk with someone who has a calm, friendly, and helpful tone to address my speech. Therefore it is mandatory from the users' point of view that his problems or queries are resolved in a courteous manner with high priority.

For instance you may think to have the following set of confab conversation:
Power Tips:
Greet your customer. This is an ideal start to the conversation.

Avoid asking close-ended questions as the user might find reasons to skip them.

A desirable opening:
Hello!
How have you been doing?

Reply By the customer: Hey!

Change the Tone as if you are concerned about their visit

Do you need any help?

Reply By the customer: I am looking for a bell sleeve t-shirt within the range of $400. Can u help me find it?

Change the tone as you are happy to help the customer

Happy to help you!

Reply By the customer:Thanks!

Change the tone as if you are happy to resolve the query

Here are the best deals on bell sleeve t-shirts within the range of $400.

Reply By the customer:Oh, thank you so much!

I Think I can go with it.

By the Bot

I think you have got the right deals.

Wrapping Up!
The chatbot is a revolutionary technology and blending it with AI makes it deadly. Therefore, the companies offering Chatbot Development Services are trying hands on it with innovations. It has a wide scope in the field of customer service thus optimizing the customer experience worldwide. Chatbots are making interaction convenient for the users.

Article Source: https://www.articlecube.com/chatbots-blend-increased-personalization-minus-robotic