Chatbot, huh! What are they good for?

Chatbots have become a big part of our lives, and according to Gartner, by 2020 the average person will have more conversations with chatbots than with their spouse. Gartner also predicts that in 2020, 85 percent of customer service interactions will be done through chatbots.

So what is a chatbot exactly? A chatbot is a program designed to simulate conversation using artificial intelligence. Artificial Intelligence or “AI” is the development of a computer system that’s able to perform tasks that normally requires human intelligence.

Basically, someone sends your company a message on Facebook, and a chatbot will interpret and respond. Sounds nice, right? Well, chatbots are known to make some pretty public-facing mistakes. Whoops, Delta. It’s important to keep humans involved with chatbots and for your chatbots to evolve overtime. If you’re looking to implement a chatbot, check out some of these pros and cons.

Pros: 

• “On” 24/7 which allows your customers to get help whenever they need it.
• Time-savings for your customer service team, as chatbots can pick up a large bulk of the work.
• Immediate responses – if someone asks where you’re located at 9pm on a Saturday night, they won’t have to wait until the next day to hear back from your customer service team.

Cons: 

• Consumers may have a negative outlook and think the bots are annoying or impersonal.
• If designed poorly, conversations can be dry and obviously inhuman. That’s not very fun nor is it a good way to increase brand loyalty.
• They make mistakes – but hey, chatbots are people too, kinda.

Don’t rush into a chatbot just because it’s a hot trend. Rather, look at your marketing as a whole and determine if chatbots play a role and will add value.