Chatbots multiply over the years. It is defined as a conversational agent installed most of the time on an instant messenger. Chatbots allow you to communicate directly with a customer for after-sales service or purchasing advice. All of the largest online sales platforms develop chatbots on their site to improve the customer experience but also to save time with their teams.
WIDE, a digital agency subsidiary of the Micropole group, whose mission is to support its customers in creating new data and digital experiences, highlights the results of the use of chatbots in its second barometer on the European population.
To exchange with the brands, the chatbots seduce more and more European people (more than 11 points). The communication channels used to exchange with brands have evolved in just one year: e-mail, still in the lead, nevertheless loses 5 points (73%) while SMS drops 14 points (36%), smartphone applications and social networks drop 7 points (respectively 35% and 31%). Chatbots stand out with an increase in usage of 11 points (29%), young people under 35 years old (42%) and people belonging to wealthy socio-professional categories (41%) are in favor of them.
According to Antoine de Lasteyrie, Managing Director of WIDE France. “The impact of digital technology on interactions between consumers and brands is confirmed year after year. The evolution of the purchasing process with the rise in usage such as click & collect and the rise of chatbots are examples of this. In the same vein, I am convinced that voice assistants will also gain market share. Their adoption by the European is still shy but should explode in the coming years.”
The different types of chatbots
Developers are more and more solicited to create chatbots that present different kinds of these conversational robots according to their use. Depending on the approach required with the customer, they differ in their technique. First appeared, linear chatbots consist in programming automatic responses for the customer. Depending on the selected sentences, they offer suggestions to find a solution. Very little elaborated, the linear chatbots only consist in satisfying the customer on a few points. The second possibility is non-linear chatbots equipped with artificial intelligence. In this perspective, customers can then formulate all their requests in a single paragraph. The artificial intelligence will automatically recognize the customer’s remarks and questions. Thanks to an algorithm, the chatbot can then simply chat with the users. If the chatbot is not familiar with a topic, he learns how to deal with it thanks to the artificial intelligence so that he can answer it in the future.
The customer experiences
The development of this tool on websites aims to improve the customer experience. Companies do not always have the need to have a dedicated service. The chatbot can be the right solution for a company. It accompanies the customer in his purchases but also in the discovery of a service. The latter can then ask all the necessary questions and be listened to during his various complaints. The machine offers the possibility of a 24h/24h service. An advantage for the new generations (X and Y) who are looking for instantaneity in their purchase and their journey on the Internet. The brands meet their expectations by promising a service that is continuously available. Moreover, their presence does not rule out the human but essentially helps to answer repetitive questions. Customers can then be redirected according to their request.
If merchant sites are investing in this technology to satisfy their customers on a continuous basis, they are not alone. The Asterix park, located at the gates of Paris, now offers its chatbot. Entitled Atonservix, it creates a real customer/visitor experience. It accompanies customers before, during and after their visit to the park. Depending on the questions asked, it can give information, notify visitors of the park’s activity (waiting time for attractions, start of a show…) but also offer advice and suggestions according to the visitor’s profile. Capable of handling 220 intentions, it will evolve over the course of interactions. Still very young, it has already answered more than 6,400 questions and generates more than 50% user satisfaction. Developed in collaboration with teams from TSC, Compagnie des Alpes and Parc Astérix, it is available on the Parc’s website as well as on Facebook’s instant messaging service, Messenger.
The different types of chatbot differ in their use of artificial intelligence or not. Depending on the customer target but also on the company’s activity, they each have their own assets. But with the evolution of the Internet, it is still more judicious to develop non-linear chatbots to address customers. Younger generations want immediacy and quality. The ready-made answers of linear chatbots are limited by a very precise framework. If the questions are not suitable for the chatbot, he will not be able to answer without artificial intelligence. In a world where digital is becoming ubiquitous, it is essential to develop customized tools to answer users’ questions. For the non-linear chatbot, artificial intelligence is necessary. Companies sometimes overwhelmed by the shortage of employees and resources prefer to move towards easy solutions that are the delight of organizations and digital agencies that offer them to create a chatbot equipped with artificial intelligence to improve the customer experience.
The chatbot can be a real asset for a website especially in e-commerce. The customers feel listened to which leads them to come back to the platform. However, it is not a technology that is affordable for all budgets because it requires experienced developers to design the artificial intelligence to fit the service or product. The chatbots sector is of growing interest to more and more companies and some of them have understood this. And like many sectors, the craze is leading to the proliferation of scams among companies. To develop a chatbot for your company therefore requires turning to qualified and recommended professionals.
Would you like to get more information about chatbots, and would you like to use chatbots on your business? Contact us today.
[…] nor does it cost a lot of money. Many companies offer ready-made frameworks for this purpose. For a chatbot – as a smart assistant – to offer you added value, the concept must be well thought out […]