How to use chatbots to convert more

Can you tell the difference between a conversational bot and a bot using NLP or machine learning?

Here are two examples of different behaviors from a bot:

Bot 1 chat
“What time is it?”
-It’s 12:00
“What is the local time?”
-It’s 12:00
“Time in Europe”
-Europe is a continent. It has 5 different time zones.

Bot 2 chat
“What time is it?”
-It’s 12:00
“What is the local time?”
-What is your time zone?
“Europe”
-The local time in Europe is 10:00

One of the bots creates a conversation and puts each message into its context, to make sure the answers are connected to the content. It doesn’t matter if the bot already knows the answer or not. You can build smart bots using NLP (natural language pattern) and machine learning or AI (artificial intelligence). Check the IBM Watson page for more information. https://www.ibm.com/watson/

You can also use a chatbot to give replies from the knowledge base “as a message”. It may or may not be as smart, but also not as expensive and can still make the job happen. I consider this a lighter variant with great value.

When you create your own bot from scratch then the most of them are empty. Even Watson.

They lack a knowledge base and they miss replies to any question. To be able to start using them you should teach the bot what to reply to every question. This makes it time-consuming and the initial period needs a lot of resources. You might not see the reason for using a bot. But there are plenty of good reasons.

I asked a fellow entrepreneur, who recently started a website with resources for a hassle-free wedding planning, what he expects from a chatbot.
Mark Wilcox: Here are the 5 reasons why I added a chatbot to my website

CHATBOT BENEFITS

1 – Market research – visitors to the site will ask real questions. Much better than trying to run a survey. Even already asking my friends & family – I got almost 50 questions. About half were things I had never thought of before.

2 – Increase visitor satisfaction – if a visitor asks a question and I can direct them to an article then that makes them happy. And more likely to join my list. And then buy from me.

3 – Increase time on site – The more they engage with the bot, the longer they will remain on my site. Increases traction with my site

4 – Reduce support costs – When I launch my products – the bot can answer questions like how to download the product.

5 – Another ecommerce system – I can try instead of pointing them to just articles. I could point them to one of my courses.

Here are more reasons.

Help to convert – your visitors are more likely to buy from you, if they see that you are visible and that you want to be contacted. This builds a layer of trust. The same thing goes for a visible phone number to your company.

The bot takes care of the initial screening. Instead of you answering “hi” 100x per day, the bot can say hi and let the user state his or her question to you.

The bot can help you when you are busy by giving the visitor your most common answers, and related information directly in the conversation, while waiting for you to connect personally. This also increase time on site and decrease risk of losing the visitor to another site.

Different chat bots have different settings.
There are plenty of chat tools around, and bots are everywhere, even if you haven’t noticed. It’s a growing area and it will explode in the next couple of years.

During the last few months I have tried out the 10 biggest competitors, and found out that all are different. Which one will fit you? It depends on your needs, your customers, and your organization.

Personally, I believe in the following settings:

 

Be welcoming

Do not meet the visitor with a registration form before they can start the chat.
Comment: Sure, a form will reduce spam but the risk is that you will get less interaction.
If you truly care about personal connections, and get a lot of spam, then I suppose you target the wrong visitors with your ads and content. Target real persons, with real problem, to drive real traffic instead of “clicks and visits”.

Be clear

Set clear messages and expectations and let the visitor know what will happen.
For example: Display the average waiting time, and let the visitors know their place in the cue system. Introduce yourself, or your chatbot, with a name and function. This greatly helps the visitor to know what to expect.

Be friendly

If you are using a bot without replies, then the most irritating answer to the visitor is the following “I could not find an answer”. Nobody wants to hear that. Instead use a smart pre-defined phrase with a positive reply.

Examples:
“That’s a great question.”
“I will do my best to find an answer for you, ASAP”.
“Hold on and I will ask a colleague and get back to you in a minute”.
“Btw, what’s your e-mail address? You don’t have to wait here for an answer [Symbol]”

With this information, I think you have enough to get started.

“It’s obviously the future. So, no better time than now to start implementing. “
/ Matt Steinman, CEO & Founder at Armour Marketing.

 

How to get started.

How we are making it happen with Ticketbird.

We co-create.
Nobody likes to read a FAQ filled with made-up questions. The same goes for a chatbot. Nobody wants to talk to a useless chatbot. That’s why you should consider co-creation. It’s simple.

Here is how it works.
You let the visitors ask questions. Real questions.
It doesn’t matter if you use email, contact forms, chats, or even your company Facebook page. The important thing is to get an incoming question.

You make a stunning reply to the question. A throughout answer.
Take your time to tag the question and categorize it under “common questions”, “finance and invoicing”, “content and product material”, or any category you are comfortable with.

Publish the question and answer to your FAQ and your BOT.

Remember this:

– first part – You made it easy for the customer to ask a question
– second part – and then you gave a good reply
– and the final piece of art – a real question, with a real answer, that helps everyone.

The next time the same question is asked, you have real content to automate the reply.

Best of luck!