053. The Evolution of the Chatbot! (Opinion)

Let’s talk Chatbots, here’s our opinion on the little pop-ups!

In our time working as designers and marketeers it’s been incredibly difficult to tell whether we have been on the edge of a precipice or at the foot of a mountain. We say this for a number of reasons but mainly the ever-changing operational climate in which we work. As technology evolves, as too do our job roles and staying ahead of the curve becomes increasingly important to land the best clients, and of course, put together the most immersive and thought-provoking campaigns.

When it comes to web design and integration there has been one particular technological advancement that we can’t help but have our eyes glued to. That is of course, the rise of the Chatbot, which we know makes it sound a lot more terminator than it actually is. This little sci-fi genius has become the forefront of customer queries and rapid response time, and as the money keeps being ploughed into the technology, we can only see the reliance on your Chatbot growing.

So, what can your chatbot do for you?

Well, at the moment the capabilities of the Chatbot are a lot more impressive than you would probably imagine looking in externally. So, in its very essence, the Chatbot is an entity that portrays human intelligence and bridges the gap between a business owner and their customers. The integration of a Chatbot, into your website, app, messenger etc, not only saves you time (we know replying to every enquiry can be time-consuming and taxing) but it also saves money.

Are all Chatbots the same?

One of our favourite things about the rise of the Chatbot has been watching multi-national companies compete to take the technology to the next level. We watched on as Apple introduced Siri back in 2010, the level of interaction with a Chatbot increased incomprehensibly. From asking Siri to complete menial day to day tasks like checking the weather, all the way to the questions Apple hid in the technology that allowed users to question Siri and receive hilarious answers.

However, it’s the Chatbots that occupy Facebook Messenger who stole the limelight. With a figure calculated in 2018 to be around the 1.5 billion monthly users mark, the 100,000+ integrated Chatbots operating on the application really have an extensive workload on their hands. Company Chatbots working through messenger can be automated to approach those who are visiting the companies page with a follow-up question, usually offering help or advice. This offers workers peace of mind in regards to missing any traffic that their social profiles have had, and leads to increased customer satisfaction as their presence has been acknowledged, almost like a member of staff welcoming them into your shop on the high street.

Will they be any help to my business?

As mentioned above, the Chatbot is becoming more and more useful and is without a doubt a beneficial piece of technology for all business owners. Lessening the burden of time constraints is just a primary function, as we know there simply isn’t enough time in the day. Chatbots can also deal with countless requests at the same time as they are independent to each user, whereas a human in the same position simply does not have that capability. In our opinion, the Chatbot wave has already washed over businesses across the world, however with the prediction that by 2020, 85% of business to customer conversation will be handled by a Chatbot, integration should be a case of the sooner the better for you and your business.

For any advice on anything you’ve read simply give us a call or send a message.