2017 was undoubtedly a year in which many new terminologies arrived to revolutionize businesses and companies regardless of their size. Are terms like Machine Learning, Artificial Intelligence, or Chatbots familiar to you? If it is about customer relations, the latter will undoubtedly be one of the most fantastic attractions for companies for 2018.

Machine Learning

But, let us start at the beginning. Machine Learning “is the development of algorithms so that machines can learn from the data and later make predictions or suggestions.

” Today, based on this premise, it is possible to develop programs almost tailored to what users demand. This technological advance has mainly allowed electronic commerce to have some patterns (all predictive) that seek to anticipate consumer wishes/responses.
Derived from Machine Learning, there are Chatbots, programs based on artificial intelligence, capable of ‘imitating’. People when having conversations through standard channels such as WhatsApp or Facebook Messenger. This phenomenon has grown exponentially in the last year; according to industry forecasts for 2020, 80% of consumer-business relationships will use this channel. In other words, human intervention in terms of customer service will be reduced considerably, as well as its associated costs.

Practical Applications For Business

Talking about virtual assistants is not something relatively new. Large companies such as Apple with Siri, Microsoft with Cortana, Google Assistant, or IBM’s Watson are pioneers in using artificial intelligence tools. However, this is the critical moment to turn this type of service to particular cases (market niches) and direct relationship with the end consumer.

That Is Why Different Uses Can ReaminAttributed To Chatbots:

Recommendations: many brands (mainly linked to entertainment, such as drinks) have begun to use this type of technology to recommend plans to their users and, incidentally, enjoy their products thanks to geolocation.

  • Virtual assistance: although the term is nothing new, the communication channel is. For example, small travel agencies use chatbots to issue personalized offers through WhatsApp. Being an open and direct channel, you can improve the user experience without waiting for the user to look for recommendations.
  • As a search engine: similar to the previous point, a chatbot can simplify the search states of users.
  • Chatcenters: an evolution of the traditional chats that service pages have.

How To Start Using Chatbots?

Although this trend will grow (and a lot) in 2018, the superficial reasons to use this technology will always be the user experience and the forefront. Asana customer reviews is an amazing tool for project management. It has several templates to ease getting started.
In the particular case of Facebook Messenger, thanks to the change of its interface last year. It is easier to install this type of bot. Currently, there are free programs to start using this technology. One of them is Chatfuel that allows you to create bots for Facebook Messenger or Telegram. This platform has a limit of up to 100,000 conversations per month. Making it perfect for small businesses that need a fast virtual assistant.
Another similar platform for bot development is Botsify, a perfect platform for quick integrations and a complete analytics panel to track conversations.

To create a bot, it is necessary to start with a simple question. “What is the added value that What will offer to the user with this technology?”

Here, depending on the type of business, it can be: improving customer service, speed of interactions, launching new offers, promoting new product catalogs, etc.
Once the main objective has remained decided, it only confides the rules by which the bot will move. Each user interaction counts when it comes to “feeding” the bot and thus anticipating the following response.

Reasons To Use A Chatbot In Small Businesses

Chatbots are handy tools for handling customer service. In addition, one of its main advantages is that who can install it on platforms that are already widely used by millions of users.

Among The Main Advantages, We Can Find:

Who can build dynamic content segments based on the information that the user leaves in the conversation?

  • It can become another direct communication channel with the user (as is done with Email Marketing).
  • The CTR (Click-through rate) for the case of Facebook Messenger is notably. Higher than other platforms since the 1 to 1 conversation remains facilitated.
  • On Facebook, it is possible to create ads whose objective is to generate interactions with the user and thus personalize their final experience.
  • Installing a bot can be, in the long run, ten times cheaper than hiring a customer service staff.